This week, the California Lottery announced the winner of the second-largest American jackpot, ending a six-month period where the prize remained unclaimed. The $1.765 billion California Lottery Powerball Prize went to state resident Theodorus Struyck, 65, representing a group of regular ticket purchasers, while the rest of the lottery syndicate opted to remain anonymous.
Struyck secured the winning ticket on October 11, 2023, purchasing it at Midway Market in Frazier Park, a city in Kern County. The small mountain community is located about a hundred miles north of Los Angeles.
“Announcing big wins like this gives all of our players the chance to hope and dream that they could be next,” said Harjinder K. Shergill Chima, Director of the California Lottery, speaking to FOX KUTV 2.
“But it also gives us an opportunity to shine the spotlight on our terrific mission, which is to generate additional, supplemental funding for public education in California. 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. This is an exciting day for all of us.”
The Winning Ticket
The winning numbers were 22, 24, 40, 52, 64, and the Powerball 10.
The win stunned the mountain town of just 2,500 people. Midway Market, a family-run business, received a jackpot bonus of $1 million just for selling the winning ticket.
Struyck picked all five main numbers and the Powerball for his billion-dollar win. However, it remains unclear how many people agreed to split any winnings. California Lottery records treat this information as a personal matter, so they do not report on it.
Despite his newfound wealth, Struyck remained tight-lipped about his plans. He has refrained from making any public statements since the announcement.
However, the conditions of lottery entry obligated him to release his name publicly. 40 states now have legal lotteries, but only 11 of those let jackpot winners remain anonymous.
Andy Khalil, co-owner of Midway Market, revealed that a portion of their windfall would be used to throw a large party for the town’s residents.
Struyck’s jackpot win stands as the second-largest in the U.S. It trails only 2022’s $2.04 billion jackpot, also in California.
The jackpot soared to such heights because, prior to Struyck’s ticket purchase in October, there had been no winner for the 35 draws of the Powerball game between July and October 2022.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
