“Paramount+’s ‘Jerry and Marge Go Large’ recounts the true story of Jerry and Marge Selbee, retirees from a small Michigan town who legally exploited a lottery loophole. Inspired by Jason Fagone’s 2018 Huffington Post article, the film explores how Jerry’s mathematical prowess uncovered a winning strategy in the ‘Winfall’ Michigan lottery game. With his wife Marge’s support, they formed GS Investment Strategies LLC, involving friends in their venture. When ‘Winfall’ was banned in 2005, they shifted their focus to Massachusetts’ ‘Cash WinFall,’ buying millions of tickets, making over $20 million in ticket sales, and pocketing $5 million in profit by 2009. They faced competition from MIT students.

A Boston Globe report exposed the scheme, leading to the state’s decision to phase out ‘Cash WinFall’ and cap ticket sales. Jerry and Marge retired from the game in 2012, having earned nearly $27 million over nine years. They used their wealth for family and established a loan company. Jerry, unimpressed by their success, remarked, ‘The only thing I found really remarkable is nobody else really seemed to grasp it.'”