January 07, 2008 -- It may have been officially “half time” during the Giants vs. Tampa Bay game this past Sunday, but Hector Sanchez of Manchester still managed to score a “touch down” of his very own when he scratched the latex off the surface of a lottery ticket and revealed the prize symbol, “WIN FOR LIFE.” “Is this for real, I thought? I never win anything,” Sanchez told lottery officials.

Sanchez was not only a winner, but also the first “Win for Life, Edition 14” top prize winner of this year to receive $5,000 every month for the rest of his life. The guaranteed minimum prize payout is $1,000,000.

“I was watching the game on TV. During half time, I decided to scratch the tickets. I never did get to see the end of the game,” said Sanchez. After showing his ticket to his girlfriend, Sanchez drove back to the store where he purchased it to have the retailer verify that it was a winner. “I signed it first,” Sanchez said with a grin.

When presented with the first of his many monthly checks ($3,501 a month for life after taxes), Sanchez told lottery officials of his plans to pay bills, take a summer vacation with his family and, hopefully, work less overtime.

Sanchez purchased his winning ticket at Sam’s Food Store, located at 653 Center Street in Manchester. For selling the top prize “Win for Life” ticket, Sam’s Food Store will receive a $10,000 bonus check from the CT Lottery.