Golden State wait.
A California lottery fanatic claimed he hasn’t seen a dime of his Powerball jackpot winnings worth $44 million in the over two months since he matched all six numbers.
Jerry, an everyday lotto player who “plays all the games,” tried his luck at the Aug. 19 drawing.
Armed with his lucky number 10, Jerry, whose last name remained unknown, purchased a ticket at a Ralphs grocery store in southern Orange County and became the sole winner of the $44.3 million top prize.
The winning numbers were 1, 2, 15, 23, 28 and the red Powerball 10.
The cash value was set at $21.9 million while Ralphs received $220,000 for selling the ticket.
“It was exciting in a really subtle way because you don’t anticipate ever hitting all six. Six numbers on the Powerball is … the odds are you’ll die before … You’ll walk out and get hit by lightning before you win that one,” Jerry told KABC.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are an astronomical 1 in 292,201,338.
Since his lucky day, Jerry has been waiting and growing impatient to get his hands on his winnings.
The new millionaire has blasted the slow verification process in place to ensure the lottery prize goes to the rightful owner.
“The process is really horrible for a winner of a big … any big lotto winnings,” he said. “They won’t tell you ‘By this date, you’ll get the funds.’ They won’t tell you that. They leave it open-ended so you’re sitting, waiting daily,” hoping to get the funds.
Lottery officials conduct a vetting process on any person claiming to have a winning ticket, including an investigation from the lottery’s law enforcement team and cross-checking to ensure the winner doesn’t owe the state any taxes or child support.
The earliest a winner may start enjoying their prize is four weeks, but this happens very rarely, Carolyn Becker told the outlet.
“California Lottery processes, believe it or not, 10,000-plus claims a month, so we want to manage the expectations of our winners,” she added.
The Post has reached out to the California Lottery.
Jerry hopes to have the money deposited into his account soon, so he can enjoy the millions he won.
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It isn’t the first time a Powerball player’s winnings were delayed or flat-out denied.
John Cheeks of Washington, DC, claimed his Powerball tickets matched the numbers on the website for the $340 million jackpot.
Cheeks’ numbers matched the ones posted online but differed from the ones selected the night of the drawing.
Cheeks was denied the life-changing jackpot, with the company claiming there was a “mistake.”
He filed a lawsuit against Powerball and the DC Lottery and sought $961.8 million in “compensatory relief.”
Jerry’s August jackpot was not the last time Powerball’s largest prize was hit.
An unknown Georgia lottery player purchased a winning ticket worth $478.2 million from Quick Mart in Buford, 42 miles northeast of Atlanta.
The winning numbers were 2, 15, 27, 29, 39 and red Powerball 20 and the one-time lump sum was valued at $230.6 million.
