The luck of the draw has struck again, this time divvying out a fortune to one Powerball player in Georgia and a monumental sum to another in Oregon. The Georgia lottery participant nabbed a cool $50,000 after matching four numbers and the Powerball in last night's drawing, as detailed on the Atlanta News First website. Meanwhile, an individual in Oregon has laid claim to a staggering $1.3 billion jackpot, the eighth-largest in U.S. history, as per details shared in an AP News release.
Georgia's latest winner, whose identity remains under wraps, played the numbers 12, 16, 33, 39, 52 and nabbed the Powerball 1. The next chance for lottery dreamers is set for Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. ET, with a hefty $129 million jackpot on the line. Tickets can be found in 45 states, alongside the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As the jackpot swells, so do does the anticipation of would-be millionaires across the nation.
Over on the West Coast, the Oregon Powerball winner has yet to step into the spotlight as state officials are in the process of confirming the win. "Someone came forward Monday to claim the prize and that they’re working to verify the win," Oregon Lottery spokesperson Melanie Mesaros stated during a news conference. As reported by AP News, it could take a couple of weeks before the grand winner's identity is unveiled, courtesy of Oregon's transparency laws requiring disclosures within a year of the winning draw.
The big score in Oregon was realized with a ticket from a Plaid Pantry in northeastern Portland, an establishment now set to receive a $100,000 selling bonus. According to Plaid Pantry CEO and president Jonathan Polonsky, those who work within the premises typically see a share of such lottery windfalls, filling more than just the owner's pockets. The jackpot, untouched since January 1, broke the dry spell and stands as the fourth-largest Powerball win, dwarfing even the ambitious dreams of frequent players in the popular multi-state game.
However, the winner won't be pocketing the entire billion-dollar sum, as taxes—24% federal and 8% Oregon—wait to take their slice. Despite this, as AP News notes, the payout remains an astonishing bridge to a life of luxury, with a lump-sum exceeding $400 million, a sum large enough to dwarf some national GDPs and make a splash on Forbes' billionaire list.
