Lottery player wins big using plate number of car that kept passing him. ‘Was a sign’

A man won big with the Maryland Lottery after using the plate numbers of a car that passed him several times, officials said.

Christopher Staggs, 49, of Bowie won $50,000 on a Pick 5 ticket after playing the license plate number of a red Chevrolet Camaro that he kept seeing, according to a May 9 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

Staggs played the numbers for months after deciding “it was a sign,” officials said.

He bought the winning $2 ticket at “his favorite Lottery retailer, 7-Eleven,” the release said.

“I just kept my cool,” Staggs told officials of discovering he won in a May 1 drawing. “I looked at the ticket and then I showed the man standing next to me for him to confirm what I was seeing.”

Staggs doesn’t have set plans for his winnings but told officials he’ll use part of the prize to pay both his and his girlfriend’s bills.

Bowie is about 30 miles southwest of Baltimore.

This story was originally published May 10, 2023 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Lottery player wins big using plate number of car that kept passing him. ‘Was a sign’."