On Friday, Jamaican lottery winner W. Brown dressed up as Star Wars icon Darth Vader to claim his $95 million jackpot. He wanted to keep his identity a secret from others. When he claimed his winnings, he hadn’t told anyone he had won.
In an interview with The Jamaican Gleaner, Mr. Brown emphasized, “I want to decide what is the best thing to do before spending anything. I need to decide what my goals are, but I know I want to own a bus.” He also expressed, “Life has always been very rough. I come from a poor family, sometimes I couldn’t attend school because my parents didn’t have it, but I told myself that God will help me one day so I can help my family.”
The ticket was purchased at a sports bar in May Pen, Jamaica. Brown’s winning numbers were close to the numbers he’s been using for the past 20 years. Those numbers were chosen based on rakes and their meanings. A ‘rake’ in Jamaican cultures is a premonition, omen, or vision that foreshadows what is to come.
This is not the first case of someone hiding their identity after winning a jackpot from Supreme Ventures Limited in the Caribbean. In 2018, N. Gray went to pick up her $180,900,000 check while wearing a smiling emoji mask. Concealing identities is a safety measure taken by some winners to keep themselves safe after winning such a huge amount of money.
Congratulations to W. Brown and his family! May the force be with you!