Powerball talk has reached febrile levels.
With the jackpot north of half a billion dollars, the entire country is playing the numbers (including Business Insider).
But here's the real question we know is everyone's mind: can the contest be gamed?
Not without extreme difficulty.
Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Office of Inspector General released a report on a group of individuals who had successfully — and legally — outmanuevered the state's lottery to win millions of dollars.
That appears to be the only successful example in modern lotto history, according to Chuck Strutt, the director of the Multi-State Lottery Association which oversees cross-state lottery games.
But Strutt told us that there have been several notorious instances of illicit lottery rigging over the years, which we reproduce for you here.
Italy's blindfolded tots scandal, 1999
A nationwide scandal erupted after lottery officials were found to have rigged drawings by bribing the blindfolded children who picked numbers.
"Blindfolds were loosened and certain balls covered with a shiny varnish that could be seen beneath the blindfolds. Balls were also heated or frozen so that the children could pick them out by touch. In one case, investigators say, a ball was so hot that a child's hand was burned," CNN reported.
The Pennsylvania 6-6-6 scandal, 1980
Nick Perry, the host of the state's televised lottery drawing, and Edward Plevel, a lottery supervisor, were indicted on fraud charges after it was discovered they were weighing lottery balls so that only 4s and 6s would turn up. One of the major jackpot numbers turned out to be "6-6-6."
Source: New York Times
The Virginia lotto's Australian invasion, 1992
A group of Australian investors bought tickets for 5 million of a possible 7 million combinations, at $1 each, in a lottery with a $27 million jackpot. Virginia officials ultimately ended up paying out the winning ticket.
Source: WDBJ7
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