- Theodorus Struyck reps a group that won the second-largest Powerball jackpot ever.
- The $1.765 billion jackpot is worth $774.1 million in a lump sum before taxes.
- The 65-year-old grandfather hails from a small town north of Los Angeles.
Lottery officials finally named one of the winners of a $1.765 billion jackpot, after the ticket had remained unclaimed since October.
Theodorus Struyck, 65, represents a group of winners, according to the California Lottery.
Struyck is a grandfather and fishing lover who was described as “really pleasant” by a neighbor, according to local outlet KGET — but no additional information about the group he represents was revealed.
Struyck purchased the ticket at Midway Market near his home in the tiny town of Frazier Park — roughly an hour’s drive north of Los Angeles.
The market pocketed a $1 million check for selling the ticket — and the California Lottery also noted that the draw had raised $119.5 million for California’s public schools.
It’s the second biggest US lottery Powerball jackpot ever — behind a $2.04 billion ticket in 2022. That winner, 31-year-old Edwin Castro, also hailed from California, and subsequently went on a real estate-buying spree.
“Announcing big wins like this gives all of our players the chance to hope and dream that they could be next,” California Lottery director Harjinder K. Shergill Chima said in a statement.
Powerball first announced the jackpot had been won on October 12 on the 36th drawing, noting the prize was worth $774.1 million before taxes if taken in a lump sum (as opposed to 30 annual payments.)
Powerball said the odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292.2 million. The next draw will be Monday evening, with a jackpot of $645 million.
While some mathematicians have devised strategies for playing the lottery, winning has changed the lives of many for the worse. A lottery advisor previously talked to Business Insider about how to navigate the major life event.
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