I found $1million winning lottery ticket in a Tupperware – I had no idea it was there but money is all mine now
A LUCKY lottery winner almost lost her winnings after failing to check her ticket that was hidden away.
Leslie Carr from Portland, Oregon, claimed her $1 million prize on Monday after recent news headlines jogged her memory.
The 52-year-old had obliviously been a millionaire for over a month after putting her winning tickets in a Tupperware box and failing to check them.
"I had no idea I was the winner," Carr told Oregon Lottery officials after realizing she had won.
The medical receptionist was the sole winner of the jackpot offered in the annual lottery Raffle.
There is only one prize of $1 million and Carr beat the odds of 1 in 250,000 to become this year's winner.
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"If it weren’t for the billion-dollar Powerball winner making news, I would have forgot. We don’t check our tickets," Carr admitted.
Yanira Alvarez was publicly identified as a Powerball billionaire earlier this month after purchasing the winning ticket eight months ago in Los Angeles.
Following Alvarez's identification, an unknown Powerball winner in Carr's home state won a $1.3 billion jackpot on April 8.
Following the news, Carr remembered to check her own stash of lottery tickets.
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She returned to the Fred Meyer store in Happy Valley where she purchased them and started scanning the numerous tickets she had bought and forgotten about.
It was not until the last ticket, the Raffle ticket, that Carr started getting excited.
The winning raffle ticket that was drawn on March 15 came up with a message telling her to visit the Oregon Lottery office.
Shocked at the news, she spoke to a store employee who told her, "I can't cash this because your prize is worth over $1,000."
"That's when I started getting butterflies," she said.
After claiming her windfall on Monday, she revealed what plans she and her husband have for the money.
It's "a dream come true," she told officials saying that the couple will pay off the mortgage.
In addition to this, she is hoping for a new truck as her current vehicle has a broken windshield.
Top lottery winners in the US
Millions dream of winning the lottery and finding fame and fortune. These are the biggest winners in US lottery history.
- Edwin Castro - $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022, in California.
- Theodorus Struyck - $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, in California.
- Unknown winner - $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, in Florida.
- Marvin and Mae Acosta from Los Angeles, California, John and Lisa Robinson from Munford, Tennessee, and Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt from Melbourne Beach, Florida - $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016.
- Unknown winner - $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, from South Carolina.
- Unknown winner - he sued the mother of his child to keep his identity hidden - $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, from Maine.
- Unknown winner - $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, from Illinois.
- Unknown winner - $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024, from Oregon.
- Yanira Alvarez - $1.08 billion Powerball, July 19, 2023 in California.
- Wolverine FLL Lottery Club - $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, from Michigan.
- Unknown winner - $842.4 million Powerball, Jan. 1, 2024, from Michigan.
A trip to Hawaii is also on the couple's wishlist.
Fellow Raffle players are urged to check their tickets with 300 prizes of $500 and 1,500 prizes of $100 up for grabs.
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The Raffle game offers the best chances of securing a win in the Oregon Lottery with overall odds of 1 in 138.8.
Meanwhile, Powerball players should check their Tupperware for an unclaimed winning ticket worth $500,000.