A woman from Meriden, Connecticut, has become the state’s first major winner of the Powerball Double Play feature, claiming a $500,000 prize. The winner, who was playing the Connecticut Lottery for the first time, purchased her ticket at H&H Mart on Broad Street in Meriden.
“This is my first time playing CT Lottery,” she said. “I’m still in disbelief.”
She decided to buy a Powerball ticket using the Quick Pick option while participating in a recent Mega Millions jackpot run. The store clerk suggested adding Double Play to her purchase.
“I’ve never played Powerball, so the clerk was helping me buy the ticket,” she recalled. “He asked if I wanted an add-on, and I asked what he recommended. He said Double Play, so I bought the add-on.”
Her decision led to matching all five black balls—47, 17, 19, 53, and 61—in the Double Play drawing. This earned her $500,000. If she had also matched the Double Play Powerball number, she would have won a $10 million top cash prize.
Double Play is an optional add-on for an extra $1 per play that gives players another chance to win with their same Powerball numbers. The top cash prize for this feature is $10 million.
The winner plans to use her winnings to pay off her mortgage and celebrate her daughter’s upcoming wedding.
Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot continues to rise and is estimated at $681 million for Wednesday night’s drawing.
The Connecticut Lottery Corporation (CLC) operates as a quasi-public state agency dedicated to generating revenue for Connecticut while upholding standards of public policy and social responsibility. In fiscal year 2024 alone, lottery players won over $1 billion in prizes and approximately $387 million was returned to Connecticut’s General Fund for essential services such as education and public health programs.
Since its founding in 1972, CLC has contributed nearly $12 billion toward state programs and awarded more than $23 billion in prizes.
Players must be at least 18 years old to purchase lottery tickets or at least 21 years old for sports wagers. Assistance is available for problem gambling by calling (888) 789-7777 or visiting ccpg.org.
