Man living under bridge seeks to crack lottery code

A man who has been living under a bridge in Southwest China for a decade hopes his research and books about cracking the code behind the lottery will make him a billionaire, local media reported.

Wang Chengzhou, 49, has staked up residence under a road in Chongqing, where for the past 10 years he has been conducting his research while the city sleeps.

His family had no idea of his whereabouts until recent reports about Wang surfaced.

Despite his mother pleading for him to return home for the Spring Festival holiday, Wang has refused until he has “succeeded in his research,” Chengdu Business Daily reported.

Wang explained he was first led to crack the lottery after a drinking session back in 2004.

“I saw the winning numbers and I was shocked,” said Wang.

The epiphany inspired his plans to write four books detailing the mathematics behind calculating winning numbers.

The former construction worker moved to Chongqing in 2008 after suffering an on-thejob injury. He found part-time work with the China Post but quit in December.

Wang said he usually does his research between 2 and 5 am, with alcohol and cigarettes as his only companion. “I have mastered the lottery algorithms,” Wang said. “I spend about 2,000 yuan ($312) on lottery tickets every month.”

However, his family had believed Wang was working at a construction site in Yunnan Province.

Wang’s mother, 76-year-old Feng Jiafen, was shocked to learn about his situation when contacted by reporters.

She has since asked Wang to return to his native Sichuan Province for the upcoming Spring Festival, but he refuses to leave his home under the bridge until he succeeds.

Zhou De, a math professor at Sichuan University, explained that his success is unlikely, as lottery numbers are randomly generated. “It’s nearly impossible to calculate lottery numbers in advance,” said Zhou.