Community Corner

Manchester Man Wins Nearly $3M from Connecticut's Lotto

"I almost hit the floor when the ticket checker said JACKPOT WINNER," Carter told Lottery officials. "I was so excited, that I left the store without getting gas!"

William Carter II was buying gas for his pickup truck — with 180,000 miles on it and four bald tires — when he bought the second winning Lotto ticket of the year in Connecticut.

Now he's got $2,979,567 (the lump-sum payment for the $3.6 million payout, before taxes), and after the tax man takes his cut, Carter has a new pickup in his future. And he says his three children and three grandchildren are going to benefit, too.

Here's the announcement about the win, issued today by the CT Lottery:

Bright and early this morning William “Bill” Carter II of Manchester made his usual stop at a local convenience store to put gas in his truck and to pick up some cold drinks for his cooler. 

He handed the clerk a $10 bill for the tank, and then scanned his Lotto® “Quick Pick” ticket for the July 22nd drawing in a nearby Ticket Checker.

“I almost hit the floor when the ticket checker said JACKPOT WINNER,” Carter told Lottery officials.  “I was so excited, that I left the store without getting gas!”

The winning Lotto numbers on July 22, 2014 were 7-26-28-29-32-44.  In total, 4,776 winning Lotto tickets were sold for that date with prizes ranging from $2 to $3,600,000.

The $3,600,000 jackpot, which rolled 43 consecutive draws until Carter’s winning match, marks the second time this year that a jackpot winning ticket was sold in Lotto, Connecticut’s longest running jackpot game.

Lotto’s jackpot is payable as a 21-year annuity or a one-time cash lump-sum.  Shortly after driving to work and confirming with his boss that his ticket was indeed a winning one, Carter arrived at CT Lottery headquarters in Rocky Hill to claim the jackpot’s cash lump-sum prize for $2,979,567 (before taxes).

When asked what plans he might have for such a life-changing lottery win, 51-year old Carter was quick to respond.  “I’m going to buy a house and a new truck—my truck has 180,000 miles on it and four bald tires.  Most importantly, I’m going to take care of my three kids and three grandchildren.”

A lottery retailer since 2004, Fas Mart #308, located at 506 Talcottville Road in Vernon, will receive a $10,000 bonus from the CT Lottery for selling Carter his jackpot winning ticket.

The overall chance of winning a prize in Lotto is 1 in 39.3.  The chance of winning the jackpot is 1 in approximately 7.1 million.

The CT Lottery reminds the public that purchasers must be 18 or older, and to please play responsibly.  For information about the CT Lottery stop by any CT Lottery retailer, visit ctlottery.org, join us on Facebook (facebook.com/CTLottery) and Twitter (twitter.com/ctlottery), or call (860) 713-2700.



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