CT Couple Wins $100K Powerball on 25th Anniversary

Joe Freeman, from Meriden, Connecticut, has been buying lottery tickets for over 40 years. But this past July 12, he decided to do something different—he used his wife Barbara’s number system to mark their 25th wedding anniversary. It’s just touching, you know?

He bought the Powerball ticket at a Wheels convenience store in Shelton for $18 and added the Power Play option. When the numbers came in, he matched four white balls and the Powerball—that’s normally $50,000, but Power Play doubled it to a staggering $100,000.

He said, “I was checking the ticket and checked it again. Then checked it again. Then checked it again... It's still sinking in.” And then, he showed that news to Barbara first. Honestly, that part makes me feel like you see what true partnership looks like.

How That Winning Ticket Matched Up

The Powerball drawing numbers were: 8, 16, 24, 33, 54, and Powerball 18. That left Joe just one white ball short of the $237.1 million jackpot that night.

Instead of his usual picks, the switch to Barbara’s numbers made all the difference—sometimes a small change stacks the odds, you know?

Adding the Power Play was key. For an extra dollar, any non-jackpot prize gets multiplied—it varies, but that night it was a ×2. So his $50K became $100K in an instant. Nice, right?

What’s Next & Prize Rules

• They claimed the prize on July 23 at the Connecticut Lottery headquarters in Wallingford, which is required for prizes $50,000 or more.
• They plan to use the winnings to pay off debts and travel, keeping things grounded and simple .
• In Connecticut, winners have 180 days from the drawing date to claim prizes above $600. For $50K or more, you must appear in person.