Wallingford Resident Wins $20K, Credits Good Karma/Lucky Bracelet

WALLINGFORD, CT — Shirley Stevens, 87, of Wallingford, a retired laundry manager from Choate Rosemary Hall, had two reasons to celebrate last Sunday night. First, the Minnesota Vikings – her favorite football team – beat the New Orleans Saints that night, and then she won a $20,000 top prize on a winning, CT Lottery scratch ticket.

"I told my daughter that morning I woke up feeling lucky, like I had good karma," Stevens told Lottery officials. With that in mind, Stevens put on her "lucky bracelet" with the word DREAM emblazoned upon it, and then went on to spend the day with her son, Michael, which included a nice family dinner and watching football on TV.

After the game, Stevens and her son were making the drive back to Wallingford when they made a stop for gas.

"I told my son I was feeling lucky and gave him money to buy me three '20X Cash' scratch tickets,” Stevens said. “I scratched them in the car on the way home, but the light was too dim for me to see if I won anything.”

The next day, Stevens remembered her "20X Cash" tickets and went back to look at them. That's when she discovered one ticket had a "20X" multiplier symbol with a $1,000 prize beside it for a $20,000 top prize win.

"I won big," Stevens said with a smile. "I started calling everybody to tell them I won $20,000. It was very exciting."

For selling Stevens her top prize-winning ticket, Forbes Premium Fuel at 401-411 Forbes Avenue, New Haven, will receive a $200 bonus from the CT Lottery.

The overall odds of winning a 20X Cash 5th Edition prize are 1 in 4.08. Of the 116 top prizes in the game, 115 remain to be claimed.

Contributed article and photo