The winner of the $1.75 billion lottery jackpot has finally emerged, five months after securing the second-largest lottery jackpot in American history at a local Southern California convenience store.
Theodorus Struyck has been identified as the representative of a group of winners who bought the ticket at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, about an hour’s drive from Los Angeles, last October.
Accounts with Struyck’s name have appeared on Facebook and Instagram, but it is unclear if the accounts actually belong to him, as the mysterious victor has not shared any content on the platforms.
While it’s unclear how many people were part of the group that bought the life-changing ticket in October, the family-owned store managed to make at least $1 million just for selling the ticket.
‘Announcing big wins like this gives all our players the chance to hope and dream that they could be next,’ California Lottery Director Harjinder K. Shergill Chima said in a press release.
The winner of the $1.75 billion lottery jackpot has finally emerged five months after claiming the second-biggest lottery jackpot in US history at a local convenience store (pictured) in Southern California
Theodorus Struyck has been identified as the representative of a group of winners who bought the ticket at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, about an hour’s drive from Los Angeles, last October. Pictured: store co-owner Nidal Khalil, center, smiles with son Jonathan Khalil, left, and nephew Chris Khalil, right
Accounts with Struyck’s name have appeared on Facebook and Instagram, but it is unclear if the accounts actually belong to him, as the mysterious victor has not shared any content on the platforms.
The winning numbers were 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and Powerball was 10.
Duke, the employee believed to have sold the winning ticket, said CBS Los Angeles back in October: ‘The phone has been ringing off the hook… someone owes me a new truck.’
As the staffer speculated at the time, Struyck is actually a longtime resident of Frazier Park, a small town where the median household income is $42,200 in 2020.
“I’m pretty sure it’s a local,” Duke said. ‘There are people coming in every day to get their tickets. We know them by name so I’m sure someone is going to be screaming up and down.’
The huge payout is the second largest lottery prize in US history after Edwin Castro won a $2.04 billion Powerball prize in California last November.
Castro has made a series of lavish property purchases, fueling speculation about who the country’s latest billionaire lottery winner might be.
According to the California Lottery, the drawing allows the organization to raise an additional $119.5 million for public schools in the state.
“It gives us an opportunity to focus on our amazing mission, which is to generate additional, supplemental funding for public education in California,” said Director Chima.
‘So it’s students of all ages across the state who win every day thanks to our players, our retail partners who sell these fun games, and our hard-working staff here at the lottery. It’s an exciting day for all of us!’ he said.
Duke, the employee believed to have sold the winning ticket, told CBS Los Angeles back in October, “The phone has been ringing off the hook… somebody owes me a new truck”
Jonathan Khalil, left, and Chris Khalil, sons of store co-owners, hold up a ceremonial check after the winning $1.765 billion Powerball ticket was sold
May and Jacklin Khalil, the owners of the store, celebrated and said they were ‘so happy’ after learning they were set to receive $1 million just for selling the winning numbers
The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and Powerball 10
Midway Market & Liquor is about 100 miles north of downtown Los Angeles and is located in the Los Padres National Forest.
Duke said thuge excitement has built up among the locals after news spread and ‘the phone has been ringing off the hook, people are saying congratulations.’
‘A lot of customers come in every day to get their tickets religiously and a lot of them said ‘If I win I’ll get you a new truck… so where’s my truck?’ he joked.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Most lottery games allow 180 days for the winner to claim their prize. The exceptions are the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, which have a one-year deadline.
The next Powerball drawing takes place on Saturday and has a jackpot currently estimated at $600 million
Winnings will be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.