Powerball player in Oregon wins $1.3B in 8th-largest lottery pot

After more than three months of winless draws — and a three-hour delay — a Powerball ticket sold in Oregon matched all six numbers to win a jackpot worth a whopping $1.326 billion.

The amount, up $26 million from earlier last week, is the fourth-largest prize in Powerball history and the eighth-largest among all U.S. lottery jackpot games.

Saturday’s drawing, originally scheduled for Friday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time, was held just before 2:30 a.m. to allow one lottery jurisdiction to complete its “required predraw procedures.”

Every ticket sold nationwide must be checked and verified against two different computer systems before the winning numbers are drawn. “This is done to ensure that every ticket sold for the Powerball drawing has been accounted for and has an equal chance to win,” organizers said.

Jackpot winners may opt to receive their prize as an annuity paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years or a lump-sum payment. For this weekend’s drawing, the cash prize is an estimated $621 million.

Players need to match all five white balls in addition to the red Powerball to claim the jackpot prize. The chances of hitting that sweet combination last week were 1 in 292.2 million.

The winning numbers were 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 and the red Powerball 9.

“Winning the Powerball is not just about hitting the jackpot, it’s about the power to make dreams a reality and to create positive change in the world,” Drew Svitko, Powerball product group chairman, said in a statement.

On New Year’s Day, a player in Michigan won $842.4 million.