Stratford Man Keeps Lottery Win a Secret to Surprise Family on Christmas

STRATFORD, CT — Parents go to great lengths to make the holidays memorable for their children. Stratford resident Richard Brown is no different as he decided to put his $10,000 Lottery win toward a surprise family gift.

However, Brown had to be “low key” in order to pull it off.

Brown and his family were out for ice cream when on a whim, he decided to purchase an instant ticket.

“I looked around — my family was in a different part of the store,” Brown told Lottery officials.

After scanning his “30x Cash” ticket through the Ticket Checker, Brown said, “I waited a second and counted all the zeros!”

“The clerk asked me, ‘$20,000?’ I said, ‘Nope, half of that!’ and walked out,’” Brown said with a laugh as he described his win to Lottery officials. “I put (the ticket) in the glove box—the kids got in the car and we went home.”

Brown’s family didn’t know about the big win, lottery officials wrote in a press release, but they would find out on Christmas when opening presents. Brown told lottery officials he wanted to use his winnings to make their upcoming family vacation magical and unforgettable.

For selling the winning ticket, Alltown Stratford #765 located on 7294 Main Street in Stratford will receive a $100 check from the CT Lottery.

Photo courtesy of the CT Lottery