No Powerball Winner, but Oregon Still Wins, Jan. 15

Even though no one from Oregon won the $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot, keep in mind those Powerball tickets could still give you some cash. There were more than 250,000 winning tickets in Oregon from the record-breaking Powerball drawing Wednesday night. Prizes range from $50,000 to $4. Seven $50,000 winning tickets were sold in Oregon, from lottery retailers in Coos Bay, Grants Pass, Veneta, Baker City, Salem and two in Portland. The winning ticket from Baker City is actually a $100,000 prize as the player added the Power Play multiplier option for an addition $1. The Power Play multiplier drawn for last night’s drawing was 2, thus doubling the $50,000 prize. “Make sure to check your ticket, you could be sitting on $50,000 and not even know it!” said Chuck Baumann, lottery spokesman. “You might not be able to afford a private island, but $50,000 — or even $100 — is a good win.” Winners have one year from the date of the drawing on their winning ticket to collect their prize. Overall, Oregon Lottery Powerball players won over $1.5 million in prizes from last night’s drawing. Powerball sales in Oregon for Wednesday alone exceeded $6.3 million. While there were three jackpot-winning tickets from Florida, Tennessee and California which will split the $1.6 billion jackpot, the drawing created 89 new millionaires across the country. Nationwide a total of 29,121,304 people won prizes of less than $1 million. The overall odds of winning a Powerball prize are one in 24.9. Odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292,201,338. The next drawing is Saturday at 7:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time and the jackpot will reset to $40 million. Players have until 7 p.m. to purchase tickets on drawing days. Proceeds from Oregon Lottery sales help fund public education, parks, economic development and watershed projects. The Oregon Lottery reminds players to always sign the back of their Lottery tickets, regardless of the game. In the event of winning a jackpot, they should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings. Prize winners of more than $50,000 are advised to contact the Lottery office and schedule an appointment to claim their prize. Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned nearly $10 billion for economic development, public education, state parks and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org