No matter how long it took, he was doing everything he could to win.
A U.S. Army veteran and former police detective who said the California Lottery took too long to pay out a staggering $44.3 million jackpot has finally received his winnings after months of waiting, and he's also making plans for his winnings. There is.
“I'm a very lucky man,” Jerry Heath said. california lottery After being charged a life-changing amount late last month.
The lottery enthusiast, who served in the Army for six years before becoming a detective with the Long Beach Police Department, bought a ticket for the Aug. 19 drawing at a Ralph's grocery store in south Orange County.
Shortly after, he was overjoyed to learn that he was the sole winner of the top prize of $44.3 million.
The winning numbers were 1, 2, 15, 23, 28, and a red Powerball 10 (Heath's lucky number).
“The six numbers in Powerball… are the odds that you'll die before… you'll go out and get hit by lightning before you get it,” he said in October.
However, it took nearly five months for him to claim his lump sum option of approximately $17 million, as there was a lengthy review period to prove he was the rightful winner.
“I felt great, but I was very stressed,” Heath said. ABC7. “Thank you. I'm going to be a millionaire for the rest of my life.”
The veteran said he plans to share his newfound wealth with his daughter and grandchildren.
He also revealed that he has since paid off his home and invested some of his winnings.
Heath described himself as a simple man who grew up on a low income, and said that even though he was a millionaire, his love for the lottery remained the same.
“Now that I'm a millionaire, I can't forget where I came from,” the veteran said. “I don't travel much. Playing the lottery is my only luxury.”
Heath, who plays the lottery every day, never hesitated to play the lottery, knowing that a lot of the money would benefit the Golden State's education system.
For every $2 of Powerball tickets sold in California, approximately 80 cents goes toward funding public schools. cal lottery Shared in a 2023 press release.
Since its inception in 1985, the California Lottery has generated more than $46 billion for the state's public schools.
According to cal lotteryIn the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the Lottery raised more than a record $2 billion for education.
Lottery officials will subject anyone who claims to have a winning ticket to a vetting process that includes an investigation by the Lottery's law enforcement team and a check to ensure the winner does not pay taxes or child support to the state. implement.
Winners have a minimum of 4 weeks to start enjoying their prize, but this rarely happens.
“Believe it or not, the California Lottery processes more than 10,000 claims a month, so we want to meet the expectations of our winners,” said California Lottery Director Carolyn Becker. he said. ABC7 In October.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are an astronomical 1 in 292,201,338.
The Powerball prize pool currently stands at $240 million, with $113.6 million in cash to be paid out in Wednesday's drawing at 11 p.m.
