Lottery player ‘in shock’ after sister-in-law’s advice leads to big Maryland win
A lottery player was about to buy his ticket when something caught his eye — a license plate.
John Murphy, of Washington, D.C., noticed the plate started with the same numbers as his cellphone number: 438, Maryland Lottery officials said in an Oct. 22 news release.
Murphy took it as a sign to play the license plate number — 43871 — on a Pick 5 ticket for the midday drawing on Oct. 17, lottery officials said.
And it’s a good thing Murphy listened to his intuition at the Brentwood liquor store. It led him to a $50,000 prize.
“I was in shock,” Murphy told lottery officials.
Murphy usually buys tickets for the D.C. Lottery but opted to play in Maryland with some encouragement from his sister-in-law.
“My sister-in-law knows that I play in D.C., but said to me, ‘You need to play in Maryland,’” Murphy said, adding he is glad he heeded her advice.
Murphy, a retired Metro worker who enjoys traveling with his wife, said he’s unsure how he will spend his windfall.
Brentwood is about a 35-mile drive southwest from Baltimore.
