Abbas Shafii won the top prize in the United States lottery, Powerball, drawn on January 18th. The 79-year-old man from Beaverton, Oregon, took home the jackpot of US$328.5 million, approximately R$1.8 billion. According to him, with the money, he plans to travel and invest. Furthermore, he intends to donate part of the amount to charitable organizations.
After the victory, according to Abbas Shafii, the intention is to spend the third largest prize in the history of his state sharing his “good luck with non-profit organizations that are close to his heart”, he said.
According to the new millionaire, when he walked into a Fred Meyer convenience store on January 17 to buy a ticket to play Powerball, there was a one in 292 million chance of winning the top prize. Still, he did it. Shafii played the following numbers: 14, 31, 35, 64, 69.
He chose to receive the prize immediately, and pocketed the handsome sum, in a single installment, of US$146.4 million in cash, after tax deductions. In addition to this option, he could also collect the full amount through an annuity over 29 years.
With the win, Shafii became one of seven Powerball winners from Oregon since 2005. Only two of them have won bigger prizes, including Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, who won a $1.3 billion Powerball prize, Oregon’s most lucrative, amid a battle with cancer.
Powerball Lottery
Powerball is a 33-year-old lottery held in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In Oregon alone, according to officials, game tickets have generated more than $16.5 billion for economic development, public education, state parks and veterans services.
