For the average person, the only way to become an overnight millionaire is to win the lottery.
There are many games of chance that give huge rewards to a single winner, but rarely is there a prize as large as the one recently won by a man from Oregon, USA.
The lucky winner has won an amount that surpasses the net worth of Taylor Swift, who recently became the first billionaire to make it into Forbes magazine on the basis of her music alone.
The figure of $1.326 billion, taxes aside, is what the winner of the draw held on April 8 in Oregon, USA, will receive. He or she will be able to choose whether to receive a cash payment of $621 million or, a monthly payment over the next 30 years equivalent to that amount, which is the result of applying the taxes in force in the US state.
With the reduction, the winner will ultimately not exceed Swift’s net worth, as he or she would need to receive the prize in full to get it.
An “unprecedented” prize
The director of the Oregon Lottery, Mike Wells, has explained that it is the largest prize in the history of the institution, while assuring that the necessary precautions are being taken to identify who the winner is before handing over such a large amount: “This is an unprecedented prize for the Oregon Lottery”, he declared.
The news has gone viral on social media, where several users have commented on the large amount of money won by this lucky American player in the draw last Saturday, April 8. The draw had to be delayed due to technical problems, so the winning number was announced later than expected.