Oregon Man Wins $8.4 Million Jackpot — And Doesn't Realize It For An Entire Month The 68-year-old retiree was "in shock" when he realized what had happened.
By Emily Rella
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Imagine beating the odds and winning a lottery jackpot — but not realizing it until nearly a month later.
That was the case for 68-year-old David Schultze of Milwaukie, Oregon, who won an $8.4 million jackpot on Oregon's Game Megabucks ticket. The numbers were drawn on January 24.
However, Schultze didn't look at his ticket until February 23 and realized he had been sitting on millions of dollars for an entire month.
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Thankfully, Oregon's lottery policy allows winners to claim their prizes within one year of the winning numbers being drawn, and Schultze was able to retrieve his prize the following Monday, after spending the "whole weekend in shock."
Schultze is already a retiree and said that he isn't a frequent lottery player. He has "no plans for any big splurges" but plans to invest the majority of his winnings.
The Safeway in Gladstone, Oregon where he purchased the winning numbers also received an $84,000 bonus (1% of the winning jackpot) upon Schultze's claiming of the ticket.
The Oregon Game Megabucks automatically resets to $1 million once the winner claims their prize.
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The Oregon Lottery has earned over $15.5 billion for the state since it started selling tickets to residents in 1985.
As of Friday morning, the Oregon Game Megabucks was set at $2.5 million, with the next drawing slated for Saturday evening.
