Endearing and humble Laos native is one of three jackpot winners
Includes video report
By Kate Northrop
The Oregon Lottery revealed the identity of the winner for the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at a press conference Monday, which turned out to be three people sharing one winning ticket.
One of the three winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot appeared before the press at a news conference in Salem, where he revealed that the prize will be split between himself, his wife, and his friend.
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan, 46, of Portland appeared before cameras on Monday afternoon to tell the story of how he put his faith in both God and luck to help him win the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot, the fourth-largest lottery prize in the game's history and the biggest prize ever awarded in Oregon.
He purchased $200 worth of Quick Pick tickets for the April 6, 2024 drawing and offered to share the cost of his lottery tickets with his wife, Duanpen, 37, and his friend, Laiza Chao, 55, of Milwaukie.
He had presented his winning ticket to the Oregon Lottery and stepped forward as the claimant just one day after the drawing occurred.
Now finding himself standing at the podium in the Oregon Lottery's lobby, Saephan shared his story and the events that led up to the fateful moment he bought the lottery ticket that would make him hundreds of millions of dollars richer, sporting an earnest smile throughout.
Saephan was born in Laos and moved to Thailand in the 80's, where he stayed for six years. He came to the United States in 1994 and graduated from high school two years later. He worked as a machinist for aerospace components up until 2016, the year he was diagnosed with cancer, after which he went on disability. He's been battling it since then and is currently fighting a recurrence. His most recent round of chemotherapy was just last Monday, he told the crowd. With the hardships he's endured, he said he's been "blessed with this prize."
"I will be able to provide for my family and my health," Saephan said.
Saephan is no stranger to the lottery — he's played from time to time — but more recently in the past four or five months, his lottery purchases picked up. There was some kind of feeling pushing him to play, a sixth sense about coming into a big win.
"Four or five months ago, I started playing big," he said. "I had a feeling that was like a, 'I'm gonna win it, I'm gonna win it — but I didn't think I was gonna win this big!'"
The moment Saephan found out about the win, he felt excited, but his mind immediately went to his family. A smile grew on his face as he recalled his thought process.
"I'm thinking, 'Oh, I'm happy for my family — they will have a good life,' but [thinking] to myself, I'm battling cancer, so I'm thinking, 'How am I going to have time to spend all this money?'" he quipped endearingly, generating a good laugh from the audience.
When asked what his first purchase will be with the winnings, he answered without hesitation that he would buy a house, a "dream home." Having resided in Oregon for 30 years, he loves where he lives. He plans on staying in the state and buying a home there.
Saephan shared a "magic trick" he said helped him win the lottery in the form of a single sheet of paper containing all playable numbers in the Powerball game. The regular white ball number matrix showing numbers 1 through 69 was written in black, and the red Powerball number matrix showing numbers 1 through 26 was highlighted in red.
"I had those numbers written, and I prayed to God, 'God, Father, please, I am [struggling], I have young kids, a young wife, and I need some help,'" he told the crowd of reporters. "I don't wanna die yet, unless I have something for my family first."
He implored God to provide him the five winning white ball numbers and the one winning Powerball number from the matrices written on the sheet and slept with the piece of paper underneath his pillow for two weeks.
Then he won.
His winning numbers were purchased with a Quick Pick, he emphasized.
"God picked for me," he said, pointing upwards. "So, thank you." He laughed and elicited an amused applause from the spectators.
When asked whether he would continue to play the lottery, he grinned and responded with, "Yeah, I can get lucky again! I'll keep playing."
Saephan shared more about his arrangement with the other two lottery winners, his wife and friend. He was heading out to buy lottery tickets and asked Chao if she'd like to chip in $100 with him, so she contributed that amount toward the purchase of multiple tickets for the Powerball drawing.
After he bought the tickets, Chao texted him joking, "Hey! We're billionaires!"
"And then the next morning, it really happened!" Saephan laughed.
The night of the draw, he was at another friend's birthday party. It was after 11:00 pm, so he thought to check the results but saw it was delayed. He didn't see any numbers, so he went to sleep.
At 6:00 am the following morning, he received a text from his sister saying that somebody in Portland, Oregon won the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot.
"Is it you?" the text read. "Check your tickets!"
He got to work at his kitchen table while his mother sat across from him enjoying a cup of coffee. Saephan was whittling away at the pile of tickets he and Laiza shared, and with six or seven tickets left, he "felt bad." He was sure someone else in Portland had won, not him.
On the very last line of one of his remaining tickets, he saw six matching numbers. He put his hands down on the table and took a deep breath.
"Mom, we're rich," he humorously recalled telling his mother.
"Yeah, it's me," he also texted in a reply to his sister.
He called Chao to share the news when he discovered one of their tickets won.
"I said, 'Laiza, where are you?' and she said, 'I'm going to work,'" he recounted. "I replied, 'You don't have to go anymore.'"
At first, she didn't think Saephan was serious. He invited her to drive over to check the numbers herself. Saephan, his wife, and his friend were all looking at the ticket in disbelief, the three of them verifying the numbers over and over.
When asked whether he has taken any steps to protect himself considering his newly minted multi-millionaire status in the public eye, he responded that he has "to think about it."
"I just said I'll pray to God, "Protect me for whatever reason, and guide me to spend money in the right way, to do the right thing," he responded. "I'm still working on things I've never done before. There's a lot of stuff in my head. Beyond that, I will think about it later."
Melanie Mesaros, a spokesperson for the Oregon Lottery, said that vetting procedures to verify the identity and legitimacy of the winner was done very quickly — "within a day or so." What took longer, she said, was the process to collect the prize money from the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), who manages the game.
Between the day Saephan presented the winning ticket to the Lottery and the issuance of the payment, the Lottery also gave the claimants time to decide how they would like to be paid, either in the form of a one-time lump sum or an annuity.
Citing his age and health issues, Saephan said he opted to take the lump sum, which is what the other two winners have chosen as well. All three winners have been paid their share of the prize.
"I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to the Saephans and Ms. Chao on this historic win," Lottery Director Mike Wells said in a press release. "Not only is this prize life-changing for the three of them and their families, it's also a huge win for the state."
According to the Lottery, about a third of sales from Powerball will be returned to state beneficiaries to support economic development, education, veteran services, state parks, and more. Plaid Pantry, the retailer that sold the billion-dollar ticket, will also receive a $100,000 bonus.
The Powerball jackpot currently stands at $178 million for the next drawing on Wed., May 1 at 10:59 pm Eastern Time.
Powerball is played in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega website provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.
VIDEO: Watch the press conference
Great story
Congratulations
Good health to you
QUES: I don't understand exactly how it's being split 3 ways when two of the three are a married couple, someone explain if you think you know the answer.
He, Wife and friend split the jackpot since they all contributed to make it a total of $200 for ticket purchases.
My friend who was recently dx with cancer has his port in the same location as his. It goes directly into the right atrium and 'flutters' so fibrin (clotting) may not occur. One round, 96 hours worth of chemotherapy over with. four weeks=repeat.
Really happy for him and his family. Hopefully the money can/will help with treatments.
Glad that his investment paid off for him.
Congrats!
Congrats to him. 🎉🎉
$200 Investment Turned Into $1.3 Billion Dollars.Buying multiple lottery tickets increases your chances of winning a jackpot.
It really is luck.
Some people spend thousands and don't even win $4.
Not sure I would spend $200 in a single draw. That's my lottery budget for 2 months 🙈🙈
I am happy for them it paid off.
Not gonna end well for this guy...lol
If "God picked his numbers'...then he proceeds to say he could get lucky again. Either you were lucky or God allowed you to win. Can't be both, buddy. And since there's no such thing as luck, I guess God allowed you to win.
So many young people getting cancer.
I hope his treatment works and wish him the best.
Wild stab in the dark.
Husband and wife "contributed$100 @ a nominal $50 each".. removes a lot of potential for domestic problems. Each has "their own money)
Friend contributed $100 (50-50 split between households.)
Husband gets 25%
his wife gets 25%
Friend gets 50%
"I guess God allowed you to win. "
Maybe he felt that he owed him something, after giving him cancer. Or maybe there is such a thing as luck, and sometimes it's bad and sometimes it's good.
This guy had no idea what he wanna do with that money! looks like big money for wrong person!
Why should an entrepreneur or inventor never win the lottery!
Consider this scenario: someone who had a vision for few million dollars. Suddenly, they win 400 million, and they're clueless about what to do with it!
On the other hand, entrepreneurs or inventors often struggle through numerous hurdles to secure just $10,000 in investment. With lottery winnings, they could potentially create a thriving company, generate employment opportunities, and significantly contribute to the economy and society.
Sadly, 99.99 percent of lottery winners only prioritize their personal lives and families, and this becomes their primary challenge. A few token donations to charity hardly make a dent in the bigger picture.
The truth is, 99 percent of lottery winnings end up in the hands of individuals who don't necessarily utilize them for societal benefit.
I wish lottery XYZ would launch sooner; it could revolutionize the global lottery scene by eliminating taxes.
I believe in luck - both good and bad.
You get shot at in a drive by shooting - bad luck.
Your numbers are drawn in a jackpot - good luck.
A person can start a business after they secure a few things for their family. Most business fail, btw, which doesn't benefit society either. Your argument is weak.
"Sadly, 99.99 percent of lottery winners only prioritize their personal lives and families, and this becomes their primary challenge."
When I play the lottery, I have me in mind. I don't play for the benefit of my neighbors or society at large.
Once someone duly pays their due taxes, that's all they need to do for society - that's more than enough. They give 37% to society and more depending on the state. Honestly if that's not enought giving to society, I don't know what is.
It's the same as going to work everyday and getting your paycheck - is the paycheck yours or is it for the community that you live in? It would be unacceptable for someone to try and dictate how you should spend your paycheck.
When people win the lottery, it reeks of entitlement when suddenly people feel that the winner owes society something, big or small.
This sometimes can be caused by the feeling that "we" contributed to that jackpot and as such we should get something out of it.
Let people win and do what they want do, it's their money, it's their luck, it's their lot, they choose what to do with it.
My thoughts 🤷🏾♂️
usually people try to disguise their envy and sense of entitlement a little bit. you have chosen an alternative path.
I had cancer when I was in my 20s and it was pretty rough. I beat it but it set me back in many ways and it took me a long time to get back on track.
I am very happy for this man as he will be able to perhaps get better treatments and regardless of what happens, his family will be well provided for.
I wish him all the best.
the vaccine..
When splitting a big lotto prize like mega millions or powerball, they can choose to split it how ever they want. Husband and wife could get 98% while giving, say a friend, 2%. Doesn't have to be an even split.
"asked Chao if she'd like to chip in $100 with him, so she contributed that amount "
Total investment was $200
each household contributed $100
There would be a court case if the friend didn't get a share proportional to her investment. She invested 50% so her share should be %50
I was just using that as an example. Also if they had agreed to different terms ahead of time the shares could be anything. So long as a verbal agreement can be validated or they have a written agreement, they could of split things in any proportion they had wanted. If 17 people had a lotto group and won it could be split, 20, 20, 20, 10, 10, 5, 5, with the last 10 receiving 1% each. Millions of ways to split a win if all parties agree a head of time. Like I said, just an example though. Far more likely the simplest answer is right.
i didn't read it that way. i read it as cheng and duanpen contributed $200 and laiza contributed $100, total of $300. since laiza contributed 1/3, she gets 1/3. since cheng and duanpen contributed 2/3, they get 2/3, which they are splitting between themselves.
"He purchased $200 worth of Quick Pick tickets for the April 6, 2024 drawing and offered to share the cost of his lottery tickets with his wife, Duanpen, 37, and his friend, Laiza Chao, 55, of Milwaukie. "
Total investment was thus: $200, not $300
""asked Chao if she'd like to chip in $100 with him, so she contributed that amount " "
Chao buys a half share (Total investment is still $200)
So 50%-50% by household (Chao gets 50%).
How the husband and wife split it is up to them, but "being kind" I assume 50-50.. so they get 25% each
I read in another article that they are splitting it equally 3 ways. So the fact that Chao is getting only 1/3 of the jackpot strongly indicates that she paid 1/3 of the total cost of their shared tickets.
Plausibly, what happened is the husband (and wife) bought $200 worth of tickets, then later called up Chao to ask if she wanted to pitch in $100 more to buy more tickets on top of what he already purchased. That would make $300.
"The established, incontrovertible fact that Chao is getting only 1/3 of the jackpot strongly indicates that she paid 1/3 of the total cost of their shared tickets. '
where is this said in the text? At no point can I see the distribution stated.
the article is "perfectly clear".
There was no suggestion that Chao supply the $100 to buy more tickets.. the text (as I quote once more) very explicitly says..
""He purchased $200 worth of Quick Pick tickets for the April 6, 2024 drawing and offered to share the cost of his lottery tickets with his wife, Duanpen, 37, and his friend, Laiza Chao, 55, of Milwaukie. " "
"""asked Chao if she'd like to chip in $100 with him, so she contributed that amount " " "
Clearly only $200 worth of tickets were purchased and Chao bought a half share (One assumes considering the payment of $100)
The other article I read was wrong and they since corrected it, so you're right, it's a 50-50 split. My bad.