$425M Powerball Winner Comes Forward, Wants to Travel, Start Charity

The winner of the Powerball jackpot prize purposely chose April 1 to come forward.

The winner of a $425.3 million Powerball lottery ticket sold in Milpitas, Calif., said that he plans to use the money to travel, fight child hunger and promote pediatric health.

B. Raymond Buxton claimed his prize on Tuesday from the California Lottery headquarters in Sacramento, more than a month after realizing he was the sole ticket winner.

According to California Lottery, Buxton, a retiree, purposely chose April 1 to come forward, wearing a shirt with a picture of Yoda that read "Luck of the Jedi I Have."

Buxton bought his ticket at the Dixon Landing Chevron in Milpitas while he was getting lunch at the Subway inside the convenience store located there. Dixon Landing Chevron received a $1 million bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Buxton had already bought a ticket for the Feb. 19 drawing, but because the jackpot was so large, he wanted to improve his odds. So he bought a $2 Quick Pick ticket.

His winning Powerball numbers: 17, 49, 54, 35, and 1, with a Powerball number of 34.

“’Unbelievable!’ is all I could muster.” That's how Buxton describes the moment he found out he had won. “I sat in front of the computer for hours in disbelief, frequently checking and rechecking the numbers across multiple sources. Once the initial shock passed I couldn’t sleep for days."

According to California Lottery, Buxton was so excited he couldn't bring himself to share the good news with anyone. 

"Sitting on a ticket of this value was very scary," he said. "It’s amazing how a little slip of paper can change your life."

Buxton deliberately took a long time to come forward, validating the winning numbers and putting a legal and financial team together to plan for the future.

Buxton consulted the "I Won! Now What? Winners Handbook." He opted for the cash version of the prize, which amounts to $242.2 million before federal taxes.

Buxton said he plans to use some of his winnings to travel. He also wants to give back.

“I’m going to enjoy my new job setting up a charitable foundation focused on areas of pediatric health, child hunger and education,” he said.

The $425.3 million Powerball jackpot is the largest jackpot ever won in California, according to California Lottery. It's the sixth largest in U.S. history and the fourth largest Powerball jackpot of all time.

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