Written by Aaron Leo
Robert Rich bought lotto tickets on a whim, not thinking he would win the $1 million jackpot.
"Driving home from work last Tuesday night, Robert Rich of Shelton pulled into a gas station so that the friend he was traveling with could buy some lottery tickets. Rich bought a scratch ticket, but was urged on by his buddy to also buy a Mega Millions® ticket. He bought five Mega Millions “Quick Pick” tickets—a fortunate choice that resulted in a five number match and a $1,000,000 prize win," according to a lottery press release.
“If it wasn’t for my friend, I would have never even thought to play. Now I can pay off the mortgage, pay off the student loans, and definitely take a family vacation. It certainly makes life a little easier,” Rich told Lottery officials.
The winning Mega Millions numbers on Dec. 10, 2013 were 5 - 12 - 22 - 41 - 65, the Mega Ball number was 13 and the Megaplier® number was 2. In total, 56,594 winning Mega Millions tickets were sold statewide, with prizes ranging from $1 to $1,000,000.
Rich’s $1,000,000 prize winning Mega Millions ticket was purchased at Howe Avenue Sunoco, located at 276 Howe Ave. in Shelton. Howe Avenue Sunoco will receive a $2,500 bonus check from the CT Lottery for selling the ticket.
Tonight, CT Lottery players will get another chance at winning the Mega Millions jackpot, which has soared to an impressive $425 million with an estimated cash value of $228.2 million—the 2nd largest jackpot in Mega Millions history.
Mega Millions is drawn on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m. and is offered at more than 2,800 lottery locations throughout the state. Connecticut tickets must be purchased by 10:45 p.m. on Friday for the 11 p.m. drawing.
The overall odds of winning a Mega Millions prize are 1 in 14.7. Odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 258,890,850 million. Consumers must be 18 or older to purchase Lottery tickets.
The CT Lottery reminds consumers across the state to "Play Responsibly" and "Know Your Limits." For information about the CT Lottery, call (860) 713-2700, or visit ctlottery.org.
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