[imagesource:flickr]

The incredibly massive $1.765 billion jackpot had remained unclaimed since October last year.

Finally, though, lottery officials have been able to name one of the winners – Theodorus Struyck, who represents a group of winners, according to the California Lottery.

Struyck is a 65-year-old grandfather and fishing lover who was described as “really pleasant” by a neighbour, according to local outlet KGET — but no additional information about the group he represents was revealed except that neighbours believe them to be his family members.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Theo is originally from Hawaii and is retired having worked for UPS. The outlet published the first photograph, taken from his Facebook account, showing him smiling while holding a bottle of water.

Image: Facebook/Theodorus Struyck

The lowkey senior had purchased the ticket at Midway Market near his home in the tiny town of Frazier Park, which is roughly an hour’s drive north of Los Angeles, per Business Insider.

Struyck bagged the biggest load, while the market pocketed a $1 million check for selling the ticket with the draw also raising $119.5 million for California’s public schools.

“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.)

This marks the second biggest US lottery Powerball jackpot ever, behind a $2.04 billion ticket in 2022 that 31-year-old Edwin Castro, who is also from California, won. He subsequently went on a real estate-buying spree.

Powerball said the odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292.2 million, so Castro and Struyck can seriously consider themselves blessed.

Although, granted, in some cases winning changed the lives of the benefactors for the worse.

[source:businessinsider]