Voltaire made a fortune in more or less the same way in 1730 [1].

> This system worked best if a consortium of players bought tickets together and split the winnings, so, writes Pearson, Voltaire, de la Condamine and 11 compatriots teamed up and by June 1730, all had made a tidy sum.

[1] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/voltaire-enlighten...