How did a London banker win $20 million in the Texas lottery?

In 2023, a London banker named Bernard Marantelli didn’t just play the Texas lottery — he broke it.

When the jackpot swelled to an eye-watering $95 million, Marantelli crunched the numbers and discovered a loophole: with just 25.8 million possible combinations and each ticket priced at $1, he could, in theory, buy every single one — and guarantee a win.

But how?
Using a network of shell companies and lottery-savvy allies, he legally partnered with local retailers and installed high-speed ticket printers. In remote areas of Texas, these printers — meant to serve gas stations and small stores — ran non-stop, churning out hundreds of tickets per second, unchecked by regulators.

His team successfully printed the winning combination and claimed the $57.8 million prize. After costs, their net profit hit $20 million. No laws were technically broken. The lottery itself even earned money from the massive ticket sales.

It all stayed quiet — until others tried copying the scheme and failed spectacularly. Their fallout exposed the operation to the public. New rules followed. But Marantelli? He walked away, smiling.