December 03, 2013 -- Lillian Perone of Prospect was watching “Dancing with the Stars” on TV while visiting with her mom last week.  Later that night, it would be Perone’s turn to do a little dancing of her own—a happy dance, that is, with a winning CT Lottery “2X The Money 2nd Edition” ticket in her hand worth $20,000.

“My mom asked me if I was going to go out to buy some scratch tickets.  She knows I like to play them after work to relax, and to help me stay awake in my chair,” Perone explained to Lottery officials with a laugh.

So, with mom’s prompting, Perone drove to a local Shell station for some gas and a 2X The Money 2nd Edition ticket.  “I played the ticket right there at the store.  When I saw the $20,000 top prize, I didn’t think it was real at first, so I scanned it in the lottery Ticket Checker.  When I saw all those zero’s [$20,000], I couldn’t believe it.  It was very exciting.”

Perone is the 2nd person to win the $20,000 top prize in the game 2X The Money 2nd Edition.  “I didn’t tell anyone that I won, not even my mother,” said Perone with a smile.  “Instead, I’m going to wait and do something special for everyone at Christmas.”

For selling Perone her top prize winning ticket, R&R Stamford Convenience Mart, located at 1039 Hope Street in Stamford, will receive a $200 bonus check from the CT Lottery.