# Can you buy ever lottery ticket combination? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039 "2012-03-28T14:03:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/1 "2012-03-28T14:03:13Z")
Is it just the logistics that prevent this type of investment? The chance of winning a Mega Millions has 1 in 176 million with one ticket (which costs $1). The jackpot is now 476 million. Why can’t a billionaire buy every combination? What limits him? The machine at the quick-e-mart just can’t spit them out quickly enough to do this with any reasonable amount of success? ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/2 "2012-03-28T14:08:04Z")
I could swear that I saw a news report a decade or so ago that had an interview with a company that, when the lottery got high enough, basically bought every combination. They might have had access to a special machine or something that let them do this. I seem to recall that they had a malfunction and could only print something like 3/4 of the tickets, yet they still won. My memory is extremely hazy on this though. Also, you have to remember that the lottery is 476 million, but if you win, you don’t necessarily walk away with that. You have to consider taxes and IIRC, if you take a cash payout, you don’t get the full figure. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/3 "2012-03-28T14:09:26Z")
Also, how about if there are several winning tickets sold? ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/4 "2012-03-28T14:10:26Z")
It has been tried, but lack of time often prevents all combinations from being purchased. [This report](http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/25/us/group-invests-5-million-to-hedge-bets-in-lottery.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm) from 1992 is an example: > [@](#): > > In Virginia this month, one investment group came tantalizingly close to cornering the market on all possible combinations of six numbers from 1 to 44. State lottery officials say that the group bought tickets for 5 million of a possible 7 million combinations, at $1 each, in a lottery with a $27 million jackpot. Only a lack of time prevented the group from buying tickets for the remaining 2 million combinations. > > While no one has come forward with the one winning ticket in the Feb. 15 lottery, several clues point to the investment group, an Australian syndicate, as the winner. If that is so, the numbers 8, 11, 13, 15, 19 and 20 will yield a prize of $1.3 million a year for 20 years to the group. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/5 "2012-03-28T14:12:15Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > It has been tried, but lack of time often prevents all combinations from being purchased. That is an interesting point. I wonder how long it would take to print off all those tickets. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/6 "2012-03-28T14:15:03Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Also, how about if there are several winning tickets sold? This. If the prize is 5 million and you’ve spent 3 million on tickets, then a duplicate ticket means you’ve lost a half million…before taxes, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/7 "2012-03-28T14:17:42Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > It has been tried, but lack of time often prevents all combinations from being purchased. > > [This report](http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/25/us/group-invests-5-million-to-hedge-bets-in-lottery.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm) from 1992 is an example: Before or after taxes? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/8 "2012-03-28T14:24:43Z")
> [@Meatros](#): > > That is an interesting point. I wonder how long it would take to print off all those tickets. In a lottery where you pick six numbers from 1 to 44, there are a total of about 5 billion possible tickets. Assuming that you can print out one ticket per second, it’s going to take you over 160 years to print them all. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/9 "2012-03-28T14:29:38Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > In a lottery where you pick six numbers from 1 to 44, there are a total of about 5 billion possible tickets. Assuming that you can print out one ticket per second, it’s going to take you over 160 years to print them all. Are you sure? The article I just read on CNN says that the odds are 177 million to 1. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/10 "2012-03-28T14:32:08Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Before or after taxes? Note that Australia (like Canada) doesn’t tax gambling winnings, so if any tax was withheld they might have been able to reclaim it. (I am not an expert on U.S. tax law.) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/11 "2012-03-28T14:35:03Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Note that Australia (like Canada) doesn’t tax gambling winnings, so if any tax was withheld they might have been able to reclaim it. (I am not an expert on U.S. tax law.) No. The money was “earned” in the US so it is taxed here. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/12 "2012-03-28T14:37:42Z")
A buddy and I once spent the better part of an afternoon working on this. The key was how many people we could hire to go to different lottery machines with different sets of numbers so we could get them all printed between the midweek and Saturday drawings. I can’t remember the exact answer but we would have needed to tie up thousands of ticket machines 24 hours a day to get all the tickets printed in three days. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/13 "2012-03-28T14:38:51Z")
Even outside of taxes, the 476 million is an annuity. The lump sum payment is substantially smaller. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/14 "2012-03-28T14:39:22Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Are you sure? The article I just read on CNN says that the odds are 177 million to 1. 44_43_42_41_40\*39 = 5.08 billion If it’s just 5 numbers, it’s 44_43_42_41_40 = 130.3 million. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/15 "2012-03-28T14:39:27Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > In a lottery where you pick six numbers from 1 to 44, there are a total of about 5 billion possible tickets. Assuming that you can print out one ticket per second, it’s going to take you over 160 years to print them all. How do you get that number? I think you’re overcounting somewhere… (44 choose 6) is 7 million, which is what **Wallenstein** ’s quote says. And 7 million seconds is only a few months… ETA: I believe lotteries use combinations, not permutations. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/16 "2012-03-28T14:42:24Z")
If you could buy every combination, you’d get every prize- not just the jackpot. For example, you’d get every combination of five numbers without the megaball at $250,000 each, every four-number plus the megaball combination at $10,000 each, and so on. I figure collecting the prizes would take a lot of time and effort. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/17 "2012-03-28T14:43:51Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > How do you get that number? I think you’re overcounting somewhere… (44 choose 6) is 7 million, which is what **Wallenstein** ’s quote says. And 7 million seconds is only a few months… > > ETA: I believe lotteries use combinations, not permutations. Yeah, it’s not: 44_43_42_41_40\*39 = 5.08 billion it’s: 44_43_42_41_40_39 / ( 6_5_4_3_2_1 ) ~= 7 million ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/18 "2012-03-28T14:46:13Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > … > ETA: I believe lotteries use combinations, not permutations. There are several number-drawing styles in different state lotteries. I’ve seen ones that draw all the numbers from one pool of ping pong balls, ones where each number pulled from its own set (so repeating numbers are possible), and ones where the first five numbers and the last number each have a separate pool of balls. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/19 "2012-03-28T14:55:48Z")
I think that the lottery commissions should just sell a special “all numbers” ticket. That would not guarantee a unique win so what is the harm? It would be easy to cash in (the various sub-prizes) or it could even be sold at a discount to reflect the value of the sub-prizes and making it a jack-pot only ticket. Just as you have no right to know what numbers someone else has bought, there would be no need to advertise that an “all numbers” ticket had been sold. They could even sell multiple ones if someone wants them. As long as the $1 winner gets and equal share with the $176 million winner, everyone should be “happy”. ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039/20 "2012-03-28T15:15:46Z")
When the UK lottery started this seemed to be one of the favourite topics of conversation for a while. At the time you could only play via the machines in shops, so you would have faced the logistical problems identified above. Now, however you can play online (without printing anything) so I’d assume it would be a lot easier to do now. We also don’t have taxes or annual options on lottery winnings, so that would make it a more attractive option. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-buy-ever-lottery-ticket-combination/617039.md?page=2)