Fairfield Man Wins $10K Top Prize in CT Lottery

Robert Smith thought he had $10 lottery winner -- turns out, it was actually a $10,000 winner. 

When he returned to Cumberland Farms to get gas and cash in the ticket, he found out its true value. 

“Just as I was about to hand over the ticket, I did a double-take,” Smith told the CT Lottery staff. “This time I saw the prize was really for $10,000. Just to be sure, I had the clerk look at it and verify it in the terminal -- it was a $10,000 winner.”

Smith, joined by his wife Patricia, received a prize check at CT Lottery headquarters in Rocky Hill for $6,833, value after taxes.  

“I’m going to take my wife to Vermont for a break...a little getaway.” Smith said.  “The rest of the prize we’ll put in the bank and invest.”

Smith’s $10,000 Score top prize winning ticket was purchased at Cumberland Farms at 1101 Post Road in Fairfield. Cumberland Farms will receive a $100 bonus check from the CT Lottery for selling the ticket, according to a release from CT Lottery.

Ticket sales began for the new $10 instant game, $10,000 Score, on July 15, 2013. Of the 50 top prizes of $10,000 in the game, 34 still remain to be claimed. The overall chances of winning a prize in $10,000 Score are 1 in 3.96.

The CT Lottery reminds the public that purchasers must be 18 or older, and to please play responsibly. For information about the CT Lottery, call (860) 713-2700, visit ctlottery.org, like CT Lottery on Facebook or follow on Twitter.