Danbury man cashes in $21.3M lottery ticket

Connecticut Lottery headquarters is shown on March 15, 2019, in Rocky Hill, Conn. Connecticut Lottery headquarters is shown on March 15, 2019, in Rocky Hill, Conn. Photo: H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Danbury man cashes in $21.3M lottery ticket 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

DANBURY — Connecticut’s newest millionaire came forward Tuesday, cashing in a Lotto ticket worth a cool $21,365,302.

William McLaughlin, of Danbury, claimed the top prize at Connecticut Lottery’s headquarters in Rocky Hill.

He purchased the $1 Lotto ticket, with winning numbers 1-9-10-15-41-43, at the Stop & Shop on Lake Avenue Extension in Danbury.

McLaughlin’s six-number match was worth $25.8 million — the third-largest Lotto jackpot in the state’s history.

Because McLaughlin took a “Cash Lump Sum” payout, his take-home prize was $21.3 million. If paid as an annuity over 21 years, the amount would have been $25.8 million.

The last time the Lotto jackpot exceeded $25 million was on Jan. 1, 2002, when it was $28.5 million. The highest Lotto jackpot ever won in the state was $31 million on Dec. 1, 1992.

McLaughlin could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning.

The Lake Avenue Stop & Shop has an instant ticket vending machine, but a store employee said McLaughlin purchased his ticket at a service desk inside the store.

McLaughlin’s ticket was one of 46,041 winning tickets sold for Nov. 1, according to Connecticut Lottery.

The overall odds of winning a Lotto prize are 1 in 39.3, while the odds of winning the jackpot — by matching all six winning numbers drawn — are about 1 in 7.1 million.

Lotto players can select six numbers between 1 and 44, or they can ask for a Lotto “Quick Pick” to let a computer randomly pick their numbers.

For selling the winning ticket, Stop & Shop on Lake Avenue Extension earned a $10,000 retailer commission, which it plans to donate to the Community Action Agency of Western Connecticut.

The organization — which helps low-income individuals and families in the Danbury area — is one the store has worked with in the past, said Jennifer Brogan, Stop & Shop’s director of external communications.

“We’re ecstatic that we have a Lotto jackpot winner in Connecticut’s game,” Connecticut Lottery President and CEO Greg Smith said before McLaughlin claimed his prize.

According to Smith, the Lotto has “the best odds when compared to other larger draw games, because it’s Connecticut-only.”

McLaughlin — whose name was published on Connecticut Lottery’s online Winners List — declined to be featured in the lottery’s Winner Stories, where people give their stories on how they purchased the ticket and pose for a photo holding a big check.

Danbury-area winners

Several Danbury area residents have claimed winning Connecticut Lottery tickets in recent months.

Tuesday, two Danbury residents claimed winning tickets. One man won a $30,000 30x Cash 6th Edition ticket purchased at the Wheels gas station on Tamarack Avenue, and another won a $100,000 Cash 5 ticket purchased at a Maham Service Station in Bridgeport.

Last Wednesday, a Southbury resident won $10,000 playing 30x Cash 6th Edition. She purchased the ticket at Newtown Convenience in Newtown.

The Main Street Convenience store in Southbury had two winners.

One Southbury man won $100,000 after purchasing a Cash 5 ticket there in September, and another won $10,000 after purchasing a 10x Cash 13th Edition ticket in October.

A Danbury man won $30,000 last month, after purchasing a 30x Cash 6th Edition ticket at Handy Stop on Highland Avenue in Waterbury.

A New Milford woman won $10,000 last month, after purchasing a 30x Cash 6th Edition at the Park Lane Sunoco in New Milford.

The Fast Freddie’s on Pocono Lane in Danbury sold a winning $10,000 30x Cash 6th Edition ticket to an Ansonia man in October.