A New York Knicks win turned into something a lot bigger for one fan in Old Greenwich. Bernard Bonaparte matched all six numbers in a recent Connecticut Lottery Lotto! drawing and walked away with a $3.4 million jackpot after buying his ticket at a Gulf station on East Putnam Avenue. He told local media he is eyeing a move to a warmer climate, and the score has neighbors buzzing about the convenience store's improbable hot streak of big winners.
According to the Connecticut Lottery, Bonaparte's ticket hit all six numbers drawn on Friday: 7, 18, 21, 25, 34 and 40. The winning Lotto! ticket was sold at the Gulf Station at 1324 E. Putnam Ave. in Old Greenwich, and officials noted that winners have 180 calendar days from the drawing to claim the prize. The Lottery also reminded players to scan tickets with its official app instead of letting them sit in a wallet or glove compartment.
Winner credits the Knicks
In an interview with PIX11, Bonaparte leaned into his fandom, declaring, "I love New York, and I love the Connecticut Lottery!" He credited the New York Knicks with putting him in the right mood to take a chance, explaining that he bought the ticket after the team's recent victory. Once the money is in hand, he told the station he is seriously considering a move to a warmer climate.
Store's hot streak continues
For Gulf Station owner Filomena Lamichhane, this latest score is just the newest chapter in a remarkable run. Local coverage notes that her shop sold a $1 million scratch-off ticket in 2025 and a $4.3 million scratch-off ticket in 2024. NBC Connecticut reported on the string of big payouts and quoted Lamichhane saying she is "looking forward to making another one." The winning streak has turned that East Putnam Avenue corner into a recurring talking point around Greenwich.
Bonaparte's windfall is one of several multi-million dollar prizes the Connecticut Lottery has paid out this year. As the News-Times documented, 2026 has already produced multiple seven figure winners across the state.
Per the Connecticut Lottery, Lotto! players face overall odds of about 1 in 39.3 of winning any prize and roughly 1 in 7,059,052 of hitting the jackpot. The organization again emphasized that winners of large prizes have 180 days after the drawing to come forward and that its app can quickly verify results.
Whether Bonaparte ultimately follows through on his plan to relocate to a warmer spot is still up in the air. What is already clear is that a Knicks victory, a quick stop at a neighborhood gas station and a single set of numbers just turned into life changing money for one very happy fan, and kept Old Greenwich's so-called lucky station in the spotlight.
