Professional Gamblers Buy Nearly Every Possible Combination in Unprecedented Operation
AUSTIN, Texas — In what officials are calling one of the most controversial lottery wins in U.S. history, a shadowy international gambling syndicate has claimed a $95 million Lotto Texas jackpot after executing an audacious scheme to purchase nearly every possible combination of numbers.
The operation, which netted the group $57.8 million in winnings after investing approximately $25.8 million to buy tickets, has sent shockwaves through the Texas lottery system and prompted investigations at the highest levels of state government.
The masterminds behind the scheme
At the center of this unprecedented lottery play are two notorious figures in global gambling circles: Bernard Marantelli, a former Deutsche Bank derivatives trader, and Zeljko Ranogajec, a reclusive Tasmanian betting prodigy known as “the Joker” who is so elusive he’s been nicknamed the “Loch Ness Monster” due to the scarcity of photos of him.
Operating with military precision, the team established four locations across Texas, including a former dental office and a warehouse, where they installed dozens of official lottery ticket-printing terminals. Working around the clock, these terminals printed hundreds of tickets per second, ultimately covering more than 99% of the 25.8 million possible combinations for the April 2023 drawing.
The financing for this massive operation flowed through a complex network that began in the Isle of Man, where Ranogajec maintains accounts under the alias John Wilson. The funds were then channeled through a Detroit law firm’s escrow account before reaching their operational partner, struggling Austin-based startup Lottery.com, which earned substantial commissions on the ticket sales.
The winning moment
When the winning numbers—3, 5, 18, 29, 30, and 52 — were drawn on April 22, 2023, one of the syndicate’s millions of tickets matched perfectly. A limited partnership called Rook TX quietly claimed the prize, taking advantage of Texas laws that allow winners to remain anonymous.
“It is considered cheating by lottery players,” one Lottery.com executive acknowledged in an internal email uncovered during subsequent investigations. “We do not want to raise attention to it.”
Swift political backlash
The covert operation didn’t remain secret for long. By June, media reports had exposed the scheme, triggering immediate political fallout. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called it “the biggest theft from the people of Texas in the history of Texas,” while Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Rangers to launch an investigation.
The state’s lottery commission has since admitted that a junior staffer unknowingly enabled the operation by approving terminal access without recognizing the implications of the request.
In legislative hearings that followed, some lawmakers likened the syndicate to an “organized crime ring,” questioning how the lottery system could have allowed such a massive play to proceed.
A history of high-stakes gambling
This was not the first time Ranogajec has executed such a strategy. The enigmatic gambler built his fortune by applying mathematical and algorithmic approaches to betting markets worldwide. His syndicate, once known as the “Punters Club,” was reportedly wagering an estimated $10 billion annually at its peak.
Together with Australian mathematician David Walsh, Ranogajec had previously carried out similar lottery schemes in Australia decades ago. The pair became legendary in gambling circles after reportedly winning $63 million from a single Tokyo horse race.
Marantelli, following his career at Deutsche Bank, established himself in Melbourne’s bookmaking scene before launching ColossusBets in the U.K. More recently, the pair formed White Swan Data, a company that uses advanced analytics to identify profitable betting opportunities.
Changing the game
While technically legal — the operation complied with existing rules — the syndicate’s actions have undermined public trust in the lottery system. State Senator Bob Hall told the Wall Street Journal: “It may be legal, but it’s not right.”
The Lottery Commission has responded by implementing software restrictions to cap daily ticket sales per terminal, aiming to prevent future bulk-buying operations. These measures were put to the test in December 2023 when, as the Texas jackpot approached $60 million again, someone identifying as “Adrian” began proposing another mass-buying spree to stores statewide. The commission blocked this attempt with a software patch.
Wider implications
The Texas incident highlights a growing tension in state lotteries across America. Another professional gambling group, Black Swan Capital — comprised of Princeton graduates — has scored multimillion-dollar wins using similar mathematical strategies in Missouri, North Carolina, Maryland, and other states.
Watchdog Dawn Nettles, publisher of the Texas Lotto Report, has filed a lawsuit against Lottery.com and the winners, alleging the operation defrauded everyday Texans. The defendants have yet to respond in court.
As state lottery commissions grapple with increasingly sophisticated gambling operations, the fundamental question remains: were these systems designed to create occasional life-changing windfalls for everyday players, or are they simply another market inefficiency for professional gamblers to exploit?
