Lottery winner showed up in 'Scream' mask to collect his prize money and we totally get why

What would you do if you won the lottery? Well, not certainly dress up as an age-old Hollywood villain. This man from Jamaica who won the Super Lotto lottery took his anonymity to a whole new level. He decided to cosplay as the mystery killer from the 1998 hit horror, Scream to accept his grand prize in the Caribbean country, according to a report by Inside Edition. Not only did he put on the eerie mask with a black veil, but the man identified as A. Campbell, completed the look with black gloves, a long coat, and pants. But why?

The incident which took place two years ago would have been strange enough to scare anyone away but the lottery officials appear rather amused by his take on preserving his identity. Campbell arrived at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston to collect his giant cheque–literally– of $158,400,000 in Jamaican dollars ($1.2 million in U.S. currency). He maintained his anonymity to seemingly protect himself from nosy relatives and friends eyeing his cash prize. The lottery jackpot was, in fact, a significant sum of money, and Campbell made sure none of his recognizable features were exposed. 

Nevertheless, winning the lottery, run by Supreme Ventures in Jamaica, was a rather life-changing moment for the man. While he may have diverted attention towards his unusual getup, deep inside Campbell was still reeling from the wonder that had struck him. "My head hurt me for three days because I was thinking so much. [Wondering] if what I've been longing for really come true. I had a belly ache for two weeks, sometimes I feel so much pain I forgot that I had won,” the winner told the local news publication, Loop. Accepting the windfall was rather challenging for Campbell as he reportedly took nearly two months, 54 days precisely, to claim the ticket following an advertisement by Supreme Ventures.

The organizer had been calling out for the winner to accept the reward within a 90-day deadline, otherwise, would lead to cancellation. Soon after he decided to check his ticket, which he bought for $200 ($1.49 US dollars), Campbell said he ran to the bathroom yelling, “I won! I won!” He intended to invest his money to buy a new home for himself, as per CBS Pittsburg. It is universally accepted that there is no strategy to win a lottery besides purchasing bundles of tickets to increase your chances of winning or simply rest your fate on one lucky ticket. Their simple rules are the reason why lotteries are increasingly popular among the general public. According to Brittanica, this practice traces its roots back to ancient Roman times.  

Lotteries were predominantly used to divide the land among groups of powerful people. Eventually, Queen Elizabeth I conducted a general lottery in 1566 England to raise funds for harbor repairs and public welfare.Just like Campbell, lotteries have proved useful to countless people and organizations by liberating them to take chances to win a fortune that would benefit their lives. However, modern lotteries have evolved over time with origins tracing to Australia, called the home of state lottery. Interestingly, the Sydney Opera House was financed through the state lottery while New South Wales remains one of the largest lottery destinations with sales of over 1 million tickets a week, the report added.