March 24, 2011 -- Sunday afternoon, Beth Cinelli of Seymour “stopped on a whim” to purchase a CT Lottery “10X Cash 4th Edition” instant ticket from Shop Smart, one of her favorite local retailers located at 43 New Haven Road in Seymour.  Moments later, Cinelli, a helicopter blade maker for Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, nearly levitated straight out of the seat of her car when she uncovered two “4X” prize symbols, which multiplied her $2,500 prize amount by 4, for a grand total of $10,000.  “All I could say was, ‘Holy cow…holy cow…oh my God…oh my God,’” Cinelli told lottery officials, still bubbling with unbridled excitement.  

“When he (the retailer) told me that it was really a $10,000 winner, I screamed, ran around the sales counter, and hugged him!  It was great!” Cinelli said.

Later that week, Cinelli arrived at CT Lottery headquarters in Rocky Hill to accept a prize check for $6,853 (value after taxes).  “It will pay off some bills, and make things a little easier,” said Cinelli.

For selling Cinelli her winning ticket, Shop Smart will receive a $100 bonus check from the CT Lottery.  On June 25, 2005, Shop Smart was also the lucky retailer that sold Christopher Ewen of Seymour his incredible $59.5 million CT Powerball jackpot ticket—still the largest prize ever awarded by the CT Lottery since 1972.