Connecticut Lottery
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The Connecticut Lottery is run by the state of Connecticut. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Connecticut offers a number of games, including Powerball, Classic Lotto, Cash 5, and numerous scratch games. The Cash 5 game was first offered in April 1992 as Cash Lotto. It had a 5/35 matrix and offered a lump sum payout of $100,000. The name was changed to Cash 5 in 1996. A kicker option was added at that time; for an extra 50 cents, a player gets three extra prize levels to potentially win with. One number plus the kicker is $2, two numbers plus the kicker is $5, three numbers plus the kicker pays $75 (three with no kicker is $10) and 4 numbers plus the kicker pays $4,650 (4 with no kicker is $300). The game has been available daily since 1997 (it was originally Saturday only, with other days added gradually).
As a MUSL member, Connecticut offered the former Powerball scratch ticket (see below.) However, it has never sold any of MUSL's other games, such as Hot Lotto. Connecticut's 6-of-44 jackpot game has remained relatively unchanged since 1989. However, the game was modified in 1998, drawing a seventh ball, becoming Wild Card Lotto. Players still chose 6 out of 44 numbers. Due to continued slumping sales, the 6/44 game retired the "wild ball" in May 1999, adopting the name of Classic Lotto.
Connecticut joined MUSL in November 1995. It started offering Powerball the same month as (albeit a few weeks later) New Hampshire. The Constitution State has produced five Powerball jackpot winners, the most recent on October 3, 2007, with a $15 million (annuity value) ticket sold in rural Ashford. A Powerball winner in 2005, of $58 million (annuity), was the largest prize ever won on a Connecticut Lottery ticket. Connecticut was also part of the now-defunct "Powerball: The Game Show", which was hosted by Bob Eubanks. The game was modified two years later, and was then hosted by Todd Newton.
On July 7, 2007, Connecticut began drawing MidDay 3 and MidDay 4 on weekends. This means three-digit and four-digit numbers are now each drawn 14 times weekly.
Meanwhile, the Connecticut Lottery, in early 2008, switched over to a new series of Scientific Games' WAVE lottery terminals, which use slightly different betting slips and prints the tickets thermally onto glossy paper. The new machines have an LCD screen which faces the customer. It advertises the current Classic Lotto and Powerball jackpots. It will also play an occasional lottery commercial or a public service announcement from the state of Connecticut. The termainals will also announce "Congratulations! You are a winner!" when any winning ticket is validated by the lottery agent.
Connecticut [1] is planning to introduce still another numbers game, "Mix & Match" at an unspecified date. It will be a pick-5-of-20 game where players must not only match the five numbers, but select them in the correct order. A similar game (also called Mix & Match) began in Pennsylvania in 2007.
All Connecticut Lottery ticket buyers must be at least 18 years old.
[edit] Trivia
Play 3, Play 4, and its MidDay counterparts are one of the few regularly drawn lottery games to not offer play slips to select numbers. Players may only request numbers verbally. Slips were available in the past for the nightly games, Play 3 (then known as Daily Numbers) and Play 4. In-state drawing take place at the studios of WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 of Hartford. Lottery Headquarters moved from New Britain to 777 Brook Street in Rocky Hill at the end of April 2008.
[edit] External links
See Also: Connecticut Classic Lotto
