Branford McDonald's Worker Wins $177,777 On Scratch Off Ticket

BRANFORD, CT - Except for a couple brief interruptions, Dallas Baronski, 73, of Branford has been employed by McDonald's for 40 years. Currently a shift manager, Baronski was heading home from work last Saturday when she made a last minute decision to stop for gas and buy a couple scratch tickets.

"Normally I would have waited until Sunday to get gas, but the forecast for Sunday was rain, so I decided to fill up early," Baronski said.

The first ticket Baronski played wasn't a winner, but the second, a "Hot -n- Spicy 7's" ticket, contained a winning number match for the game's top prize worth $177,777.

"I saw I had a number '38' match and the $177,777 prize, but I wasn't sure. So, I scanned [the ticket] in the ticket checker and saw $177,777, but I still couldn't believe it," Baronski said. "Then I had the lottery clerk scan the ticket, and the [scanner] message said to take the ticket to Lottery Headquarters. I didn't sleep at all that night. I kept thinking, 'Is it real? Is it real?'"

Baronski's winning ticket was indeed real as proven by the prize winning check she received yesterday at the CT Lottery Headquarters in Rocky Hill.

"I've never seen a check this big," Baronski exclaimed. "It'll pay off what's left of my mortgage, and I'm getting a new car."

Baronski's winning Hot -N- Spicy 7s ticket was purchased at BP Food Mart at 30 Main Street, Branford.