$50,000 Powerball Winning Ticket Sold in Connecticut: Check Your Numbers

The Powerball jackpot continues to climb after no one won Saturday's $349 million jackpot and Wednesday's drawing is now north of $400 million with an estimated cash payout of $243.9 million, according to the Connecticut Lottery.

The next Powerball drawing will be held Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 10:59 p.m. and the estimated jackpot is now at $403 million. Powerball drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time. The multi-state Powerball jackpot had climbed to $421 million last fall, one of the highest jackpot prizes since the $1.6 billion drawing in January 2016, when it was won by a group of Tennessee workers.

While no one one the jackpot Saturday night, a Connecticut resident is waking up $50,000 richer Sunday morning as they got four numbers and the Powerball correct. All told, the Connecticut Lottery says there were 24,581 "winning" tickets sold in Connecticut for the Saturday, Feb. 18 drawing. What that means is that 24,581 tickets sold here paid out cash prizes between $4 and $50,000.

• The winning Powerball numbers for Saturday, Feb, 18, 2017 are 3, 7, 9, 31, 33, Powerball: 20.

In Connecticut one person won $50,000, 20 people won $300, 72 people won $100 and the rest took home between $4 and $21.

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During the Wednesday Feb. 18 drawing in which there also was no grand prize winner a total of five people won $ 1 million as a consolation prize. There were million-dollar winners in California, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia and New York. In Connecticut one lucky person took home $50,000.

A total of 18,479 "winning" tickets were sold in Connecticut for Wednesday's drawing where prizes ranged from $4 to $50,000. Seven people won $200 and 31 people won $100, according to the Connecticut Lottery.

Each ticket costs $2. Find out where you can buy your Powerball tickets here. The Powerball game is played by matching all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball number. The odds of picking the correct Powerball grand prize numbers are one in 292,201,338.

Last night's jackpot is tiny when compared with the January 2016 record Powerball jackpot, which was worth nearly $1.6 billion. But Americans will still drop by the nearest convenience store with dreams of cash and buy a ticket. The billion-dollar-plus prize won in the Jan. 13, 2016, drawing was the largest lotto jackpot awarded in U.S. history and was split by three winners. In the summer of 2016, a New Hampshire player won a $478 million prize.

If you still want to take a chance — someone has to win, right? — you have a better chance of hitting the jackpot if you let the computer pick your numbers. The Multi-State Lottery Association, which operates the Powerball game, says about 75 percent of winning tickets are selected when the numbers are chosen by a computer.

The lottery game is played in 44 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball draws can be seen on hundreds of TV stations nationwide. It may also be available on cable or your mobile device. The draws are also posted on YouTube and on our site. Where to watch the Powerball drawing on TV.

Claiming, Safeguarding Winnings

So, what should you do if you win the big prize? Many lottery winners hire an attorney, financial planner or both, since most people don’t exactly know what to do when they suddenly come into so much money. Some even bring their lawyer with them to claim their prize. The lottery does not offer any counseling services or advice for winners.

You have two choices when you claim your prize: the full value paid in 30 installments over 29 years, or a one-time lump sum that is smaller than the actual total.

Then there are the taxes. The federal tax on lottery winnings is 25 percent. Then, any extra income taxes like state or city would apply.

Financial experts say that if you can get more than a 3 or 4 percent return on an investment, the lump sum is actually the best way to go in the long-term.

Written by Patch Editor Deb Belt. Patch Editor Brian McCready contributed to this story.
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