ROCKY HILL, Ct. — Thousands of players of the Connecticut Lottery's Play 3 and Play 4 games are lining their pockets with some extra cash this weekend.
When the numbers drawn were all fives in Thursday's Connecticut Play 4 Day drawing, it set the stage for a big payday for almost 1,000 people.
Lottery officials said the daily numbers game drawing Thursday of 5-5-5-5 meant 947 tickets were winners. The total payout will amount to $3.4 million — the third largest prize payout in the history of the game.
Individual tickets will be worth anywhere from $2,500 up to $25,000 depending on the amount wagered.
In a stroke of luck, the number 4-4-4 was picked in Friday's Play 3 Day drawing, which resulted in 3,847 winning tickets, with a total payout amounting to $1.5 million.
Since the Play 3 Day game began, 4-4-4 has been drawn a total of 10 times in the daily drawing with the last combination being picked on July 19, 2013, according to the Connecticut Lottery.
At the same time as about 100 Play 4 winners arrived at the Rocky Hill headquarters to claim their winnings, Luz Luciano from East Haven showed up to claim her $3,000,000 prize for the $30 scratch game "$3,000,000 Royale." She says she bought just one ticket Thursday night in New Haven.
"I couldn't believe it until I got here," Luciano said.
Luciano opted to take the prize money in a one-time payment, which after taxes comes out to $1.54 million.
Luciano, a mother of three grown children tells Fox Connecticut she plans to use the money to buy her dream house in Florida.
"They were so happy for me because they've also known I wanted my dream house, and I know I'll be able to buy it with this money," she said.
People crowded the lottery headquarters to collect their winnings Friday morning, but players with winning tickets have 180 calendar days from the date of draw to collect. A spokesperson for the lottery says more than 100 people showed up crowding the Rocky Hill headquarters to claim their winnings before noon Friday.
The Play 3 and Play 4 payout is the third highest payout for each game, respectively.
They should thank God that they are not in Illinois.
LOL really.But Im so glad for these people,just think, I would have been awake all night making plans writing down each bill to pay,going to dinner at a steak house.
When my check come from 401K I was in bad shape all night,but I paid my bills for 1 year...thats worth it.
Congrats to all the winners.
I'm sure this came as a pleasant surprise for all the players. Congratulation to all the winners.
Some very lucky players !! When it rains, it pours.
Good for them all but you are right they're lucky they're not in Illinois.