**BREAKING: LUCKY GUY TURNS OBSCENE LICENSE PLATE INTO $500,000 JACKPOT!**
In a bizarre incident that has left lottery officials scratching their heads, a man in suburban New Jersey has won a whopping $500,000 playing the state lottery using a driver’s license plate with a, ahem, “colorful” message.
John Smith, 32, of Paramus, claimed his prize at the New Jersey Lottery headquarters yesterday, still grinning from ear to ear. According to Smith, he had been using his trusty license plate, “L8R DUD3,” to play his lucky numbers for weeks.
“I just thought, why not?” Smith said, chuckling. “I mean, it’s not like it’s going to bring me bad luck or anything. And hey, it’s not like I’ve got anything to lose… except my dignity, maybe.”
The plate, which Smith had obtained through a dubious online vendor, apparently caught the attention of lottery officials when they noticed a flurry of winning tickets being submitted with the same sequence of numbers.
“We were like, ‘Wait a minute, is this guy for real?'” said a lottery spokesperson. “But when we checked the numbers, sure enough, it was all legit. We even had to do a double take when we saw the plate number.”
When asked if he planned to change his plate, Smith quipped, “Nah, I’m good. I’m just going to keep on using it. I mean, it’s brought me $500,000, right? Maybe I’ll even get a sponsorship deal out of it.”
As news of the win spread, local residents were left scratching their heads. “I guess you could say he ‘drove’ home a big win,” said one neighbor, chuckling.
The $500,000 prize was awarded in the state’s “Lucky Stars” lottery drawing, which takes place every Wednesday evening. Smith plans to use his winnings to pay off some debts, buy a new car, and maybe even invest in a few more questionable life choices.
In related news, local businesses are reporting a surge in sales of novelty license plates, with one vendor noting, “We’re selling out of ‘I’d rather be…’ plates like crazy! Who knew being a little bit rude could be so lucrative?”
