Everything we found in Connecticut
Connecticut sells Powerball and Mega Millions at retailers and through its own iLottery, and in 2025 it changed what the lottery may publish about winners. Every fact below comes from the CT Lottery’s pages and claim form, the Department of Revenue Services or the Connecticut General Assembly, linked in the sources, and each one shows the day it was last checked. Pools can be created in every state that runs a lottery; Connecticut is open.
Is a private pool legal here?
We found no Connecticut statute that prohibits a group of people from putting money together to buy tickets and share a prize (the lottery chapter is Chapter 229a). How the lottery handles a group: The pool agreement names who claims. The CT Lottery tells anyone claiming for a group or a legal entity to call its Claims Department (860-713-2680) before claiming. (CT Lottery winning claim form, checked Oct 8, 2026) The tax side is spelled out by the Department of Revenue Services in IP 2015(23): when “more than one person is entitled to a share of the winnings,” one federal form must be completed that identifies each person entitled to a share. That form is how each member ends up with their own tax paperwork; How a pool claims a prize explains it.
ShareTheWinning is free, takes no cut of tickets or prizes and never holds money. Whether a particular arrangement is lawful is a question for counsel, not for us.
Minimum age
18 or older (CT Lottery claims FAQ, checked Oct 8, 2026). The claims FAQ applies the age both to buying a ticket and to claiming a prize, and an iLottery account has the same requirement. Members confirm their age when they join a pool.
Where tickets are sold
At more than 2,800 retailers, and online through the lottery itself. Since July 1, 2024 the CT Lottery’s iLottery sells Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto, Cash5, Play3, Play4, KENO and one other draw game to people inside Connecticut; the FAQ: “You can now buy KENO and your favorite draw games online with iLottery.” Tickets “cannot be purchased through the mail.” Courier apps: the CT Lottery does not publish whether courier services may operate; ask the lottery directly through its contact page.
How many drawings one ticket can cover, per the lottery’s game pages (the ADVANCE ACTION option):
- Powerball: Up to 39 drawings per ticket (CT Lottery (Connecticut Lottery Corporation) Powerball page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
- Mega Millions: Up to 26 drawings per ticket (CT Lottery (Connecticut Lottery Corporation) Mega Millions page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
Group purchase limits: None found in the rules we read (not yet verified). The rules we read include Chapter 229a, the lottery chapter of the General Statutes, and the lottery’s own pages.
Powerball’s Double Play add-on is offered in Connecticut: “Add Double Play (+$1)” on the lottery’s Powerball page, and powerball.com lists the state.
Claim deadlines
180 days after the drawing (CT Lottery claim-a-prize page, checked Oct 8, 2026), counted in calendar days, per the claim-a-prize page.
Where to claim a retail ticket depends on the prize:
- Up to $599: any retailer, or by mail.
- Up to $5,000: a High-Tier Claim Center.
- Up to $49,999: by mail to the Claims Department.
- $50,000 and up: in person at headquarters in Wallingford. Bring two forms of ID.
iLottery prizes: up to $599 goes to your account; $600 to $5,000 in person at Wallingford or at two sportsbook venues; $5,001 and up at Wallingford.
Can winners stay anonymous?
Only from publicity. Since October 1, 2025 the CT Lottery may not publish a winner's name or address without written consent, but the law still lets it disclose them under the Freedom of Information Act. (Public Act 25-112, section 3(d), checked Oct 8, 2026) The change came from Public Act 25-112, section 3(d), effective October 1, 2025, and the lottery’s Winners page announces it. There is no dollar threshold. The legislature’s summary of the act says it “does not prohibit” the lottery from disclosing the information under the Freedom of Information Act, so this is “not published,” not a sealed record.
Taxes
- State withholding: 6.99% on prizes of $600 or more (sources disagree on where it starts: CT Lottery tax information page: "$600 or more (and at least 300 times the wager), or over $5,000"; CT DRS IP 2026(8) and IP 2015(23): "all reportable winnings, that is, what the IRS requires the lottery to report (the 2026 IRS floor is $2,000)"; estimates here use the reading that withholds more) (State withholding table, checked Oct 9, 2026). The lottery’s tax page ties Connecticut withholding to winnings that are subject to federal withholding or that are reportable, and DRS IP 2015(23) gives the same state rate. The tax page still prints the older federal reporting line; the federal line below is current.
- Federal: The lottery withholds 24% federal tax when a prize minus the wager is more than $5,000. A prize of $2,000 or more is reported to the IRS on Form W-2G. (IRS Form W-2G instructions, checked Oct 1, 2026) The final federal bill is settled on your return.
- Local: the lottery’s tax page lists only federal and Connecticut withholding.
The split calculator applies the Connecticut rate. For the group paperwork, see How a pool claims a prize.
Claim office
- Wallingford (headquarters): CT Lottery, 15 Sterling Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492. Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Mail: CT Lottery Claims Department, same address.
- Claims Department phone: 860-713-2680.
Official site: ctlottery.com.
How our pool record helps in Connecticut
A group claim goes faster when the list of every person and their share already exists. In a ShareTheWinning pool it does: the members, shares and confirmed payments lock before the ticket is bought; the ticket is photographed and recorded before the drawing; and every change afterward is a new entry, never an edit. When a prize reaches the Connecticut threshold ($600 by default), the round goes on hold and we preserve an export bundle for the Claims Department, the accountant and, if it ever comes to it, a court.
For the first 48 hours after a win, read You won. The first five things to do. The “If we win” stop on the Journey shows the deadline and the privacy rule for Connecticut next to your numbers.
