A lucky man has won USD 50,000 playing the lottery after he went for a set of numbers he had seen on a licence plate.
The 48-year-old construction worker from the area of Beltsville, in the US state of Maryland, was at a local 7-Eleven when he decided to place a USD 1 (GBP 0.8) bet on numbers 5, 5, 3, 7, and 3.
‘Rocky’, as the winner called himself, said that the combination had stuck in his mind after he saw it on a licence plate before making the choice to try his luck for the Pick 5 drawing on Friday, 29th September.
Explaining that he checked the drawing results on his smartphone the same evening, ‘Rocky’ said: “I check my tickets after every drawing.”
The incredulous lucky father of two and grandfather of one later went back to the retailer’s to verify the big win, saying that he was speechless when the clerk confirmed the prize.
He recalled how he left the store and said: “I was very quiet.”
To his utter astonishment, he also won USD 500 (GBP 412) twice just a couple of days later on Sunday, 1st October.
Upon collecting the prize at lottery headquarters, ‘Rocky’ said he plans to save both USD 50,000 (GBP 41,223) and USD 500 (GBP 412) for a rainy day.
Maryland Lottery officials said: “His lucky Lottery retailer can also celebrate his big win.
“For selling a USD 50,000 (GBP 41,223)-winning Pick 5 ticket, the store located at 11422 Cherry Hill Road earns a USD 500 [GBP 412] bonus from the Lottery.”
