Lottery Ticket Purchase in Vernon Leads to Big Prize

VERNON, CT — Manual Baez said he had a good feeling when he bought a Connecticut Lottery Lucky for Life ticket at the 7-Eleven store on Hartford Turnpike in Vernon.

“Something is going to happen — the numbers are going to hit,” Baez told his family as they watched their favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys, cruise to a recent victory.

Baez told Lottery officials that he just knew his Lucky for Life numbers were going to come in on the Dec. 26 drawing.

And they did. The winning Lucky for Life numbers on December 26, 2016 were 1 – 4 – 27 – 35 – 45 and the Lucky Ball number was 18.

Baez’s numbers matched five numbers but missed matching the Lucky Ball resulting in a $25,000 a year for fife prize. Baez took the lump sum option valued at $390,003, lottery officials said.

“You have to be kidding me,” Baez recalled saying aloud when he checked his tickets.

Baez said the numbers picked all have special meaning to him and and his family. They are a combination of everyone's birthdays. The last two numbers are the ages that Baez and his wife will be turning this year.

Baez is keen on spending his winnings responsibly by “getting back to zero” and paying bills and rent for a year.

The Baez family is not the only one that will benefit from the lottery win because Baez recently took another family into his home that would otherwise be homeless, lottery officials said.

Baez simply sees his Lucky for Life prize as another opportunity to assist others around him.

“We’re going to plan it out and help our family,” Baez said humbly. “We’re solemn—we’re thankful and were taking a vacation we’ve never been on.”

For selling the winning ticket, 7-Eleven store at 903 Hartford Turnpike in Vernon, will receive a $2,500 check. The odds of winning a Lucky for Life Match 5 prize are 1 in 1,813,028, Lottery officials said.

Photo Credit: CT Lottery