I meant 7.1 million possibilities...lol

Yep, it's true; I was there, and it caused quite an uproar. The Australian consortium that claimed the top prize hired teenagers to fill out bet slips for every possible combination, but they only managed to purchase 2.4 million tickets before time ran out. Then, they called Virginia Lottery headquarters and tried to give them the rest of the money as a default bet to cover the remaining combinations, but lottery officials wisely declined the offer.
   We were due to ship out to Bosnia in a few weeks, so my buddies and I pooled about $420 to play in that drawing (February 15, 1992, if I recall). I have to laugh now, because we really believed we had a better-than-average shot at the jackpot (I think we hit three numbers, which entitled us to a free QP - Yippee).
   The advertised record jackpot ($25 million) was underestimated by $2 million, so when the story broke in the newspapers, the good citizens of Virginia thought they smelled something. The consortium claimed around $8 million (after taxes and cash option), and the Virginia legislature convened a special session to pass a law which prohibits anyone from buying more than $100 worth of tickets at one time from any retailer. The Virginia Lottery also revamped the methods they used to estimate their jackpot values, but their sales suffered for several months following that fiasco due to public mistrust.
   In my opinion, Virginia runs one of the best state lotteries in the country. I don't think anyone could have imagined that one group of people would actually bet on every number, as there is always the chance that someone else might have a duplicate winning ticket. When you and I play, we risk what we believe we can afford to lose if we don't hit. The consortium would have lost millions if there had been two or more winners in that drawing.
   Sometimes, even a sure thing isn't a good bet, but I do admire their level of commitment.
Jim