Stefan Mandel: Math Genius Who Beat the Lottery 14 Times

Imagine winning the lottery once. Now imagine doing it 14 times. Sounds impossible, right? Not for Stefan Mandel, a math whiz who cracked the lottery code in 3 countries and earned about $38 million.

Born in Romania in 1934, Mandel had a passion for numbers and a knack for finding patterns. He realized that he could use his skills to win big.

He started in his home country, where he won his 1st jackpot in 1964. But he wasn’t satisfied. He moved to Australia, where he formed a syndicate and won 12 more times.

Then he set his sights on the U.S., where he pulled off the biggest coup of his career: a $25+ million win in Virginia.

But how did he do it? What was his secret formula? And did he ever get caught? Read on to find out.

How had Stefan Mandel won the lottery?

How Mandel Used Math to Beat the Lottery

Mandel was not a lucky guy. He used math to figure out a way to win the lottery without guessing. Here’s the logic:

1. Find out how many different combinations of numbers could win the lottery. (E.g., six numbers from 1 to 40 = 3,838,380 combos).
2. Look for a lottery that has a jackpot that is at least 3x bigger than the number of combos. (E.g., if there are 3,838,380 combos, wait for a jackpot of ~$12 million+).
3. Gather enough money to buy tickets for every single combination.
4. Use your own equipment to print tickets with all the combinations and pay for them at official lottery outlets. (This was legal then, but not now).
5. Deliver the tickets to the lottery agents and wait for the draw. Collect your prize.

Of course, it wasn’t as easy. Mandel had to consider many factors, such as taxes, availability of jackpots, and printing costs. But in the end, his strategy paid off.

Stefan Mandel’s formula for winning the lottery

Mandel’s 1st Jackpot in Romania

Mandel tried his lottery scheme for the 1st time in Romania in the 1950s, where he lived back then. He won about $20,000 in today’s money, which was enough to move his family to Israel. Later, he relocated to Australia.

12 Wins in Australia

In Australia, Stefan found out that his lottery system worked there too, especially with the help of the syndicate he formed. The syndicate claimed jackpots 12 times in a row, which made authorities to change the lottery rules to stop Mandel.

Biggest Win in Virginia and Investigation

Mandel had a bigger goal in mind: to win the U.S. lottery. He targeted the Virginia lottery, which had 7.1 million combinations. He waited for the jackpot to be at least $25 million before buying all the tickets. In February 1992, he got his chance when the jackpot reached $27 million.

The operation was huge. From Australia, 30 tons of paper were used to print the tickets. And the plan worked. The jackpot and some extra prizes were won.

But the lottery officials smelled something fishy and withheld his payment. They launched an investigation and even involved the FBI, but couldn’t prove anything wrong.

Stefan Mandel nowadays

Can You Win the Lottery Like Mandel Today?

Nope. Modern lotteries don’t let jackpots get bigger than the cost of all combinations. Plus, you can’t print your own tickets anymore. So you can’t win the lottery like Mandel did. He was a math wizard who found a gap that’s now closed. 

Fun Facts