Oregon’s Biggest Lottery Winners
Oregon has had some of the biggest lottery winners in U.S. history. From Powerball billionaires to Oregon’s Game Megabucks millionaires, see who won, how much, and where. When you order Oregon lottery tickets online at TheLotter Oregon, you can enter your favorite draws online with official Oregon Lottery tickets.
The following list shows winners whose prizes have already been paid out based on the advertised amounts (not the actual take-home values). Since lottery prize information is public record in Oregon, most details about these winners are openly accessible. Will we add the story of your jackpot win next?
Oregon’s Biggest Powerball Jackpot Winners
1. Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, $1.326 Billion, Powerball, 6 April 2024
After a brief delay in the pre-draw procedures, the April 6 draw had an exciting end – with a Powerball jackpot win from Portland! Cheng “Charlie” Saephan is the biggest Oregon lottery winner! His ticket matched all six numbers drawn to win a jackpot worth $1.326 billion. It has a cash value of $621 million.
The winning numbers in this draw were 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 for the main numbers, along with 9 as the additional Powerball number. Additionally, the Power Play multiplier was 3X. This monumental win marks the largest Powerball prize ever won in Oregon, beating the previous record of $340 million set in 2005.
2. Chaney and West Families, $340 Million, Powerball, October 19, 2005
It was a family affair when Bob and Frances Chaney, their daughter and son-in-law, Carolyn and Steve West, matched all the numbers in the Powerball draw and won a $340 million jackpot, which at the time was the second-biggest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. “I’m still in disbelief that we won the big one,” said Frances Chaney. Each of the couples had thrown in $20 to purchase their joint Powerball tickets. The family, who lives in Jacksonville, in the southwest part of Oregonstate, elected to take the cash option lump sum prize, which came out to $110 million, after taxes.
3. Abbas Shafii, $328.5 Million, Powerball, January 19, 2005
Abbas Shafii, a 79-year-old man from Beaverton definitely had an exciting way to begin 2025. He won the Powerball jackpot in the January 17 draw. Opting for the lump sum option, Shafii took home a payout worth $146.4 million.
“I am overjoyed to have won the Powerball and plan to use my prize to travel, invest and share my good fortune with non-profit organizations that are close to my heart,” he said in a statement.
4. Daniel Gannon, $182.7 Million, Powerball, March 17, 2007
Milwaukie resident Daniel Gannon, 60, was on his way to dinner with his wife Candy when they stopped at a Safeway store to take out cash from an ATM. “I saw how big the [Powerball] jackpot was and bought a $5 quick pick,” Gannon said. The next morning, he checked the winning numbers in the newspaper and told his wife, “We won $182 million,” and she said, “No way!” Gannon elected to take a lump sum of his prize and received about $59 million after taxes. Gannon told lottery officials that he and his wife planned to travel, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to retire.
5. Steven Nickell, $150.4 Powerball, June 20, 2018
Salem resident Steven Nickell had no idea he had won the Powerball jackpot when he turned in his Quick Pick single-draw ticket. “When the clerk told me that wins over $600 have to go to the Lottery office, I thought I could buy my wife something nice for the Fourth of July,” he said. “I had no idea that ticket was worth $150 million.” Nickell also said: “At first I felt guilty I won. Then I realized that I’m the guy that gets to stand up and say BINGO! We all play the game, it just so happens I’m the guy who got to win this time.” Nickell elected to take the lump sum of his prize which came out to nearly $61.7 million after taxes.
In addition to the winners listed above, Oregon had its first Powerball jackpot win in October 1992 with the Givens family of Eugene, who took home $38.4 million. Robin Powell, of Beaverton, claimed a $33.9 million prize in July 1999.
Largest Megabucks Lottery Wins in Oregon
6. Arthur Brenner, $30 Million, Oregon’s Game Megabucks, November 15, 2004
The biggest Oregon’s Game Megabucks jackpot prize ever, in Oregon’s biggest state lottery, a $30 million jackpot, was claimed by Arthur Brenner, a 65-year-old semi-retired accountant. Brenner, who lives in the Portland area, chose to take a $9.8 million lump-sum cash payment of the prize, after withholding for state and federal taxes. “I was very calm in my head, but my body was shaking,” Brenner said of his reaction when he learned that he entered the Oregon lottery winners list. Brenner’s cousin, Susan Cox, had purchased the winning $6 ticket for him at a Milwaukie convenience store. Brenner gave her a $99,000 check, a 1 percent share of the record prize. Brenner said he had been playing the same numbers for 16 years and bought a ticket for each Megabucks drawing.
No Biggest Mega Millions Wins in Oregon (So Far!)
Amazingly, the state has yet to see a Mega Millions jackpot winner! Two Mega Millions players each won $3 million with the additional Megaplier option in 2019. Ann Mingus of Springfield won the prize in the draw on January 11th while Martin Oliverson of Jacksonville won the same prize in the draw on August 2nd. These players tie for being the largest Mega Millions winners in Oregon history to date.
The Oregon Lottery has offered tickets to the multi-state Mega Millions lottery since 2010, but as of now, not a single ticket purchased in the state has matched all the Mega Millions numbers to win the lottery’s jackpot. Until that day comes, we’ll make-do with a list that mostly consists of Powerball winners.
