Powerball Winners from Oregon Claim $1.32 Billion Jackpot

Cheng "Charlie" Saephan purchased the winning ticket with his friend from Milwaukie, Laiza Chao. Before entering the game, Saephan said he wrote the Powerball numbers (1-69) on a piece of paper and kept it under his pillow. Then he asked his friend if she wanted to chip in as well. They purchased over 20 tickets for the drawing and shared the costs, with Laiza giving Saephan $100. The lucky ticket which brought them the $1.32 billion grand prize was a Quick Pick, and Saephan concluded: “God picked for me. Thank you.”

When he found out they won, Saephan called Chao to give her the good news:

“I said, ‘Laiza, where are you?’ and she said, ‘I’m going to work,’” said Saephan. “I replied, ‘You don’t have to go anymore.’”

Saephan, who is Iu-Mienh, was born in Laos but moved to Thailand in 1987. He then went to the U.S. in 1994, and finished high school in 1996. Saephan worked as a Computer Numerical Control machinist until 2016 as he’s been battling cancer ever since. He is currently on chemotherapy and had his latest course of chemotherapy treatment last week.

The three winners will share the big prize as Saephan decided to split his half with his 37-year-old wife, Duanpen Saephan. Therefore, the Saephans will each get 25% and Chao will receive 50% of the prize. They all decided to go for the cash lump sum of $422,309,193.97, after 8% state and 24% federal taxes. 

Saephan will use the money to provide for his family and his health, adding that he would “find a good doctor for himself''. His first purchase will be his dream house. “I love Oregon,” he said. “I’ve been here 30 years. I’ll stay in Oregon.”

Oregon Lottery Director Mike Wells congratulated the lucky winners:

“I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to the Saephans and Ms. Chao on this historic win. Not only is the prize life-changing for the three of them and their families, it’s also a huge win for the state.”

The trio are not the only ones to benefit from this big win as the retailer which sold the winning ticket, Plaid Pantry, received a $100,000 bonus. Moreover, about a third of sales from Powerball will go back to state beneficiaries in order to support economic development, education, veteran services, state parks, and more. 

If you think you could be the next Powerball winner, get involved in the next draw and play for a chance to win.