Madoff's Prison Number Pays Off for Lottery Player

It's like the universe wanted to dish out a reward when Madoff was finally sent to prison. That reward went to Ralph Amendolaro of Queens, New York. On March 15th, Amendolaro won $1,500 playing the last three numbers of the gargantuan crook's prison number -- 61727-054A. As strings of numbers go, that one's creepy.

It's great to see that, finally, someone got some money out of this Madoff crisis, even if it is only $1,500, about the price of one of Bernie's designer loafers or a manicure for Ruth. So, thank you, universe, for celebrating; we were jubilant too.

For a gripping read on the pit-and-the-pendulum nightmare that Madoff is descending into, check out Anthony Papa's personal account of getting sentenced and entering prison life. And if you think playing the numbers associated with headline makers is a good idea, think again. WalletPop's Zac Bissonnette breaks down the Madoff/Lotto story and says that such a strategy works against you. Amendolaro's win is very lucky, indeed.