Individual Comes Forward to Claim $1.3B Powerball Jackpot, But Officials Say Verifying Winner Will Take Time

The jackpot is the fourth-largest Powerball jackpot and the eighth-largest among U.S. lottery jackpots, according to lottery officials

A Powerball ticket is seen at a 7-Eleven on Friday, April 5, 2024, in Portland, Ore. The ticket did not win the jackpot.
A Powerball ticket is seen at a 7-Eleven on Friday, April 5, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. Photo:

AP Photo/Jenny Kane

An individual has come forward to claim the Powerball jackpot ticket worth $1.3 billion, Oregon lottery officials announced. 

The lucky ticket that matched all six numbers in the April 6 drawing, which was actually announced early the following morning due to a delay, was sold at the Plaid Pantry at 6060 NE Columbia Boulevard in Portland, the Oregon Lottery said in a news release

“This is an unprecedented jackpot win for Oregon Lottery,” said Oregon Lottery Director Mike Wells. “We’re taking every precaution to verify the winner before awarding the prize money, which will take time.” 

Lottery officials are now working with the individual who came forward to claim the prize, noting that the process "involves security measures and vetting" — and "will take time."

No additional details have been shared at this time.

Meanwhile, the Plaid Pantry will receive a bonus of $100,000 for selling the jackpot winner.

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It's not the first time Plaid Pantry has sold a winning ticket. A $3.3 million Megabucks jackpot was sold at one of their stores just last summer.

The Plaid Pantry convenience store that sold a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot, the eighth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history, is seen in Portland, Ore., on Monday, April 8, 2024. The odds of winning a Powerball drawing are 1 in 292 million.
The Plaid Pantry convenience store that sold a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot, the eighth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history, is seen in Portland, Ore., on Monday, April 8, 2024.

AP Photo/Claire Rush

“Plaid Pantry is thrilled to learn that one of our 104 Oregon stores sold the $1.3 billion dollar Powerball ticket,” said Plaid Pantry President and CEO Jonathan Polonsky. “This store is one of our newest and most loved stores. Proceeds from the Oregon Lottery fund many programs that benefit everyone in the state, and we’ve been a proud partner with the Oregon Lottery since the very beginning."

"Congratulations to our lucky customer from our over 700 Plaid associates!" Polonsky said.

The jackpot is the fourth-largest Powerball jackpot and the eighth-largest among U.S. lottery jackpots, according to officials.

The largest-ever jackpot was a $2.04 billion prize claimed publicly by Californian Edwin Castro. Castro chose the $997.6 million lump sum for his winnings in November 2022. 

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