Lottery winner reveals ‘basic maths’ to calculate winning numbers

Some people dream of the life they could lead if they won the lottery; the cars they’d buy, the expensive workout classes they’d invest in, and all the cheeky Nandos they could ever imagine.

But for the majority of gamblers, the lottery will forever remain as it is described - a far-flung fantasy.

Previously, Nick Kapoor, a mathematics professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, said there's ‘no science’ behind picking money-winning numbers.

He claimed that victory relies heavily on luck of the draw. Some could play once and take the lot, while others could try all their lives and never earn more than £5.

However, Stefan Mandel, an 83-year-old Romanian-Australian economist, put that notion to bed when he won the lottery not once, but 14 times with a simple calculation.

Stefan Mandel cracked the lottery system with an organised syndicate (YouTube)

It’s understood that the mathematician, who knew him winning the lottery on a single ticket was slim, came up with a genius method to ‘beat the system’ rather than rely on luck.

According to Postcode Lottery, the chances of winning a Lotto jackpot are one in 45 million. Players reportedly also have a one in 139 million chance of earning the top Euromillions prize.

Deciding to go against the grain, Stefan set up a deal with a group of investors to form a syndicate called the International Lotto Fund (LIF).

The idea was that everyone in the syndicate would pool their money to buy tickets, thus dramatically increasing their chances of winning.

In an old interview on YouTube, the mastermind explained why he’d decided to set up LIF - a theory which he called 'combinatorial condensation'.

"Theoretically, anybody can buy all the possible combinations," he explained. "Any high school boy or girl can calculate those combinations.

"Nobody has ever developed a logistical system to lodge such a large amount of play slips. We were the only winners and that was it."

Eventually, Stefan’s plan started working and his syndicate totted up a whopping 14 lottery wins.

The FBI eventually caught on to Stefan's scheme, but later cleared him and his team of any wrongdoing (Getty Stock Image)

They may not have won the jackpot every time, but the group still raked in a substantial amount of money.

Stefan even potted enough of the prizes to purchase himself a home, where he relocated to with his family.

Once, the expert calculated that with players picking six numbers from one to 44, there were a staggering 7,059,052 combinations to choose from in the Virginia lottery.

After successfully printing enough payslips at home, the syndicate won the top $27 million prize and also took home $900,000 in additional prizes for the tickets placing second, third, and so on.

Officials eventually became suspicious of the LIF’s winning ways after the syndicate took on the lottery in Virginia.

Stefan and his team were accused of money laundering, with the CIA and FBI investigating them for wrongdoing.

Years later, the genius was acquitted of all the crimes he was accused of and eventually retired from the lottery business.

Speaking to Romanian newspaper Bursa back in 2012, he said: "I’m a man who takes risks, but in a calculated way.

"Trimming my beard is a lottery: There is always the possibility that I’ll cut myself, get an infection in my blood and die — but I do it anyway. The chances are in my favour.”

Officials have now changed the rules regarding lottery syndicates, banning potential millionaires from bulk-buying tickets as well as using computer-generated tickets.