Kent resident's 'Giant' win on Super Bowl Sunday was his second $100,000 Cash5 prize win in two years.
A few weeks after his second Cash5 win in 24 months, Gil Case, 59, of Kent, CT, said, "it's all beginning to sink in now, that I've really won again. It was kind of hard to believe at first. I was taken aback by it. But now I realize it's true. And I'm very, very grateful." Case won the $100,000 top Cash5 prize on Feb. 3, 2008. On Feb. 24, 2006, he also won $100,000 playing the same game.
"There is no secret formula," he said, laughing. "I just won. It happened. Funny thing is, my friends said to me Š 'You won again? C'mon, Gil.' Now, they're playing the lottery, too. I tell them, have fun. It's a game. Enjoy playing the game." His most recent win came on Super Bowl Sunday, when his favorite pro team, the New York Giants, upset the New England Patriots. "I like to root for underdogs; it's part of my nature. I live in Kent, where team loyalties are split 50-50. And then I found out I had won Cash5. That's a great game too. My favorite game."
The winning Cash5 numbers drawn on February 3 were 17, 18, 20, 33 and 35. "They were numbers that I picked totally at random," he explained. "They were not computer-generated quick pick numbers. I played my usual lucky numbers and then stopped. My girlfriend thought it might be fun to play a few more games, so I said, 'okay' to playing a few number sequences. Obviously, I'm glad I did.
"I picked numbers at that moment, right out of the air. They had no meaning to me. I believe it was the second or third game I played that had the winning numbers.
"I didn't see the drawing on Feb. 3," Case said. But on Monday morning, Case's girlfriend handed him the local newspaper, where he quickly learned that the Cash5 numbers he selected the day before matched the winning numbers drawn. "My reaction was similar to the reaction I had the first time. My eyes blinked once or twice," he joked. "Really, the feeling is quite extraordinary. I'd like to see other people share the same feeling." Case was all smiles when he accepted a prize check for $70,000 (the prize value after taxes) from lottery officials on Monday, Feb. 4.
He purchased his top prize winning ticket at A.M.Citgo, on Main Street in Winsted, the same lottery retailer where he bought his first Cash5 top prize-winning ticket two years ago. Case, a retired 20-year Navy veteran, said he'll put his winnings to good use. He plans for a portion of the funds to go towards a down payment for a home in Virginia, "where my son and daughter live," he said. "The rest, I'll probably invest and pay down some bills." He is an outdoorsman through and through. "I love to fish," he said. "I think that growing up where I did, and living in this part of Connecticut, you naturally love the outdoors."
Case also seems to be reinvigorated by a new career as well, since leaving the Navy. "I just completed my Masters Degree and I hope to teach," he said. "It's a whole new exciting life. I'm very content." He is most adamant about expressing the absolute joy and gratitude he feels after this second win.
"The first time I won, I told LOTTOpeople magazine that winning the top prize had given a new meaning to my life, and I think that remains true today. I will savor this win. It's been a blessing to me and I don't take that lightly." By the way, he still plays Cash5. "I've seen in LOTTOpeople where people win multiple times, and it's happened to me. So, who knows about the future," he laughed.
