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Lottery officials said 190,964 winning Mega Millions tickets were sold in Connecticut, including one to Taylor Papa of North Haven purchased at the Side Street Grille in Hamden where she works as a server, lottery officials said.
The winning numbers drawn on Oct. 23 were 5 - 28 - 62 - 65 - 70 and Mega Ball 5. The Megaplier was 3.
"I bought three 'Quick Pick' tickets about two hours before the drawing," the recent college grad told Lottery officials. "When I got home and pulled in the driveway, I sat in my car a few extra minutes to wait for the winning numbers [to post] online."
When Papa compared her numbers to the winning numbers drawn, she discovered a four number plus Mega Ball number match. Because she added the Megaplier feature to her ticket, Papa's original $10,000 prize was multiplied by 3, the Megaplier number drawn, for a total prize of $30,000.
"I couldn't sleep at all last night," Papa said. "I was afraid I was going to lose the ticket!"
The unexpected windfall comes at the perfect time for Papa, she told Lottery officials.
"I'll be able to pay off some of my college loans and save a little bit for something fun."
Lottery officials said the Mega Millions jackpot run generated nearly $32.9 million in sales for the state and more than $5.7 million in prizes. Additionally, an estimated $14.7 million was delivered to the state's General Fund where it is distributed to the various programs and services the fund supports, including health care, education, public safety, and more.
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