Business & Tech
Southbury Store Sells Winning '$5,000 for Life' CT Lottery Ticket
A Middlebury man claimed the top prize.
Rocco Arbitelli, owner of People’s Choice Mobil of Southbury, had this feeling that something big was going to happen. Arbitelli has been a lottery retailer for nearly 30 years and couldn't shake the feeling that a win was coming.
And win he did... but he wasn't the only one. Arbitelli received a phone call from CT Lottery officials, who told him that People’s Choice Mobil had sold a 'Win up to $5,000 a Month for Life' top prize winning scratch ticket.
Along with that enviable distinction came another piece of good luck—his store would receive a $12,000 check from the CT Lottery just for selling the ticket.
“Wow, that’s unbelievable!” said Arbitelli upon hearing the news. “I kept having this feeling lately. I’ve been telling my cashiers that a big win was coming our way. Now, it’s actually happened and we couldn’t be more excited and happy about it.”
The lucky winner, Charles Rossi of Middlebury, arrived at Lottery Headquarters yesterday and opted to claim his $5,000 a month for life top prize as a one-time cash lump-sum of $1,000,000, the value before taxes. Rossi declined to be interviewed or photographed, lottery officials said.
The CT Lottery’s 'win for life' instant games rank as some of the most popular scratch games in the state. Each of the Win for Life top prizes are based on the longevity of its winner, with a guaranteed minimum total payout. So, depending on the Win for Life game that is played, the top prize winner could receive up to $2,000, $5,000, $7,500, or $10,000 a month—every month—for the rest of their life.
The overall chances of winning a prize in the $3 “Win up to $5,000 a Month for Life” game are 1 in 4.19. Of the top five prizes in the game, two more remain to be claimed.
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