Fairfield Woman Wins 'Lifetime' Connecticut Lottery Prize

FAIRFIELD, CT - Cynthia Ostrosky of Fairfield recently won a Lucky for Life $25,000 A YEAR FOR LIFE annuity prize from the Connecticut Lottery, and the store where she bought her ticket is just as star-struck.

News Express, also in Fairfield, is the only store out of 2,800 retailers in the state to have sold such a winning ticket twice, having sold another Lucky for Life winning ducat less than two years ago.

Ostrosky's winning Lucky for Life numbers, drawn on March 24, 2016, were 2-12-18-20-22. The sixth number, the Lucky Ball, was 12, which Ostrosky missed. In Connecticut alone, there were a total of 14,586 lucky winners with prizes from $3 to “$25,000 a year for life” state-wide.

“I looked at the winning numbers and thought they looked familiar,” Ostrosky told Lottery officials. “When I got to my last ticket, I saw I had four numbers. That’s when I woke my husband up and told him, ‘I think I won something big!’ It wasn’t until we got here at Lottery headquarters that we really knew for sure that we were the only (second prize) winner (in the game) and actually won $25,000 a year for life.”

If the annuity prize option is chosen, the minimum guaranteed amount Lucky for Life second prize winners could receive is $500,000 ($25,000 a year for 20 years), but those who live longer than that receive prize payments for the remainder of their natural life. Second prize winners also have the option to claim their prize in a one-time cash lump sum of $390,000.

Ostrosky, accompanied by her husband Michael, arrived at Lottery headquarters opting for the game’s $25,000 a year – every year – for life annuity prize. “This is a very happy day. We are just so thankful,” Ostrosky said. “We chose the annuity prize, because we’d rather have money every year that we can count on. It will be such a big help. It’s really unbelievable.”

Harry Patel, owner of News Express, echoed Ostrosky’s sentiment almost exactly when he heard his store had sold yet another Lucky for Life $25,000 year for life prize winning ticket.

“Really?! That’s unbelievable!” said Patel. “Maybe the next time we sell a Lucky for Life ticket it will be one for the $1,000 a day for life top prize!”

News Express’ first “Lucky” second prize winner, Charles D’Amato of Bridgeport, claimed his prize for the game’s April 28, 2014 drawing choosing the one-time cash lump sum of $390,000.

Photo: Cynthia Ostrosky, left, and husband, Michael. Photo credit: Connecticut Lottery