Michael Shackleford (born May 23, 1965, in Pasadena, California, United States), also known as "The Wizard of Odds" (a title taken from Donald Angelini),[1] is an American mathematician and an actuary.

[1] Shackleford discovered his affinity for mathematics when he began to study algebra in school at approximately 11 years old.

In 2002, after moving to Las Vegas, he published a paper with rankings of slot machine payout percentages that were previously considered unavailable.

[1] Before changing careers, Shackleford worked as a claims adjuster and later as an actuary for the United States Social Security Administration from 1992 until 2000.

[11] His main responsibility there was estimating short-term costs and benefits of Social Security law changes.