All news

$1.7 Million Lotto! jackpot remains unclaimed in Connecticut

A $1.7 million lottery jackpot is still unclaimed.

Exxon on Southington Connecticut
Exxon on Queen Street, Southington, Connecticut, where the winning Lotto! ticket was sold. Photograph credit to Google Maps.
Alex Cramer

There's a new millionaire in the state of Connecticut, but their identity is a mystery for now. Someone in the Nutmeg state purchased a winning Lotto! ticket in Southington worth $1.7 million, but they have yet to step forward to claim the big prize.

Jackpot

If you purchased a Connecticut Lotto! ticket in early January, you should double-check if it has the numbers 10, 16, 27, 33, 39, and 42. Those are the winning numbers from the January 12 drawing, but no winner has cashed in the ticket as of this writing.

We do know that the winning ticket was purchased at the Queen Street Exxon in Southington and that the gas station will receive $10,000 for selling the jackpot winner.

Lotto! costs just $1 to play. Players must correctly select six numbers between one and 44 to win the jackpot. Drawings occur twice a week on Tuesday and Friday, and the jackpots are progressive, starting at $1 million and growing until someone claims the prize.

Make the claim

To claim their prize, the winner must go to the Connecticut Lottery office in Wallingford in person. They'll need to provide two valid forms of ID, both of which must be signed and one of which must contain a photo.

They'll have to choose whether they want the annuity option, which means receiving twenty-one annual payments of equal value, totaling $1.7 million, or the one-time cash payout worth $1.2 million.

The CT Lottery claims office is open Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. Winners have just 180 days from the drawing date to take their prize, or the money is returned to the state.

Missing winners

As crazy as it may seem, it's not unusual for large lottery prizes to go unclaimed. Even today, there are several million-dollar jackpots waiting for a lucky winner to step forward.

This month in Kentucky, a winning Powerball ticket worth $1,000,000 sold on July 19 went unclaimed and expired, meaning the winner can no longer collect their prize. Now, the money will go to the state's unclaimed prize fund, where it will be used to support educational scholarships.

As of January 16, the state of Washington had $6.3 million in lottery prizes that are set to expire, including two different seven-figure jackpots. The largest unclaimed prize is for a ticket purchased in Seattle, worth $3.5 million, and the next is for a ticket purchased in Auburn, worth $1 million.

California Lottery officials said that in the fiscal year of 2019-2020, $75.4 million went unclaimed from SuperLotto Plus, Fantasy 5, Daily 3, Daily 4, Daily Derby, and Hot Spot games and that, on average, $46.8 million goes unclaimed every year.

The rule in most states is that winners have 180 days from the time of a drawing to claim their prize. However, there are different rules for what happens to that money if no one cashes in their ticket.

In California, all unclaimed prize money goes toward public education, while in Colorado, it's directed toward preserving the state's natural resources.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Related articles

GIANT Food Stores, 3175 Cape Horn Road, Windsor Township.
Three states strike it rich with Labor Day Cash 5 jackpots

From $349K to nearly $875K, three lucky tickets turned the holiday into a jackpot.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

A lottery station at a local retailer in New Zealand.
Lottery age rules: From no limits in New Zealand to 21+ in other places

Some countries allow 16-year-olds to play, while others ban tickets until 21. Where's the line?

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

$300 million Powerball winner Jack Whittaker.
The endless tragedies of Powerball winner Jack Whittaker

How Jack Whittaker won $300 million and lost everything.

Alex Cramer profile pic

Alex Cramer

Mike's Food & Gas in the town of Coldwater.
“Lightning struck” in Mississippi with two lucky Powerball wins

Two Mississippians win $2 million in two days in bid for record Powerball jackpot.

Halley Bondy profile pic

Halley Bondy

Recent articles

View All
The Responsible Gaming Education Month 2025 logo over a white background.
States step up responsible gaming efforts as September campaign starts

States launch targeted messages to protect at-risk gamblers during Responsible Gaming Education Month.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

GIANT Food Stores, 3175 Cape Horn Road, Windsor Township.
Three states strike it rich with Labor Day Cash 5 jackpots

From $349K to nearly $875K, three lucky tickets turned the holiday into a jackpot.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

A  New Jersey Lottery billboard displaying a $1 billion Powerball jackpot, and a $277 Mega Millions jackpot.
Powerball jackpot soars to $1B for Labor Day

Powerball's 39-drawing streak climbs toward a stunning jackpot.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation, during a July 8, 2025, meeting.
The Texas Lottery is changing management on Labor Day

A new managing body will take over on Monday. Here's what this means for lottery players in the state.

Halley Bondy profile pic

Halley Bondy