Crazy or Kind? The Lottery Winners Who Shared Their Fortune abc

It’s not uncommon for people who win the lottery to give some of their winnings to those in need. But let’s be real, many do this more out of superstition than pure generosity. Now, imagine this: You crack the winning lottery formula. Would you be willing to share it with your neighbors??

That’s exactly what Jerry Selbee and his wife Marge did. Living a quiet life in Evart, Michigan, Jerry, recently retired after 42 years in business, found a new passion—his motorboat. But after a minor boating accident, his focus shifted to something much more lucrative: the Windfall lottery. From 2003 to 2012, the couple won an astonishing $26 MILLION.

“It took me less than two minutes to realize this game could be profitable,” Jerry said in an interview. One day, he saw a lottery ad in big bold letters, and his sharp mathematical mind—honed during his days at Western Michigan University—spotted a golden opportunity. "I found something weird," Jerry told CBS.

The Windfall lottery had a unique rule: if no one matched all six numbers, the jackpot was divided among those who matched five, four, or three numbers. This meant that by investing a significant amount in tickets, your odds of winning were much higher than in other lottery games.

Jerry did the math. He calculated that by investing $1,100, he had a great chance of landing at least one ticket with four numbers. And it worked. He bought 18 tickets and ended up winning $1,000 on one ticket and 18 smaller prizes worth $50 each.

After his initial success, Jerry doubled down. He invested $3,600 and won $6,300. Then, he raised his stake to $8,000 and doubled his winnings again. That’s when he told Marge about his completely legal way to beat the lottery.

From Simple Players to Lottery Pros

After these initial wins, Jerry and Marge decided to share the opportunity with friends and family. Together, they pooled their money to invest and win even more. They even founded a company, GS Investment Strategies LLC, to manage their winnings. They sold shares of the company for $500 to those who wanted to join their lottery syndicate.

The couple kept meticulous records and even stored over 60 tons of lottery tickets, just in case the authorities came knocking. And they did. Eventually, the state launched an investigation to see if Jerry and Marge were running some sort of scam or fraud.

To everyone’s surprise, no laws were broken.

"I was shocked," said Greg Sullivan, the lead investigator, "In the end, all we found were some math geniuses who legally figured out how to win millions in a state lottery."

Their wins didn’t just change their lives—they transformed their entire town. New businesses opened, jobs were created, and even the local hotspot, Jazz Fest, was renovated thanks to the influx of lottery money.

This incredible story may sound like a fantasy, but it’s 100% true and even inspired a 2022 movie, *Jerry & Marge Go Large*, starring Bryan Cranston (from *Breaking Bad*) and Annette Bening, a five-time Oscar nominee.