Winner of $1.8 billion California Lottery ticket sold in Frazier Park named

California Lottery officials last week revealed the name of the lucky man who bought a ticket in Frazier Park in October that won him and a group of people nearly $1.8 billion.

Theodorus Struyck was designated the representative among the group who bought the ticket at Midway Market & Liquor on Frazier Mountain Park Road, just across the Ventura County line.

Carolyn Becker, a spokesperson for the state lottery, declined to give details about the winners, citing safety concerns.

The group opted to receive the jackpot in a lump sum, meaning they’ll take home $774.1 million before taxes, Becker said.

Had they chosen the annuity option — 30 annual payments over 29 years — the money would have been invested. At the end of the 29 years, the total winnings would have been closer to about $1.8 billion, she said.

“By and large, our big winners take the cash,” Becker said.

The market — a family-owned business for 30 years — received a $1 million check for selling the lucky ticket, lottery officials said. The owner declined to comment.

The winning numbers were pulled on the 36th draw of that Powerball sequence, lottery officials said. The run raised $119.5 million for public schools.

The windfall was the second largest lottery jackpot ever in the country, after a $2.04 billion Powerball sold in 2022 in Los Angeles County, lottery officials said in a news release.

For every Powerball or Mega Millions ticket sold in the state, about 80 cents goes towards pubic schools, lottery officials said. The purpose of the lottery is to raise money for schools.

USA Today reports contributed to this story.

Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.