He Bought Every Lottery Combination. 14 Times. And Won.
Romanian mathematician Stefan Mandel figured out how to guarantee a lottery win by purchasing every possible combination. He did it 14 times before laws changed.
The Algorithm
In the 1960s, a Romanian economist named Stefan Mandel had an idea that was either brilliant or insane: what if you simply bought every possible combination of lottery numbers?
The math was simple. If a lottery had 5 million possible combinations and each ticket cost $1, buying all of them cost $5 million. If the jackpot exceeded $5 million (plus taxes and the cost of buying), you were guaranteed a profit. Not a gamble. A certainty.
The First Win
Mandel first tested his theory in Romania in the 1960s, where he won the national lottery. But Romanian jackpots were small and the political environment was dangerous. He emigrated to Australia, became a citizen, and set his sights on bigger prizes.
Over the next two decades, Mandel won 12 Australian lotteries using the same approach: wait for a jackpot to exceed the total cost of all combinations, form an investor group, buy every ticket. He refined the logistics — printing pre-filled tickets in bulk, organizing distribution teams, and managing the massive cash flows.
The Virginia Job
In 1992, Mandel executed his most ambitious operation. The Virginia Lottery had a jackpot of $27 million with only 7,059,052 possible combinations at $1 each. The total cost to buy every combination: just over $7 million.
Mandel raised $7.1 million from 2,524 investors. His team printed all 7,059,052 combinations on pre-filled tickets, shipped them to Virginia in boxes, and fed them through lottery terminals at grocery stores and gas stations around the state.
He won the $27 million jackpot plus hundreds of thousands in lower-tier prizes. After paying investors, taxes, and operational costs, Mandel and his partners cleared a substantial profit.
The Aftermath
The Virginia Lottery, the FBI, the CIA, the IRS, and the Virginia Attorney General all investigated. After years of scrutiny, they concluded: Mandel broke no laws. He bought legal tickets at face value through authorized retailers.
But the publicity prompted immediate rule changes. Virginia and most other states passed laws preventing bulk ticket purchases and requiring tickets to be filled out individually at authorized terminals. Australia banned syndicate-style mass buying entirely. The "buy every combination" strategy became physically impossible in most jurisdictions.
Could It Work Today?
Not with Powerball or Mega Millions. With 292,201,338 possible Powerball combinations at $2 each, buying every ticket would cost $584.4 million. Even if the jackpot exceeded that amount (it has, four times), the logistics are impossible — you would need to print and scan 292 million unique tickets through lottery terminals within a few days. There simply are not enough terminals or hours. And the lump-sum tax hit would eat most of the profit. Use our tax calculator to see exactly how much.
Smaller state games with fewer combinations are theoretically possible, but anti-bulk-purchase laws now prevent it. Mandel's window closed behind him. Explore the odds calculator to see the combination counts for every game we track. Lottery draws are random events, and this content is for entertainment and informational purposes only. Play responsibly.
Disclaimer: For entertainment purposes only. Lottery outcomes are random and past results do not influence future drawings. This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by any state lottery commission. In the event of a discrepancy, official winning numbers shall control. Results sourced from NY Open Data (data.ny.gov). Always verify with your official state lottery.