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SYFY WIRE Darth Vader

Darth Vader-cosplaying lottery winner in Jamaica scores $95 million, could fund new Death Star

By Jacob Oller
Darth Vader Star Wars Empire Strikes Back

If Darth Vader had really won the lottery, that second Death Star from Return of the Jedi would've had a much quicker construction. How many credits does $95 million translate to? These are the questions inspired by Jamaican lottery winner W. Brown, who took home the jackpot last week while wearing a Darth Vader costume.

According to The Gleaner, Brown bought the ticket at Di Endz Sports Bar in May Pen, Clarendon, and had usually gambled on the same set of numbers over the last two decades. Accepting the prize (95 million Jamaican dollars, which equals about $650,000 in U.S. currency) dressed as Star Wars' original villain, however, wasn't an act of superstition, but of practicality.

The company behind the lotto, Supreme Ventures Limited, had its vice president of marketing, communication and sponsorship, Simone Clarke-Cooper, address the get-up, which looked more San Diego Comic-Con than Powerball. "In other markets, they don't necessarily do it, but here I think they opt to do it to keep themselves safe," she told the Daily Star. "We are not going to tell them not to do that because their safety is of paramount importance to us as well."

She added: "People have been coming with their own disguises. They usually don't need our help, and they are usually very creative, perhaps beyond anything that we could think of or imagine, and it has been very effective over the years."

Last year, another Jamaican lottery winner (who took home 158.4 Jamaican dollars, or a little over US$1 million) claimed the prize wearing the iconic mask from Scream. Identity protection is key, but so is good taste in genre pop culture.

Brown, for his part, has much more attainable (and wholesome) goals than his Sith costume source. “I want to decide what is the best thing to do before spending anything, he told The Gleaner. "I need to decide what my goals are, but I know I want to own a bus, I love Coasters."

With his new windfall he could buy himself the actual The Empire Strikes Back Vader helmet and still have a nice chunk of change left over.