John Murphy used a set of numbers he saw on a license plate to enter a Maryland Lottery Pick 5 drawing. He won $50,000. Photo courtesy of the Maryland Lottery
A Washington, D.C., man turned a set of numbers he spotted on a license plate into a $50,000 prize from a Maryland Lottery Pick 5 drawing.
John Murphy told Maryland Lottery officials he was getting ready to buy a lottery ticket at AJ Liquors on Bladensburg Road in Brentwood when he spotted a license plate bearing the numbers 43871.
He said the numbers 438 are also the start of his cellphone number, so he took it as a sign to use those digits for his Pick 5 ticket.
He ended up winning $50,000 in the Oct. 17 midday drawing.
“I was in shock. It was the last day of my draw,” Murphy said.
He said he normally doesn’t play the Maryland Lottery, but his sister-in-law convinced him.
“My sister in-law knows that I play in D.C., but said to me, ‘You need to play in Maryland,'” he said.
The winner said he doesn’t yet know how he will spend his winnings, but he noted that he and his wife, Zina, are avid travelers.
