May 17, 2012 -- According to tradition, four leaf clovers bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally.  Finding three matching “clover” symbols on a CT Lottery instant game ticket was just the kind of good luck Iolanda Reis Pereira of Fairfield was hoping for when she purchased a “20X the Cash 5th Edition” Wednesday morning.  “I had a very positive feeling today that I was going to win,” Pereira told Lottery officials.  “When I saw the $20,000 prize, I cried.  I couldn’t believe it.”

Pereira, a housekeeper, claimed her prize check for $13,666 (value after taxes) at CT Lottery headquarters in Rocky Hill.  “I’ll definitely be paying some bills and taking a vacation this summer.  The rest will go to savings,” Pereira told Lottery officials.

For selling the 20X The Cash 5th Edition top prize winning ticket, News Express, located at 200 Tunxis Hill Road in Fairfield, will receive a $200 bonus check from the CT Lottery.