$2M Lottery Win For Grants Pass Man One Number Shy Of Jackpot

ACROSS OREGON - From The Oregon Lottery: As the Powerball jackpot grows to more than half a billion dollars for Saturday's drawing, there is one Grants Pass man who was one matching number away from a very big jackpot.

Ronald Ceci of Grants Pass won $2 million when his quick pick Powerball ticket had all but one number for the Saturday, Dec. 30 drawing. He purchased his ticket with the added $1 Power Play option, which gives players a chance to multiply their non-jackpot wins.

Ceci was one of seven people nationwide who have won $2 million since Oct. 28, 2017.

Ceci said he put the ticket in sun visor of his car and didn't check it until Wednesday. When he stopped by the store to scan the ticket, the clerk was more nervous than he was when he found out he won.

"He was very excited and shaking," Ceci said. "He gave my wife a hug and was shaking like a leaf."

The retired cabinet builder said he had home improvement projects planned for the money.

Ceci purchased the ticket at the Lil' Pantry Market & Deli in Merlin, where he is a regular player and tries to buy a Powerball ticket each week. His numbers were 28-36-41-51-58 but missed the Powerball of 15.

By adding Power Play, the $1 million "second prize" automatically becomes a $2 million prize, regardless of the Power Play multiplier.

Dale Hurst, president and owner of the Lil' Pantry Market & Deli LLC, said this was the second time the store in Merlin had sold a seven-figure winning ticket.

The Merlin store sold a $1 million Mega Millions ticket in 2013. For the current $2 million win, Hurst's neighborhood market will receive a 1-percent selling bonus of $20,000.

"I am very excited for the store as we will be giving bonuses to the managers and person who sold the ticket," he said. "That's what we did last time with the monies left we will put it into improvements for the store."

There is another southern Oregon prize that has yet to be claimed from the Wednesday, Jan. 3 drawing. Someone who purchased a ticket in Jacksonville won $1 million. They have yet to claim their prize. It was one of five tickets that was worth $1 million nationwide.

More than 3 million tickets nationwide won prizes during Wednesday's drawing.

The Powerball jackpot is an estimated $570 million for Saturday's drawing. This will be the 5th largest Powerball jackpot and the 7th largest U.S. lottery jackpot.

For the first time in game history, both Powerball and Mega Millions have advertised jackpots above $400 million at the same time. The last time a Powerball jackpot was hit was Oct. 25, 2017.

Last January, a world-record Powerball jackpot of $1.586 billion was won with three winning tickets: one in California, one in Florida and one in Tennessee.

During the 2015-17 biennium, more than $10.7 million in Oregon Lottery proceeds were directed to economic development, parks, education and watershed enhancement in Josephine County.

Lottery officials recommend that you always sign the back of your tickets with each Oregon Lottery game you play, to ensure you can claim any prize you may win. In the event of winning a jackpot, players should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings.

Prize winners of more than $50,000 should contact the Lottery office to schedule an appointment to claim their prize.

Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned more than $11 billion for economic development, public education, state parks and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org .