A mystery Powerball player in Oregon who won a staggering $1.3 billion jackpot has still yet to come forward to claim their prize after ending a winless streak that stretched more than three months and was plagued by delays.
The single ticket, which matched all six numbers drawn to win the jackpot worth $1.326 billion, was sold off in a Portland neighborhood, Powerball said in a statement on Sunday.
The name of the retailer is being withheld until the winner comes forward — with Powerball only releasing the winning zip code, 97218, so far.
In Oregon, the identity of Powerball winners have to be revealed publicly once they claim their winnings.
“I want to congratulate the winner on this life changing moment, Oregon Lottery Director Mike Wells said in a statement, adding they have a year to claim the top prize.
“No one in Oregon has ever won a prize on this scale, and it’s a very exciting for our staff and players.”
Until the latest drawing, no one had won Powerball’s top prize since New Year’s Day, amounting to 41 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner — tying a streak set twice before in 2022 and 2021.
The drawing, too, was marred by a delay of more than three hours after a participating lottery needed “additional time to complete required pre-draw procedures.”
“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,” said a statement from Powerball explaining the delay.
“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.”
The $1.326 billion prize ranks as the eighth largest in US lottery history.
The current jackpot has a cash value of $621 million if the winner chooses to take a lump sum, or $1.33 billion paid over 29 years.
The winning numbers drawn were: 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 and the red Powerball 9.
