The Connecticut State Lottery began in 1972 and has done a “Lotto Good” over the past 50+ years. The Connecticut Lottery Commission was established in June 1971 and ticket sales began in February 1972, as more than 3,000 retailers sold tickets for 50 cents apiece. The weekly drawings featured a Jackpot of $5,000.
Connecticut was the fifth state to start selling lottery tickets. Only New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts beat them to the punch.
Tickets can be purchased at approved retailers, but the CT Lottery is also one of the few to offer iLottery tickets sold right through the state’s lottery app.
Connecticut Lottery Games
The Connecticut Lottery welcomes players 18 years of age or older. Connecticut is part of the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions drawings, as well as the Lucky For Life drawing. The CT Lottery also has its own traditional Lotto game, as well as Cash 5 With Kicker, Play 3 with Wild Ball, and Play 4 with Wild Bal.
Fast Play instant-win games include Keno and scratch-offs. Connecticut also offers sports betting through the lottery at 10 different locations, including Total Mortgage Arena and the XL Center, through Fanatics Sportsbook.
Connecticut Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
Connecticut is one of 45 states to participate in the Powerball drawing. Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
States set the cut-off times for ticket sales and that time is 10 p.m. ET. Ticket sales reopen for the next Powerball drawing at 11:15.
Each Powerball wager costs a minimum of $2 and can include a $1 Power Play option for every $2 wagered. Five balls are drawn ranging from 1 to 69 and then a Powerball ranging from 1 to 26 is also selected, as denoted by the red ball drawn as the final number.
Powerball began in 1988 and Connecticut adopted the game right around Thanksgiving in 1995.
Mega Millions
Connecticut is also one of 42 states to participate in the Mega Millions drawing. Drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday night at 11 p.m. ET.
Unlike Powerball, Mega Millions ticket sales run until 10:45 p.m. ET on the night of the drawing. They do, however, reopen at the same time, 11:15 p.m. ET.
Each Mega Millions wager costs a minimum of $2 and can include a $1 Megaplier option for every $2 wagered. Five balls are drawn from 1 to 70 and the Mega Ball is from 1 to 25.
Connecticut joined Mega Millions on January 31, 2010 as part of a group that featured 23 states.
Lucky For Life
Connecticut is famous for having started the Lucky For Life game back in 2009. It was the only state to play it until 2012 when five other states joined the drawing.
Lucky for Life is a draw game variant with five numbers and a “Lucky Ball”. Players who match all five numbers (from 1 to 48) and the Lucky Ball (1 to 18) win $1,000 a day for life. There is also a $25,000 annual prize for matching all five numbers, but not the Lucky Ball.
This drawing is held seven days a week at around 10:30 p.m. ET. Ticket sales end at 9:30 p.m. ET and each wager costs $2.
There are 22 states that participate in Lucky For Life, but the drawing still originates from Connecticut.
Lotto!
Drawings occur every Tuesday and Friday at 10:38 p.m. ET for Connecticut’s state-specific version of a classic lotto drawing. Ticket sales end at 10:20 p.m. ET on drawing nights.
Six numbers from 1 to 44 are selected and the Jackpot is won by matching all six numbers. This game only costs $1 per wager and there are no special balls or bonuses.
The Jackpot starts at $1 million and grows until a grand prize winner is drawn.
Cash 5 with Kicker!
The Cash 5 is a nightly drawing at 10:29 p.m. ET and is a game specific to Connecticut. Five numbers are selected 1 to 35 and there is a Kicker option that can be added for an additional 50 cents per wager. Cash 5 costs $1 per play.
The Kicker option increases your chances of winning and also of winning larger prizes.
Play3 with Wild Ball
The Play 3 is the same concept as what most states have called a Pick 3, however there is an additional “Wild Ball” creating more opportunities to win. Play 3 drawings are played in 50-cent increments up to as high as $5. The Wild Ball option doubles the cost of your wager.
The Play 3 is drawn twice-a-day, with a 1:57 p.m. ET Midday pull and a 10:29 p.m. Nighttime drawing.
Players select three numbers (1 to 9) or can let the computer Quick Pick. They can be played Straight, Boxed, in a Straight/Box combination, Pairs, or Combo, with each wager type costing an additional amount.
The Wild Ball is a separate 1 to 9 add-on number that replaces one of the numbers drawn by the lottery. It gives players more chances to win if they select the Wild Ball option because it creates more winning combinations.
With Play3, you can win up to $2,500.
Play4 with Wild Ball
The same concept carries over to Play4 with Wild Ball, just with four numbers and a Wild Ball drawn instead of three. Drawings are at the same time for this game and tickets are sold in 50-cent increments up to $5. Remember that the Wild Ball feature doubles the cost of your wager.
The numbers can also be played Straight, Boxed, in a Straight/Box combination, Pairs, or a Combo, all with those 50-cent increments for additional wager types.
With Play4, you can win up to $25,000.
Keno
Connecticut also offers Keno every four minutes as part of its Draw Games library. You can win from $1 to $1,000,000 depending on how much you wager. Wagers are $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10, or $20 and you can select 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, or 20 games to be played on your ticket.
Numbers are drawn randomly by the computer from 1 to 80. There is a Bonus Multiplier involved and costs double the ticket amount if you wish to play.
The number of spots you need to match is dependent on the number of spots that you pick.
Keno drawings occur every four minutes from 5:04 a.m. ET to 1:56 a.m. ET, but not all approved lottery retailers will be open during draw times. You can purchase Keno through the CT Lottery App.
Connecticut Lottery Scratch-Offs
Dozens of instant-win scratch-offs are for sale in Connecticut. Tickets cost $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, $30, or $50 to play. They all have different themes and ways to win and there are special holiday tickets and other promotions running around the calendar.
The CT Lottery website and some approved retailers will show the number of top prizes remaining for each game. Kiosks and vending machines across the state sell scratchers, along with tickets for all of the other draw games above.
Connecticut Lottery FastPlay Games
The CT Lottery also offers FastPlay games with instant cash prizes and rolling jackpots. Players don’t have to worry about picking numbers or filling out a play slip. They just push a button on one of the lottery terminals or from a vending machine to see if they’ve won.
Odds vary by game, but as of 2024, there were five FastPlay games available with varying denominations:
- High Roller Progressive
- Blazin’ Bingo
- Big Bankroll
- Stacks of Ca$h Progressive
- Ca$hword
These games are available at all times and the rules are shown on the screen at the terminal or the vending machine.
Connecticut Lottery App
The CT Lottery App serves as a de facto Players Club, where second-chance promotions are available to win additional scratchers, goods and other prizes, and even cash. Tickets are also available through the iLottery feature on the App.
Because they offer their own iLottery, Connecticut does not sell tickets through Jackpocket or Jackpot.com.
How to Claim Connecticut Lottery Prizes
Prizes up to $599 may be claimed by mail or in-person at any CT Lottery retailer.
Prizes up to $5,000 can be claimed by mail, at any CT Lottery High-Tier Claim Center, or at the CT Lottery Headquarters with two forms of ID.
Prizes between $5,001 and $49,999 must be claimed in person at the CT Lottery Headquarters or can be claimed by mail with two forms of ID.
Anything $50,000 or larger must be claimed in person at the CT Lottery Headquarters, which is in Wallingford at 15 Sterling Drive.
New London (382 Vauxhall Street), Norwalk (280 Connective Avenue), and Waterbury (757 Meriden Road) are the three High-Tier Claim Centers.
The state income tax on lottery tickets is 6.99% and the federal income tax is 24% on all winnings of more than $5,000. The Lottery is required to report winnings of $600 or more to the IRS.
Connecticut Lottery Sports Betting
The Connecticut Lottery is also the governing body for sports betting through Fanatics Sportsbook at 10 locations around the state.
As of 2024, they were:
- Bobby V’s Stamford
- Bobby V’s Windsor Locks
- Shea’s Manchester
- Sports Haven
- Total Mortgage Arena
- Winners Hartford
- Winners New Britain
- Winners Milford
- Winners Waterbury
- XL Center
Sports betting is 21 and over.
Connecticut Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The CT Lottery offers iLottery through the official Connecticut Lottery App.
There are more than 2,800 retailers throughout the state. Tickets can be purchased at the counter at gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores, and there are also CT Lottery Terminals and Vending Machines across the state as well.