Marantelli, an early investor in the company, says he had not known this at the time. According to a former senior manager, the company’s founders had toyed with the idea of building systems to allow a “pro-buyer” to purchase huge blocks of tickets as early as 2020. Marantelli says he reached out to Ade Repcenko, a gaming entrepreneur who had done business with one of the “lottery courier” companies selling tickets in Texas via an app.
He had a new girlfriend – another model, this time from Lithuania – and a new name, Repcenko. After his release from prison, he was involved in a business deal with King of the Cross John Ibrahim. “He’s a smooth bastard,” says Winton Taylor, a Queenslander who came to invest money with him. For a time, he also dated Miranda Kerr, who was on her way to becoming one of the most successful models in the world.
The total valuation of Australia’s 100 richest people aged 40 and under is diminished in 2022, but you still need $35 million to get on the list. The WA racing industry wants a bookmaker to run its state-owned wagering operations but attempts to secure a deal have hit a major roadblock. The ASX-listed wagering group will upgrade its betting terminals and broadcast displays across the Laundy Hotels portfolio, but lock its rival out.
The team needed to buy close to 100 tickets a second for 72 hours straight between Wednesday’s draw and Saturday’s. On top of the $US26 million spent in the final draw, “substantial money was wagered and lost on previous draws” in the weeks before. He declines to comment on other syndicate members or the amount of money he personally collected in winnings. Ranogajec ordered his troops to buy as many tickets as they could after receiving a tip from some smaller-time gamblers. About 28 million tickets were sold, roughly 10 times the normal volume. Draw after draw, week after week, the jackpot rolled over, unclaimed.
The $US95 million ($141 million) jackpot was theirs to lose. His team had bought more than 25 million tickets, which now filled the cardboard boxes stacked high against the hotel room wall. It was just after 10pm on a Saturday, April 22, 2023, and the room was so packed that people could barely move, Marantelli remembers.
- The British bookmaker said about 120 positions in Australia and New Zealand would go as it tries to reset the business after a change of management.
- People started clamouring for the right box and rifled through it looking for the right envelope, which held 1000 tickets.
- The commission had also approved an unusually large number of terminals to be sent to Lottery.com and its related business, which were not brick-and-mortar stores open to the public.
- Repcenko lived in Malta, a hub for online gambling businesses.
- Draw after draw, week after week, the jackpot rolled over, unclaimed.
Meet the Joker: the Australian who is the biggest gambler in the world
The Texas Lottery Commission had signed off on its licence renewal and approved 10 new terminals to be sent to the business. The licence to sell lottery tickets in Texas lapsed. The company also overstated its revenue by $US52 million. He was frustrated that the idea kept resurfacing, even as the company struggled to survive. In his eyes, the company was meant to focus on everyday lottery customers, not “rich jackasses trying to game the system, doing Hail Mary events once in a blue moon”. At one retailer, a fishing tourism business in the suburbs of Fort Worth, two ticket terminals sat out the front amid the lures, souvenirs and beer coolers.
Horse Racing Tips: NSW Thursday 23rd April 2026
In a crowded hotel room not far from Austin, Bernard Marantelli and his team watched a live-stream of the Texas https://artsaccessaustralia.org/ lottery draw. Built for people who wear many hats. Match the right people to the right shifts by understanding your workforce. Make informed decisions that keep your people engaged. It takes the complexity out of decision-making and turns insights into actions — helping people focus on work that’s uniquely human.
After six days’ work, he took home a $7.5 million jackpot. Walsh revealed at an investment conference in 2022 that their syndicate, led by Ranogajec, placed about $10 billion in bets each year. The pair has overlapping gambling interests and serve as directors of the same data analysis company, which employs statisticians to work on horse races and sports matches around the world. The syndicate could still stand a good chance of losing most of that $4 million.