Portuguese 
Itumbiara Pool Brought Together Bettors from All 26 States and the Federal District, Utilized Mathematical Closure, and Finished the Contest with About 7,800 Winning Tickets.
In September 2026, a betting pool from Itumbiara, in the south of Goiás, put in around R$ 1 million (about US$ 180,000) in the Lotofácil da Independência and registered over 60,000 tickets. None of the bets managed to match all 15 drawn numbers, but the result drew attention for another reason. According to the organizer, Sergeant Glaciel Andrade, approximately 7,800 tickets were winning across the tiers of 14, 13, 12, and 11 matches.
The group consists of bettors from the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District, organized by Glaciel, who also owns a lottery outlet. While the checking of the thousands of tickets was still underway, he estimated that the total winnings could amount to about R$ 250,000 (approximately US$ 45,000), even without any ticket in the main prize tier.
R$ 1 Million Pool Turned Over 60,000 Tickets into Approximately 7,800 Winning Tickets.
The result gained prominence primarily due to the number of tickets that won some prize. According to Glaciel, there were approximately 7,800 winning tickets, a figure ascertained after the group submitted over 60,000 entries into the special Lotofácil draw. The verification still needed to be done ticket by ticket, so the total amount remained an initial estimate.
-
64-Year-Old Worker, Just Eight Months from Retirement, Sees Age Discrimination Compensation Spike from R$5,000 to R$50,000 by the Eleventh Labor Court of Minas Gerais
-
10-Year-Old Excels in Mathematics Exam for State University, But Faces Setbacks Due to High School Completion Requirement
-
One of the world’s largest open-air museums is located in Minas Gerais, covering 786 hectares and featuring 1,860 works among gardens with over 4,000 species
-
Passenger Tampering with Airplane Bathroom Smoke Detector Faces Severe Penalties Under ANAC Resolution 800, Including Fine of Up to R$17,500 and Potential Ban
Winnings appeared in four different tiers. The group secured four tickets with 14 matches, while thousands of other entries scored 13, 12, or 11 numbers. Despite the large number of winning tickets, none matched the 15 numbers needed to win the main prize.
The organizer himself assessed that the strategy used had worked within the planned mathematical scenario. The group aimed precisely to increase the possibility of achieving intermediate tiers should a certain condition be met during the draw.
Mathematical Strategy Reduced 577,000 Combinations to 28,572 Tickets Using 24 of the 25 Available Numbers.
The method used by the group was based on a mathematical closure. According to Glaciel, the strategy started from a universe of approximately 577,000 possible combinations and reduced this number to 28,572 tickets, working with 24 of the 25 available numbers on the Lotofácil ticket.
The logic depended on excluding a single number. In that contest, the group left out the number 20 and built the remaining combinations from that choice. If the excluded number did not appear in the draw, the closure would guarantee, according to the organizer, at least one ticket with 14 points, potentially yielding 15 entries in that tier.
The expected condition happened. Number 20 did not appear among the drawn numbers, and four tickets from the group achieved 14 matches. The same closure also produced thousands of combinations with lower scores, forming the set of nearly 8,000 winning tickets reported by Glaciel.
The Lotofácil da Independência draw on September 15 saw 72 winning bets, each receiving a prize of R$ 4.48 million.
The drawing of contest 3,780 of Lotofácil da Independência took place on September 15, 2026. In total, 72 bets matched all 15 numbers, and each won R$ 4,488,579, while millions of other tickets won smaller prizes.
In the 14-point category, 8,978 bets received R$ 2,762.74 each. Another 290,866 tickets had 13 matches and won R$ 17.50. The 12-point winners appeared in 3,465,636 bets, claiming R$ 7, while 19,323,208 tickets scored 11 hits and received R$ 3.50.
Goiás had four bets among the main prize winners. Three tickets were registered in Goiânia and one in Catalão, leading to a total of almost R$ 18 million for the four winners. The Itumbiara pool, despite its hefty investment, did not make the winners’ list.
The purchase of a lottery store transformed Glaciel’s Friends into Pé Quente months before the contest.
The story of the pool began before the million-dollar bet made in September. Glaciel mentioned that he bought a lottery store around seven months prior, following the winnings from the previous year and the increased interest from players wanting to join his pools.
This change also altered the group’s identity. Previously known as “Glaciel’s Friends”, the pool was renamed “Pé Quente”, the same name as the establishment acquired by the organizer.
With participants spread across the country, the group entered Lotofácil da Independência with an investment close to R$ 1 million and a clear strategy to distribute tens of thousands of combinations. The result did not yield 15 matches, but four tickets landed in the 14-point category, with thousands in the lower prize brackets.
The results of nearly 8,000 winning tickets will be used to improve strategy in upcoming contests.
The review of more than 60,000 bets was still ongoing when Glaciel estimated approximately 7,800 winning tickets and about R$ 250,000 in prizes. The outcome fell short of the R$ 1 million investment made by the group but confirmed the predicted scenario from the mathematical closure when the excluded number did not appear.
The organizer stated that he intends to use the performance to enhance the strategy in future contests. The selected combination managed to place four tickets in the 14 matches category and scattered thousands more between 11 and 13 points, although none reached the maximum prize.
The experience of the Pé Quente pool ended with a notable discrepancy between the number of winning bets and the amount invested. More than 60,000 games consumed approximately R$ 1 million, almost 8,000 received some prize, and the initial estimated return was around R$ 250,000, while the 15 matches remained out of the group’s reach.
What do you think of this strategy: is it worth investing R$1 million (about US$180,000) in more than 60,000 games to increase the chances of winning, or is the risk still too high, even with mathematical closure? Share your thoughts!
