Oregon Player Wins Huge Powerball Jackpot After Draw Delay
For the second time in the space of two weeks, a billion-dollar jackpot has been won in the U.S. On this occasion it was a lucky Powerball player from Oregon who landed a 10-figure sum, winning $1.32 billion on Saturday night.
A Mega Millions ticket holder from New Jersey pocketed $1.13 billion on Tuesday March 26, but just a few days later the Powerball jackpot was worth even more and millions of players across the country rushed to take part.
The strong demand for tickets resulted in Saturday’s drawing being pushed back by more than three hours. One of the state lotteries had not completed the necessary security procedures in time for the draw to go ahead at 10:59pm EST as usual, so it ended up happening at around 2:30am.
This made it a late night for everyone waiting to find out the numbers, especially on the Eastern Seaboard, but it proved to be worth it for many lucky players. The winning numbers were 22, 27, 44, 52 and 69, with Powerball 9. The Power Play was 3X.
More than 4.5 million prizes were paid out in total, including seven of $1 million to the ticket holders who matched all five main numbers without the Powerball. These were sold in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan and Wyoming.
The biggest celebrations of the night, though, were in Oregon, as the state crowned the fourth-largest win ever seen in the history of Powerball. Oregon Lottery Director Mike Wells said: “I want to congratulate the winner on this life changing moment. No one in Oregon has ever won a prize on this scale, and it’s very exciting for our staff and players. Even if you aren’t holding the winning ticket, all of our players support programs and services statewide that receive Lottery dollars.”
The Oregon Lottery did not disclose the exact location where the winning ticket was sold, but did reveal that it was purchased in Portland, somewhere within the Zip Code 97218, where Portland International Airport is based.
More information is sure to be released when the winner claims their prize, as the Oregon Lottery regards it as a matter of public record and does not allow players to remain anonymous.
The winner has one year from the draw date in which to come forward. They will have to decide whether to take the $1.32 billion jackpot as an annuity, or the cash option of $621 million.
Whether you were among the 4.5 million prize winners on Saturday night or not, there will be another chance to play for big money on Monday night, with a jackpot of $20 million up for grabs. Powerball draws are held three times every week, while you can also enjoy Mega Millions on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Published: Monday, April 8, 2024