A Powerball player in Oregon won a jackpot worth more than $1.3 billion on Sunday, ending a more than three-month winless streak.
The single ticket, which was disclosed after a more than three-hour delay, matched all six numbers drawn to win the $1.326 billion jackpot, according to a Powerball announcement.
The jackpot is worth $621 million in cash if the winner opts for a lump sum rather than an annuity paid over 30 years. The prize is subject to federal taxes, and many states tax lottery prizes.
The winning numbers from early Sunday morning were 22, 27, 44, 52, 69, and the red Powerball 9.
The Oregon Lottery said that the winning ticket was purchased in Portland, Oregon.
“I want to congratulate the winner on this life-changing moment, Oregon Lottery Director Mike Wells said in a statement. “No one in Oregon has ever won a prize on this scale, and it’s very exciting for our staff and players.”
Previously, the largest Powerball prize won in Oregon was a $340 million jackpot in 2005
According to the statement, the winner has one year to collect the top reward. Oregon state law prohibits players from remaining anonymous.
Previously, the greatest Powerball jackpot won in Oregon was $340 million in 2005. In 2018, a Salem man won the $150.4 million Powerball jackpot, the most recent in Oregon.
The $1.326 billion reward is the eighth highest in US lottery history. As the prizes increase, the drawings attract more ticket sales, increasing the likelihood that jackpots may be split among several winners. The odds of winning the top prize are one in 292.2 million.
Powerball is played in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands
Saturday night’s drawing was held up and took place in the Florida Lottery studio just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday to allow one of the organizers to finish necessary processes before the scheduled time of 10:59 p.m., according to Powerball.
“Powerball game rules require that every single ticket sold nationwide be checked and verified against two different computer systems before the winning numbers are drawn,” the statement said. “This is done to ensure that every ticket sold for the Powerball drawing has been accounted for and has an equal chance to win. Tonight, we have one jurisdiction that needs extra time to complete that pre-draw process.”
Powerball is played in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. The Powerball authorities did not immediately specify where the verification error happened.
It’s the second delay in the drawing for a massive Powerball jackpot in the last 17 months.
In November 2022, the Powerball drawing for a record $2.04 billion, won by a single ticket sold in southern California, was postponed by nearly ten hours. The Minnesota Lottery later acknowledged that there was a technical problem with its two-tiered verification procedure, which third-party suppliers run.
