Man finds forgotten lottery ticket from Christmas, wins $8.9M

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (KVAL) — Wilbur Brown gathered with friends at an Oregon lodge on Christmas Eve.

When one of his friends bought a “26 for $25” Megabucks ticket, Brown took notice. The option lets people buy a single Megabucks ticket for 26 consecutive drawings for just $25.

That was enough for the next 13 weeks: every drawing from December 25, 2021, to February 19, 2022.

After the first few drawings, I’d check my ticket,” Brown said. “Then I just kind of forgot about it and wasn’t checking.”

Brown returned to the lodge in February — and remembered his ticket.

He scanned the ticket on a self-check lottery terminal – and the display stated: “See Customer Service”

Brown asked the Lodge server to scan the ticket. This time, the message was different: “Large Lottery Winner”

Brown and his friends used their phones to check the web for recent Megabucks results — and they soon realized brown had won an $8.9 million jackpot.

Brown won on the eighth drawing out of 26 on his ticket with the winning numbers 15, 33, 34, 40, 42, and 47.

The Oregon Lottery said Brown opted to take a 30-year annuity. After taxes, he will receive a check annually for more than $200,000.

But Brown wasn’t the only winner. When someone hits a jackpot, the Oregon Lottery retailer wins, too.

The lodge where the ticket was sold will receive a bonus of $89,000 — 1% of the jackpot.

The timing is perfect.

The last couple of years have been a challenge for us,” said Moose Lodge manager Michael Scott. “The influence of receiving such a big chunk of change is huge! We’ll be working with our members to figure out the best way to use the bonus money.”

Meanwhile, the lodge has noticed something else.

“Another thing that Wilbur’s win did,” Scott said, “was now everyone at the Lodge is buying the ’26 for $25’ Megabucks tickets!”