News writer
A lucky Portland, Oregon player won the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot on Saturday, April 6, but not before some unanticipated delays with the drawing. The winning numbers were 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 and Powerball number 9. The Power Play was 3X.
There was only one jackpot winner. The ticket was sold at the Plaid Pantry at 6060 NE Columbia Boulevard in Portland, and the store will receive a bonus of $100,000 for selling the jackpot winner.
This jackpot has a cash value of $621 million and is the fourth largest in Powerball history. Saturday's drawing ended a three-month jackpot rollover. The winner has a year to come forward and claim their prize. Players in Oregon cannot remain anonymous.
In a press release, Mike Wells, the Director of the Oregon Lottery, said
I want to congratulate the winner on this life-changing moment. No one in Oregon has ever won a prize on this scale, and it's very exciting for our staff and players.
The largest Powerball prize previously won in the Beaver State was a $340 million jackpot in 2005. The last time a Powerball jackpot was won in the state was in 2018, when a player from Salem won $150.4 million.
Other winners in this draw
As well as the Oregon jackpot winner, seven lottery players won $1 million in Match 5 prizes. These players are located in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Montana, Michigan, and Wyoming. There were no winners for the $2 million Match 5 + Power Play. A total of 81 players won $50,000 by matching four white ball numbers and the Powerball. The next drawing will be held today at 10:59 p.m. ET. The current jackpot is starting off at $20 million, which has a cash value of $9.4 million.
The cause of the delay
The drawing was originally scheduled, as is customary, for 10:59 p.m. ET. However, at 11 p.m., anxious lottery players were bombarding social media with questions, wanting to know if there was a glitch and what was going on.
At 11.15 p.m., a message from lottery officials on the Powerball website stated:
The Powerball drawing scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 6 has been delayed. Tonight, we have one participating lottery that needs additional time to complete required pre-draw procedures, which have been enacted to protect the security and integrity of the Powerball game.
The winning numbers were finally drawn at 2:29 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Rhode Island players buy 5 Powerball tickets and get one free
Who knows how big the Powerball jackpot will get this time? But the Rhode Island Lottery is giving players an extra chance to win. As part of the state's 50th-anniversary celebration, from Sunday, April 7, 2024, to Saturday, April 20, 2024, Rhode Island lottery players who purchase five boards on one Powerball ticket for $10 will receive a free $2 Powerball Quick Pick.
