US man wins $8.9 million from forgotten lottery ticket

Nearly three months after buying a Megabucks lottery ticket and quickly forgetting about it, an Oregon man is a multimillionaire.

Wilbur Brown was at the Moose Lodge in Springfield, Oregon, on Christmas Eve, when a friend bought a “26 for $25” Megabucks ticket. As Brown’s friend explained to him, the ticket allowed players to buy into 26 consecutive drawings for just $25. Brown decided to buy a ticket too, which granted him access drawings until February 19, 2022.

But after a few weeks, he forgot about the ticket.

“After the first few drawings, I’d check my ticket,” Brown told the Oregon Lottery. “Then I just kind of forgot about it and wasn’t checking.”

It wasn’t until February that Brown once again found himself at the Moose Lodge. A server scanned his ticket and received the message “Large Lottery Winner.” Brown and his friends consulted the internet to figure out exactly what this meant — and found out he’d hit a $8.9 million jackpot.

Brown’s lucky numbers were 15, 33, 34, 40, 42, and 47, according to the Oregon Lottery. He chose the 30-year annuity option for his winnings and will receive a check for slightly more than $200,000 after taxes each year until the prize is paid out.

The odds of winning the jackpot were just 1 in 6,135,756 the Oregon Lottery says on its website.

The lodge where Brown bought his winning ticket also lucked out from his purchase. Thanks to Brown’s win, the Moose Lodge will receive a retailer selling bonus of $89,000 — 1 percent of the jackpot.

According to the lodge’s manager, the win couldn’t have come at a better time.

“The last couple of years have been a challenge for us,” said Moose Lodge Manager Michael Scott, according to CNN affiliate KPIC. “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.” (CNN: Excludes headline)