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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Cold front behind rain could mean snow on valley floor by Monday ... Fire took home from mom and her boys ... New bridge would connect east, west Nevada Street in Ashland ... Cold front behind rain could mean snow on valley floor by Monday ... Fire took home from mom and her boys ... New bridge would connect east, west Nevada Street in Ashland ... WINNING TICKET Man living in Iraq wins $6.4 million Oregon jackpot Comment By Steven DuBois The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Steven DuBois The Associated Press Posted Dec. 9, 2015 at 3:46 PM By Steven DuBois The Associated Press Posted Dec. 9, 2015 at 3:46 PM » Social News PORTLAND — An Oregon Lottery winner took more than three months to claim his $6.4 million Megabucks jackpot. But the lucky man had good reason for being late — he lives in Iraq. The man cashed in Dec. 1 at lottery headquarters in Salem, said Chuck Baumann, the Oregon Lottery spokesman. He elected to take his millions in 25 annual installments of $256,000 minus taxes. Although the Lottery generally prohibits winners from remaining anonymous, officials have honored the man's request to keep his identity secret. Baumann said it's because the winner is concerned about his safety back home. "He made it very clear that the amount of money he had won here would certainly put him and his family in harm's way," Baumann said. The winner bought the ticket for the Aug. 24 drawing through an online lottery agent based overseas. Baumann said it's his educated guess that the agent has people deployed across the world to go into retailers and buy lottery tickets. He said its employee for Oregon games must be in Bend, the city where the winning ticket was purchased. The winning numbers were: 15, 27, 32, 39, 44 and 45. Baumann said he asked the man how he chose them. The man's English, though not bad, wasn't great, and he didn't provide a clear-cut answer. "He covered his eyes with his arm, and then poked at numbers in the air," Baumann recalled. Though the man bought his ticket via the Internet, he had the actual ticket when he arrived in Oregon's capital city. Why wouldn't the person who bought the ticket in Bend quit his job and cash the ticket, rather than hand it off to the Iraqi man? "That thought has certainly occurred to a lot of people here," Baumann said. "But obviously (the website) has some checks and balances." The man, whose win was first reported by Willamette Week, is believed to the first person from outside the U.S. to win the Oregon Megabucks jackpot. Baumann said the Lottery has no restrictions on foreigners winning prizes or buying tickets through an online agent. "There are federal laws that apply to Internet gambling that don't apply to the Oregon Lottery," he said. "We have no rules about that because we don't sell online — the Lottery itself." By Steven DuBois The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Steven DuBois The Associated Press Posted Dec. 9, 2015 at 3:46 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501