Speaking at a news conference, Cheng "Charlie" Saephan, a 46-year-old Chinese man, shared his excitement and gratitude when he and his wife and friends won the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history earlier this month.
Chen Saifan, who immigrated to the United States from Laos and has been battling cancer for eight years, will reportedly share the US$1.3 billion prize with his wife, Duanpen, 37, and friend, Laiza Chao, 55. The trio will receive $422 million after taxes.
Zhao allegedly pooled $100 from it to buy some Powerball tickets with the couple.
"I said to them, I had a feeling, 'I can win, I can win,' but I didn't think I was going to win that much. Chen Saifan said.
Chen Saifan is a father of two. He said he plans to spend the money on his family and "find a good doctor" for himself. He just received his latest chemotherapy last week.
Chen said that in the weeks before buying the lottery ticket, he wrote down several sets of numbers on a piece of paper as numbers to buy the Powerball lottery ticket, then put the paper under his pillow and slept with the paper at night.
He prayed for his victory and said, "I need some help – I don't want to die yet unless I do something for my family first." ”
The numbers for which the trio bought their tickets at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland were: 22-27-44-52-69 and Powerball 9.
After they bought the lottery ticket together, Zhao Laiza also sent a photo of the lottery ticket to Chen Saifan and said, "We are billionaires." ”
Of course, it was just a joke until the actual winning numbers were announced, but the next day they did hit the jackpot.
When Mr. Chen called Ms. Zhao to tell her the news, Mr. Zhao was on his way to work: "You don't have to go to work anymore," he said.
However, both Zhao and Ms. Duan chose not to appear in front of the camera when the winners were announced. Under Oregon law, lottery winners are not allowed to remain anonymous except in a few cases. Winners have one year to claim the top prize.
Mr. Chen said he also called his mother and told her he had won the jackpot.
I called my mom. "Mom, we're rich!" she said, "How much money?" I said, "How rich!"
As a cancer patient, Chen Saifan said that when he won the lottery, he was worried about "how long will I live? How can I have time to spend all this money?"
It is not clear what kind of cancer he has. According to CBS News, he has been living on disability benefits from the U.S. government.
In a Facebook post, Mr. Chen posted a photo of himself smiling and holding a large check above his head.
"I just want to thank you for your congratulatory calls and texts. Just one ticket is all it takes," he wrote.
"I can't suppress this blessing any longer. It's like a dream come true for us. I will support families who are experiencing financial difficulties and dream of liberation. ”
Born in Laos, Tan moved to Thailand in 1987 at the age of 10 and immigrated to the United States in 1994.
Wearing a belt at a news conference, he identified himself as the Iu Mien, a Southeast Asian ethnic group that originated in southern China.
Many of the Yumin were subsistence farmers and assisted the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. After the end of the Vietnam War, thousands of Yomin families fled to Thailand to avoid reprisals and eventually settled in the United States.
He graduated from high school in 1996 and has lived in Portland for 30 years. He worked as a mechanic for an aerospace company.
"I love Oregon. I've been here for 30 years, so I love Oregon. I'm not moving out — I'm going to stay in Oregon," he said at a news conference.
The Oregon Lottery says it must go through a security and vetting process before the identity of a winner can be announced.
If Chen chooses to claim the prize in a lump sum instead of 30 years, the pre-tax cash value of the jackpot will be $621 million, which is paid out immediately.
The award is subject to federal and Oregon state taxes.
According to the Oregon Lottery, the $1.3 billion prize is the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history and the eighth-largest jackpot in the U.S. jackpot game.