The Woman Who Out-Smarted The Lottery

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Welcome back to the Bandit Betting Newsletter, where we deliver the top stories in sports and gambling directly to your inbox, every Sunday.

In today's email:

• White Sox: how management is coping as worst team in MLB history.

• 2024 MLB playoff tracker: schedule, bracket, clinching scenarios.

• Joan Ginther: the woman who beat the state lottery four times totaling $20M using math.

Let's gamble...

ALL TIME LOWS

"We go into every game expecting to win. It's just a matter of actually executing that," White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet said.

After yet another loss in the dismal 2024 season, White Sox pitcher Davis Martin could only laugh.

The team's year has been filled with absurd moments, including players colliding and potential game-winning hits being stolen.

With a 36-115 record, they are close to surpassing the 1962 Mets for the most losses in MLB history.

Despite the losing streak, the clubhouse remains surprisingly upbeat. Martin credits the camaraderie, saying the season would be unbearable without it.

Manager Grady Sizemore, who took over after Pedro Grifol was fired in August, has helped keep morale high with a relaxed approach focused on positivity.

Sizemore's leadership and the ongoing organizational overhaul, led by GM Chris Getz, are part of a broader effort to rebuild the team.

Owner Jerry Reinsdorf acknowledged the pain of the season but expressed hope for the future. The front office is bringing in new talent to overhaul player development.

Though wins have been rare, recent victories, including a three-game streak, have given the team small moments of joy.

Players like Nicky Lopez and young prospects Jonathan Cannon and Sean Burke find success amidst collective failure, offering hope that the lessons of this tough season will lead to future growth.

MLB PLAYOFF TRACKER

As the final month of the 2024 MLB regular season unfolds, a few teams are securing their spots for October.

The Milwaukee Brewers were the first to clinch a playoff spot, winning the NL Central for the third time in four years. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies followed, locking up their postseason berths.

In the American League, the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians have secured playoff spots, while the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros are expected to join them soon.

Playoff matchups are taking shape. The Brewers, Yankees, Guardians, Dodgers, and Phillies are all in, with the Orioles needing three more wins to secure a postseason berth and the Astros needing four wins to clinch the AL West. The Padres are three wins away from locking up a wild-card spot in the NL.

Currently, the American League wild-card round features the Twins vs. Astros and Royals vs. Orioles.

The winners will meet the Guardians and Yankees in the ALDS. In the NL, the wild-card matchups are the Mets vs. Brewers and Diamondbacks vs. Padres, with the Dodgers and Phillies awaiting the winners in the NLDS.

Tiebreakers may affect playoff seeding. If the Dodgers and Phillies tie for the best NL record, Philadelphia would take the top seed due to their head-to-head advantage.

In the AL, Cleveland holds the tiebreaker over the Orioles if they tie for the league's best record. If the Yankees, Orioles, and Guardians finish tied, Baltimore would claim the top seed.

Other tiebreakers may come into play as the season concludes, adding suspense to the final games.

More updates to follow.

JOAN GINTHER PHD

The scholar that beat the Texas State Lottery four times using math.

Joan Ginther, a Stanford PhD in statistics, won the Texas Lottery four times in 10 years, netting $20 million.

Her story raises eyebrows due to her repeated purchases from a single rural Texas store and the fact she lives in Las Vegas. Unlike the Selbees, who openly discussed their lottery strategy, Ginther has stayed elusive, granting no interviews.

Attempts to uncover her method point to possible strategic use of statistical knowledge. Journalist Peter Murca suggests Ginther’s first win in 1993 was luck, but she later used logistics and probability to improve her chances.

The Texas Lottery's distribution of scratch-off tickets across the state allowed those paying close attention to track ticket shipments and remaining prizes, giving her an edge. Murca also speculates Ginther spent $3.3 million on tickets to win her $20 million, with smaller wins offsetting much of her investment, suggesting a calculated risk.

Adding intrigue, a local woman, Anna Morales, claimed numerous prizes around the same time, raising questions about potential teamwork between them.

While details remain speculative, Ginther’s case offers a lesson for business: success can come from leveraging either private insights or publicly available data in innovative ways.

Despite the mysteries, her story stands out as one of the most compelling in lottery history.

MEME

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