The Connecticut Lottery Corporation, also called the CT Lottery, is the official lottery in Connecticut. It was created in 1971 by then-Gov. Thomas Meskill, who signed Public Act No. 865. The first tickets were sold on February 15, 1972.[1] The Connecticut Lottery offers five regular in-house drawing games (not including the recurring game Super Draw.) Connecticut also participates in Mega Millions and Powerball, each with 44 jurisdictions.
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The Connecticut Lottery, in April 2011, began its Replay option; players can use "old" tickets, in lieu of betting cards, to repeat number selections played in the appropriate game(s).[2] Drawings are broadcast on WCCT-TV and WTIC-TV.[2] Replay is not available for the recurring game Super Draw.
A three-digit numbers game-style game drawn twice daily, with day and night drawings. Tickets can be bought in 50-cent multiples. Bets include straight (all three digits in order), box (all three digits in any order) and pairs.[2]
A four-digit numbers game similar to Play3.[3]
Cash5 is a nightly five-number game. The winning numbers are chosen from a field of 35. The basic Cash5 game costs $1; for an additional 50 cents, the Kicker option is activated. The Kicker option gives a player more opportunities to win.[4]
Connecticut's in-house jackpot game, Classic Lotto, is drawn Tuesdays and Friday nights. Six numbers are drawn from a field of 44.
The minimum jackpot is $1,000,000 (payable in 21 equal yearly installments unless the cash option is chosen). After two consecutive drawings without a top-prize winner, the jackpot increases by at least $100,000 per drawing until won. [5]
Lucky4Life is drawn Mondays and Thursdays. Players pick 4 of 39 numbers in one pool, and 1 of 39 in a second pool. The top prize is $2000 weekly, split among multiple winners; second prize is $10,000, with a liability limit of $100,000. Winners in Lucky4Life cannot choose cash in lieu of the annuity. [6]
In 2010, after many US lotteries offered successful raffle-style games; the Connecticut Lottery introduced Super Draw, which had drawings on January 1 and July 4, 2011. Each drawing drew 1,311 winning six-digit numbers, with prizes of $100, $1,000, $20,000, and one top prize of $1,000,000 (all prizes paid in lump sum.)
The third Super Draw began sales in October 2011; its drawing will be on January 1, 2012. This drawing will be conducted under the same rules as the first two Super Draws.[2]
Connecticut began selling Mega Millions tickets January 31, 2010, following a 2009 agreement in which lotteries then offering either Mega Millions or Powerball were allowed to offer both games. Connecticut is among 44 lotteries selling Mega Millions tickets.[7] Mega Millions plays are $1 each, or $2 with the Megaplier option.
Connecticut has been a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) since 1995.[7] MUSL is the operator of Powerball, which is offered by 44 lotteries.[8] A jackpot of $254.2 million was won in the November 2, 2011 drawing by one ticket, sold in Fairfield County; if claimed, it will be the largest prize won on a Connecticut Lottery ticket.[9]
As with Mega Millions, basic Powerball plays are $1 each, or $2 with its Power Play. On January 15, 2012, Powerball will become a $2-per-play game, or $3 with Power Play.
The Connecticut Lottery offers numerous scratchcard games with various price points and prize levels, with differing themes.[10]
On March 6, 1998, there was a fatal shooting at the then-Connecticut Lottery headquarters in Newington. (The Connecticut Lottery headquarters currently is in Rocky Hill.) A Lottery employee, Matt Beck, killed four of his supervisors, then himself.[11]
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