Gerrard Kaonga
Joan Ginther was able to pull off a statistical miracle and may truly be the luckiest woman alive, as she was able to win millions on the lottery four times.
Now think about every time you have played the lottery and haven’t won - it hurts, doesn’t it?
Well, this seemingly wasn’t a feeling that Joan Ginther was familiar with as she collected a total of $20.4 million in four separate wins between 1993 and 2010.
It almost sounds too good to be true, but that was Joan’s lucky break, and a statistician believes they have figured out how she managed to win so much.
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Ginther wasn't just your usual ticket buyer, though. She held a PhD from Stanford and once taught college mathematics in California, giving her a deeper understanding of probability and odds than most.
She landed $5.4 million in 1993, followed by $2 million in 2006, $3 million in 2008, then a staggering $10 million in 2010.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, a statistician believes they understand how Ginther managed to work her magic.
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Alan Salzberg, a senior statistician at Salt Hill Consulting, explained that he didn’t believe her mathematical prowess was the sole reason for her winnings.
Unfortunately, it isn’t exactly a followable formula, so unlucky if you were hoping to win the lottery a couple times yourself.
He said: “The math of lotteries isn't that hard. I don't think you need a Ph.D.
“I doubt it was the hand of God here, and I doubt she spent a tiny amount of money to get these winnings.
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“It's somewhere in between. She probably figured out a little bit and she also probably spent a lot of money to win these.”
He added that he believes Ginther spent some of her initial winnings playing the lottery often enough to increase her chances of winning, especially if she played games that had better odds.
The statistician theorized Ginther may have only played lotteries that on any given day had payouts with better odds.
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On top of this, he noted that living in rural areas may have helped because they have fewer people playing, and bigger jackpots add more players.
On April 13, 2024, she died at the age of 77 of natural causes, possibly stemming from cardiovascular disease.
Following her death, she was praised for living a low-profile life and being very generous with her winnings to children, friends and family.