Reply to: Couple lose despite backing every greyhound

[Pogle]

I recall a programme a few years ago about one of the US states lotteries that had rolled over a load of times. Some syndicate put together a large team of people who went to every lottery sales point in the state to buy up all of the numbers.
If memory serves they had over 100 people and they only just managed to get the tickets bought between the time that the terminals opened and the draw, mind you they had something like $100 mil jackpot at stake and had to manage it on the QT as there was some law against buying all the numbers.

did they win?

[TykeMerc]

I should think the logistics of buying 2 million tickets would be hard enough. Can you imagine what a queue you'd cause at the post office

I recall a programme a few years ago about one of the US states lotteries that had rolled over a load of times. Some syndicate put together a large team of people who went to every lottery sales point in the state to buy up all of the numbers.
If memory serves they had over 100 people and they only just managed to get the tickets bought between the time that the terminals opened and the draw, mind you they had something like $100 mil jackpot at stake and had to manage it on the QT as there was some law against buying all the numbers.

[KentPhilip]

There's also the logistical matter of buying 14 million tickets in a short period. Possible with 2 million, but it becomes exponetially harder with more combinations

I should think the logistics of buying 2 million tickets would be hard enough. Can you imagine what a queue you'd cause at the post office

[BrilloPad]

That would require a 14 million pound spend to guarantee 1 win.

And it did happen in the national lottery once on a triple rollover.

[Moscow Mule]

That would require a 14 million pound spend to guarantee 1 win.

Yes, but you get a lot 4 & 5 number combos as well. That dilutes the amount of other folk claiming.

[Pogle]

Nah, couldn't be. Could it?

I was wondering the same thing

[HairyArsedBloke]

One of the jackpot winners was a local punter who also wished to remain anonymous and the other an internet gambler known as the Scoop6 Squirrel.

Nah, couldn't be. Could it?

[centurian]

On the UK lottery it would, these syndicates are global.

If a state lotto has rolled over to say $100m and it only cost $14m to enter a guaranteed win a betting man would have a punt and the cost is spread over thousands of investors.

Don't forget the syndicate will also pick up every other prize available including all combinations of bonus ball prizes.

I think the UK lottery rules bar people from taking actions that significantly affect the outcome. So while buying more than one ticket is okay, if you do manage to buy every ticket, Camelot could refuse to pay out.

Not sure how this would stand up in court, but the possibility of non-payout is probably enough to scare syndicates off.

There's also the logistical matter of buying 14 million tickets in a short period. Possible with 2 million, but it becomes exponetially harder with more combinations

[centurian]

That would require a 14 million pound spend to guarantee 1 win.

It worked on the Irish lottery a few years back. There were only 2 million-odd combinations - and after a succession of rollovers, the likelihood was that the jackpot would be more than the outlay, even if the jackpot was shared.

A syndicate bought about 80% of the combinations (the lottery provider tried to stop them by shutting down terminals).

In the end, they made aout £310K out of an outlay of about 800K. The would have made more if the jackpot had not been shared.

Bet they were sh!**ing themselves because they only had 80% of the tickets.

[gingerjedi]

That would require a 14 million pound spend to guarantee 1 win.

On the UK lottery it would, these syndicates are global.

If a state lotto has rolled over to say $100m and it only cost $14m to enter a guaranteed win a betting man would have a punt and the cost is spread over thousands of investors.

Don't forget the syndicate will also pick up every other prize available including all combinations of bonus ball prizes.

[blacjac]

That would require a 14 million pound spend to guarantee 1 win.

And that win might well be shared with others ... stuff that.

If you entered every possible combination you would have considerably more than one win...

[MrMark]

I thought I was the undisputed King of always choosing the option that fails. Hmm, now it seems I have some strong competition...

[Menelaus]

If something sounds too good to be true - it usually is.

Damn straight.

See "my second marriage", as example of this rule.

[Pogle]

If something sounds too good to be true - it usually is.

[Menelaus]

That would require a 14 million pound spend to guarantee 1 win.

And that win might well be shared with others ... stuff that.