Man’s Forgotten Lottery Ticket Bought on Christmas Eve Scores Him R134 Million Jackpot
- An Oregon, USA resident bought a '26 for $25' lottery ticket on 24 December, Christmas Eve, and forgot about it until recently
- The ticket let people buy a single Megabucks ticket for 26 consecutive drawings between Christmas and 19 February, and Wilbur Brown forgot to check up on it
- He later scanned it to find that he won the $8.9 million (R134 million) jackpot, which he will have paid out through a 30-year annuity option of $200 000 a year
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
A preoccupied man, Wilbur Brown, got the shock of his life when he realised that his forgotten lottery ticket purchased on Christmas Eve earned him the title of a multimillionaire.
The Oregon resident just recently realised that his ticket played on 24 December 2021 won him a whopping $8.9 million (R134 million) jackpot. It was only three months later when he visited the Moose Lodge where he'd bought the ticket that he recalled the purchase. He then realised he'd won after scanning his ticket.
Source: Getty Images
The Daily Mail reported that Brown followed suit when one of those friends bought a '26 for $25' ticket, which let people buy a single Megabucks ticket for 26 consecutive drawings between Christmas and 19 February. He kept the ticket in his wallet.
“After the first few drawings, I’d check my ticket. Then I just kind of forgot about it and wasn’t checking,” Brown told the Oregon Lottery.
Enjoy reading our stories? Download the BRIEFLY NEWS app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Brown's lucky numbers - 15, 33, 34, 40, 42, and 47 - were drawn on 29 January, according to the Oregon Lottery, the eighth drawing of the 26 Brown had paid to participate in, Daily Mail stated.
After his forgotten was scanned he received the message that he was a “large lottery winner” and consulted the internet to find out exactly what this meant. He could not believe his luck when he learned that he'd hit the $8.9 million jackpot.
According to the Oregon Lottery, the chances of winning the jackpot were 1 in 6 135 756.
CNN also reported that the new multimillionaire chose to have his winnings paid out through a 30-year annuity option when he picked up his first check on March 8. He will receive a check for slightly more than $200,000 after taxes each year until the prize is paid out. It was further reported that he has set up a trust for his winnings.
The lodge where he bought the ticket will also cash in on the payout, taking $89,000 of the jackpot as a retailer selling bonus.
Ballito businessman, 67, wins R167 million jackpot,
In a separate story, Briefly News previously reported that the search for the jackpot PowerBall winner has finally come to an end. The unnamed 67-year-old businessman is from Ballito and is now R167 million richer.
Earlier last month, Briefly News reported that the National Lottery was looking for the person who played the winning ticket that was purchased in Ballito, KZN. It was reported that it was purchased with R150 via the quick-pick selection.
According to operator Ithuba, this is the second-highest jackpot for the national lottery behind the R230 million PowerBall jackpot in 2019.
Source: Briefly News
