Oregon Man Wins $8.9 Million From Lottery Ticket He Already Forgot

KEY POINTS

A man in Oregon won $8.9 million in the state's Megabucks lottery
He forgot about the ticket, which he bought in December 2021, and only discovered he had won in February
He will receive an annual check for around $200,000, including taxes, after he opted for his prize to be spread out over 30 years

An Oregon man discovered he won his state lottery's $8.9 million jackpot after he remembered about his ticket, lottery officials said last week.

Wilbur Brown bought a "26 for $25" Megabucks ticket while he was staying with some friends at the Moose Lodge in Springfield on Dec. 24, 2021, the Oregon Lottery said in a statement Tuesday.

He decided to buy the ticket, which allowed players to buy into 26 consecutive drawings for just $25, after a friend purchased one as well.

While Brown's Megabucks ticket covered all of the lottery's drawings from Dec. 25, 2021, to Feb. 19, he said he only checked the ticket "after the first few drawings," according to Oregon Lottery, which operates the game.

"Then I just kind of forgot about it and wasn't checking," Brown said.

Upon returning to the Moose Lodge in February, Brown remembered about this ticket and received a "See Customer Service" message after he had it scanned at a self-check terminal.

He then gave the ticket to a server to scan, which resulted in the message "Large Lottery Winner" appearing this time.

Brown and his friends checked the internet for results as they were unaware of what he had won. They later discovered that Brown was the winner of Megabucks' $8.9 million jackpot.

His ticket matched the winning numbers of 15, 33, 34, 40, 42 and 47 in the game's Jan. 29 drawing.

Brown will now receive an annual check for slightly more than $200,000, including taxes, after he opted to take the 30-year annuity option for his prize, according to the Oregon Lottery.

He picked up his first check at the lottery office in Salem on March 8.

Brown has since set up a trust for his prize winnings.

The Moose Lodge, where Brown purchased his ticket, also received a retailer selling bonus of $89,000, which was 1% of the jackpot.

"The influence of receiving such a big chunk of change is huge! We’ll be working with our members to figure out the best way to use the bonus money," said Michael Scott, the lodge's manager.

"Another thing that Wilbur’s win did, was now everyone at the Lodge is buying the ’26 for $25’ Megabucks tickets!" he added.

The Oregon Lottery reminded players who have prizes worth more than $50,000 to make an appointment to come to its office in Salem.

"Call 503-540-1000 for assistance. As always, players should be certain to sign the back of their tickets," the lottery said.