CT Resident Finds Forgotten $1M Lottery Ticket In Common Place

ROCKY HILL, CT — A Redding resident who bought a seven-figure lottery winner in Wilton has cashed in the ticket after finding it in a common place, Connecticut Lottery officials said Thursday.

The clock had been ticking for the unclaimed $1 million Powerball prize winning ticket for the May 2 drawing. Only 23 days remained before the ticket was due to expire, and the winner had yet to step forward.

Then, Charles Dudley of Redding came upon the winning ticket.

"I had stopped for ice cream at the [Georgetown] Shell station that day," Dudley told CT Lottery officials. "While I was there, I got a Powerball Quick Pick, put it in my wallet, and then forgot about it."

Dudley said he was cleaning out his wallet and came across the Powerball ticket, stuck between a number of old receipts.

"I checked the winning numbers on the Lottery's website and couldn't believe it," he said "I checked it over and over. The numbers were a match. It didn't feel real, though, until I checked the location of where the ticket was sold. It was where I bought my ticket."

The winning Powerball numbers drawn on May 2 were 5 - 14 - 31 - 40 - 50 and the Powerball was 6. Dudley's ticket matched the first five numbers drawn.

For selling the winning ticket, Georgetown Shell, located at 912 Danbury Road in Wilton, will receive a $2,500 bonus from the CT Lottery.

All draw game tickets expire 180 calendar days from the draw date.

The overall odds of winning a Powerball prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning a Powerball "Match 5" prize are 1 in 1 in 11,688,054. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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