What time can you buy lottery tickets until in CT?

In Connecticut, lottery ticket sales end at 10:00 PM on draw days. This means that players have until 10:00 PM to purchase tickets for lottery games like Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, CT Lotto, Play3, Play4, Cash5, and Keno. On non-draw days, lottery ticket sales end at 12:45 AM. So on those days, players have more time to buy tickets. The cutoff time for online lottery ticket sales is 9:50 PM on draw nights and 12:40 AM on non-draw nights.

Quick Answer

The quick answer is that lottery tickets can be purchased in Connecticut until 10:00 PM on draw nights and 12:45 AM on non-draw nights. Online ticket sales end 10 minutes earlier at 9:50 PM and 12:40 AM respectively.

What times do CT lottery ticket sales end on draw nights?

On nights when there is a drawing for games like Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, CT Lotto, etc., lottery retailers in Connecticut must stop selling tickets at 10:00 PM sharp. The terminal cutoff time is even a bit earlier at 9:50 PM for online lottery ticket purchases. So players need to get their tickets before these deadlines on draw nights.

The reason for the early cutoff is to allow enough time for the lottery terminals to properly close out and transmit all ticket sales data before the drawings are held. The drawings are typically held between 10:50 PM and 11:00 PM on draw nights. Some examples of draw night cutoff times in Connecticut:

  • Powerball – Tickets must be purchased by 9:50 PM online and 10:00 PM at retailers
  • Mega Millions – Tickets must be purchased by 9:50 PM online and 10:00 PM at retailers
  • Lucky for Life – Tickets must be purchased by 9:50 PM online and 10:00 PM at retailers
  • CT Lotto – Tickets must be purchased by 9:50 PM online and 10:00 PM at retailers

So on any night when the major national lotteries like Powerball and Mega Millions are conducting a drawing, or when the in-state games like CT Lotto or Lucky for Life are drawing numbers, lottery tickets cannot be purchased after 10:00 PM at brick-and-mortar retailers. The online sales cutoff is 10 minutes earlier at 9:50 PM. Many players wait until the last minute to buy tickets on draw nights, so they should be aware of these firm cutoff times in Connecticut.

What are the lottery ticket sales cutoffs on non-draw nights in CT?

On nights when there are no scheduled lottery drawings, retailers in Connecticut can sell lottery tickets until 12:45 AM. And the online ticket sales cutoff extends until 12:40 AM on non-draw nights.

So for games like Play3, Play4, Cash5, and Keno that have drawings daily or multiple times per week, tickets can still be purchased after 10:00 PM. The exception would be if one of the major national games like Powerball also happen to be conducting a drawing that same night. In that case, the earlier 10:00 PM ticket cutoff time would apply.

But on nights with no drawings, players have the advantage of being able to buy tickets at retailers until 12:45 AM across the state. Here are some examples of non-draw night cutoff times in Connecticut:

  • Play3 – Tickets can be purchased until 12:40 AM online and 12:45 AM at retailers on non-draw nights
  • Play4 – Tickets can be purchased until 12:40 AM online and 12:45 AM at retailers on non-draw nights
  • Cash5 – Tickets can be purchased until 12:40 AM online and 12:45 AM at retailers on non-draw nights
  • Keno – Tickets can be purchased until 12:40 AM online and 12:45 AM at retailers on non-draw nights

So on nights when no major drawings are held, the lottery ticket sales cutoffs are extended by almost 3 hours in Connecticut. This gives players more flexibility in when they can purchase their tickets on non-draw nights.

How do I know if it is a draw night in Connecticut?

There are a few easy ways to find out if lottery drawings are being held on a particular night in Connecticut.

  • Check the Connecticut Lottery website Draw Schedule page – This page lists the draw dates and times for all CT lottery games.
  • See if Powerball or Mega Millions are drawing – These two national games only draw on certain nights, so their draw nights impact cutoff times.
  • Look at the “Next Draw” date on your lottery ticket – It will be a draw night if a drawing is scheduled for that date.
  • Check the Connecticut Lottery Facebook or Twitter pages – Upcoming draw info is posted regularly on social media.
  • Call the CT Lottery hotline – 1-860-713-2700 – They can confirm if drawings are happening.
  • Watch the news – Local media often promotes big lottery jackpots before draw nights.
  • Check the lottery terminal – Retailers can print a list of upcoming draw nights from their terminals.

With so many options, it is easy to find out if lottery drawings are happening on a particular night in Connecticut. Players should always check so they know the ticket cutoff times for online and retail purchases.

How strictly does CT enforce the lottery ticket sales deadlines?

The Connecticut Lottery is very strict when it comes to enforcing ticket sales deadlines on draw nights and non-draw nights. Retailers face penalties if they sell tickets past the authorized cutoff times or attempt to validate expired tickets.

Some examples of enforcement actions include:

  • Fines charged to retailers for deadline violations
  • Suspension or revocation of a retailer’s lottery license
  • Disabling a retailer’s lottery terminal for a certain time period
  • Refusing to pay prizes for expired tickets

There is no flexibility or grace period when it comes to ticket sales deadlines. At 9:50 PM online and 10:00 PM at retailers, ticket sales must stop on draw nights. And sales must end by 12:40 AM online and 12:45 AM in stores on non-draw nights.

The Connecticut Lottery uses its central gaming system to enforce these deadlines. Tickets cannot be generated or validated past the cutoffs. And retailers are subjected to penalties for violations. So the deadlines are strictly followed throughout the state.

Can you buy tickets after the deadline if you are at the store before it?

No, retailers in Connecticut cannot sell lottery tickets after the sales deadlines, even if a player was at the store before the cutoff. For example, if a player arrives at 9:55 PM on a draw night, the retailer cannot sell them a ticket for that night’s draw, since sales end at 10:00 PM sharp.

Retailers face penalties and deactivated terminals if they process ticket sales past the deadlines. So even if a customer only wants “one quick ticket” after the deadline, retailers must refuse service to stay in compliance with CT Lottery rules.

The 10:00 PM draw night and 12:45 AM non-draw night deadlines apply across the whole state, with no exceptions for lingering customers or other circumstances. Players should thus be sure to buy their tickets before the posted deadlines each day.

Conclusion

In summary, lottery ticket sales in Connecticut end at 10:00 PM on draw nights and 12:45 AM on non-draw nights. The terminal cutoff is 10 minutes earlier at 9:50 PM and 12:40 AM respectively. These deadlines are strictly enforced by the CT Lottery, so players should buy tickets before the posted times each day. Checking the Lottery’s draw schedule or watching for Powerball/Mega Millions dates can help players know if a particular night has an earlier 10:00 PM ticket cutoff in Connecticut.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the regular lottery games available in Connecticut?

The Connecticut Lottery offers a wide range of regular lottery games:

  • Powerball – The big national jackpot game drawn on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights.
  • Mega Millions – The other huge nationwide jackpot game drawn on Tuesday and Friday nights.
  • Lucky for Life – Connecticut’s special regional lottery game with a top prize of $1,000 per day for life.
  • CT Lotto – Connecticut’s in-state jackpot game with drawings on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights.
  • Play3/Play4 – Straightforward 3 or 4 digit number games drawn daily.
  • Cash5 – A 5 number game drawn 7 nights a week.
  • Keno – A classic casino-style number game drawn every 4 minutes daily.

The Connecticut Lottery provides players with a diverse selection of lottery games to choose from at different price points and prize levels.

Does Connecticut allow lottery ticket subscriptions?

Yes, the Connecticut Lottery allows players to purchase lottery ticket subscriptions for the major draw games. Subscriptions allow you to automatically purchase tickets for your chosen game(s) every draw.

You can set up subscriptions in advance for games like:

  • Powerball
  • Mega Millions
  • Lucky for Life
  • CT Lotto

Subscriptions offer convenience, ensuring you never miss a drawing. Tickets are automatically generated using your selected numbers right before the sales cutoff times. Subscriptions can be managed online or through the CT Lottery mobile app.

What are some recent big Connecticut lottery winners?

Some notable recent big lottery winners in Connecticut include:

  • November 2022 – A $100,000 Powerball winner in Ansonia.
  • August 2022 – A $2 million Mega Millions winner in New Britain.
  • June 2022 – A $33.6 million CT Lotto jackpot winning ticket sold in Darien.
  • April 2022 – A $2 million Mega Millions winner in Greenwich.
  • January 2022 – A $185.3 million Powerball jackpot winning ticket sold in Cheshire.

The Connecticut Lottery creates millions of winners annually. In Fiscal Year 2022, there were over $1.2 billion in prizes awarded across all CT Lottery games.

What is the luckiest Connecticut lottery retailer?

One of the luckiest lottery retailers in Connecticut is the Shoreline Xtra Mart in Old Saybrook. This store has sold multiple giant jackpot winning tickets over the years, including:

  • A $254.2 million Powerball jackpot winner in 1998.
  • A $59.5 million Big Game (predecessor to Mega Millions) jackpot winner in 2001.
  • A $31.8 million Lucky for Life winner in 2017.

With a proven track record of lucky Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lucky for Life winners, the Shoreline Xtra Mart shows how certain retailers can develop a reputation for good fortune in the Connecticut Lottery.

What is the average CT Lotto jackpot?

The average CT Lotto jackpot is around $1 million. The game’s starting jackpot amount after a winner is $500,000, and it grows based on sales until someone hits the jackpot. Once the average jackpot reaches the $1 million mark, that is typically when a winner will hit.

The CT Lotto advertises jackpots in the range of $1 million to $2 million each drawing. On rare occasions when the jackpot rolls repeatedly, it may surpass $2 million and reach $3 million or more before a winner. But in general, CT Lotto players can expect average jackpots in the $1 million range.

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