Winners

22-Year-Old Waitress Wins $30,000 Prize in Historic Mega Millions Jackpot DrawingAfter 25 consecutive rolls without a top prize winner, CT Lottery players throughout the state were hopeful that they would be the one lucky enough to purchase the winning ticket for the historic $1.537 billion ($878 million cash value) jackpot drawing on October 23. 

While the jackpot was ultimately won on a single winning ticket sold in South Carolina, 190,964 winning Mega Millions tickets were sold in Connecticut, including one that Taylor Papa of North Haven purchased at the Side Street Grille in Hamden where she works as a server.

The winning numbers drawn on October 23 were 5 - 28 - 62 - 65 - 70 and Mega Ball 5. The Megaplier was 3."I bought three 'Quick Pick' tickets about two hours before the drawing," the recent college grad told Lottery officials. "When I got home and pulled in the driveway, I sat in my car a few extra minutes to wait for the winning numbers [to post] online."

When Papa compared her numbers to the winning numbers drawn, she discovered a four number plus Mega Ball number match. Because she added the Megaplier feature to her ticket, Papa's original $10,000 prize was multiplied by 3, the Megaplier number drawn, for a total prize of $30,000. "I couldn't sleep at all last night," Papa said. "I was afraid I was going to lose the ticket!"

The unexpected windfall comes at the perfect time for Papa. "I'll be able to pay off some of my college loans and save a little bit for something fun."

The Mega Millions jackpot run that started on July 27, generated nearly $32.9 million in sales for Connecticut and over $5.7 million in prizes. Additionally, an estimated $14.7 million was delivered to the General Fund where it is distributed to the various programs and services the fund supports, including healthcare, education, public safety, and more.