Will share winnings

Lottery player with cancer hits billion-dollar jackpot

A cancer-stricken immigrant from Laos has won a 1.3 billion dollar (equivalent to 1.21 billion euros) lottery jackpot in the USA.(Bild: APA/Jenny Kane)

A cancer-stricken immigrant from Laos has won a 1.3 billion dollar (equivalent to 1.21 billion euros) lottery jackpot in the USA. 46-year-old Cheng Saephan immediately announced that he would share the prize with his wife and an acquaintance of the couple, who had contributed 100 dollars to the ticket purchase.

The lottery company in the US state of Oregon presented him as the lucky buyer of the winning ticket at a press event on Monday (local time) - a common practice in the United States, which means corresponding media hype for the winner. Beaming for the photographers, Saephan held up a giant cheque.

Winner now wants to afford a good doctor
The father of two, who immigrated to the USA in 1994, said that he had been suffering from cancer for eight years and had received chemotherapy just last week. But now his prayers have been answered. His family is now provided for and he can look for a good doctor.

Cheng Saephan also wants to share his winnings with an acquaintance who bought a raffle ticket.(Bild: APA/Jenny Kane)

At the official presentation of the cheque, the lottery winner showed pictures from when he was still healthy.(Bild: APA/Jenny Kane)

Also planning to buy a house
Saephan had bought more than 20 lottery tickets. When he found the lucky ticket with the right combination of numbers in the pile after the draw, he immediately called his 55-year-old friend who had bought the ticket. She was in the car on her way to work, Saephan said. He told her that she no longer had to work. He shared the other half of the money with his wife of 37 years, which he now wanted to use to buy a house, among other things.

(Bild: APA/Jenny Kane)

Winner opts for one-off payment
"Powerball" winners can choose whether to receive the full amount in installments over 30 years or a one-off payment minus a hefty discount. The trio opted for the immediate payment - an amount of 422 million dollars after tax deductions. Saephan explained that he did not know how long he would live.

The biggest jackpot in US history was won in California in November 2022: At that time, there was 2.04 billion dollars to be won. Participation in the "Powerball" lottery is possible in 45 US states as well as in the capital Washington, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.