| No Images? Click here   Jerry and Marge Go Large Dear Highliners,Is there such a thing as luck? Or are we mostly the masters of our fate? Before you answer, consider that popular game of odds: the lottery. It's easy to be mystified by the idea of buying the one ticket that’ll hit the jackpot—like this woman just did in New Hampshire, for $560 million. But what if I told you that winning is maybe not so serendipitous? That there are Americans who’ve claimed repeat winning tickets at least 50 times in the past seven years?How is that? To learn, you’ll want to read Jason Fagone’s incredible yarn about Jerry and Marge Selbee, two Michigan retirees who, in 2003, discovered a mathematical flaw in a lottery game called Winfall. The Selbees were hardly the picture of high-rolling gamblers: Jerry was a cereal-box designer, Marge was a housewife, and together they’d raised six kids in an auto-parts town of 1,900. But Jerry also had a mind for numbers—and the flaw in the game was so obvious to him that it was impossible not to exploit. The Selbees quickly formed a betting group—including their kids, some 20 friends and even their accountant—and launched a lucrative career that eventually spanned two states and made them a whopping $27 million.It wouldn’t last—but I won’t give the rest away! Fagone, who spent time with Jerry and Marge in icy northern Michigan, raises questions you’ll find yourself pondering hours later: Did this unassuming couple cheat? Or did they play exactly like they were supposed to? And he weaves in so many delightful details—from cereal boxes to rubber-banded ticket bundles to a raccoon-proof barn—that you’ll find yourself wanting to see this caper turned into a movie already.Happy reading, —Kate Rodemann Highline combines the rigor, depth and obsessiveness of the best magazine journalism with the experimentation that becomes possible when no paper or staples are involved. And our goal is simple: We want to publish stories that stay with you.Did you like reading this email? Forward it to a friend. Or sign up! Can't get enough? Check out our Morning Email or Must Reads.©2018 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 |
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