21 December 23

“$10,000 is bigger than Texas!”: Emerald high school sweethearts strike gold with $10,000 Instant Scratch-Its win

By Khat McIntyre-Intrachai

Updated 21 December 2023 - 9:32 am,

first published at 21 December 2023 - 9:30 am

An Emerald couple are looking forward to completing some long-overdue home renovations after discovering their $1 Instant Scratch-Its ticket delivered them a $10,000 top prize.

The $1 Lucky Ewe Instant Scratch-Its ticket was purchased from Emerald Newsagency, 4 Kilvington Drive, Emerald.

“It was absolutely amazing!” the winning wife relayed when an official from The Lott confirmed the win.

“It was my husband who scratched it! He loves to play Instant Scratch-Its.

“We’ve been together since we were teens and we’ve never won anything like this.

“We looked at each other and I just went “Oh my goodness! Is that right?!’.

“It was very surreal! To get $10,000 from just a $1 ticket is bigger than Texas! It’s truly something.

“It’s going to make a huge difference to us and we're so grateful.

“We’ll be able to do some much-needed work on the house!

“When we visited the head office, it was very exciting. Everything just went our way. No traffic, got a great park. The team greeted us with big smiles, and everyone was just so helpful and lovely.

“And a massive thank you to the Emerald Newsagency team as well. When we checked our tickets, they were so excited for us. We love seeing Karl and the team there.”

Emerald Newsagency owner Karl Mardinian said they couldn’t be happier for the winning couple and wished them all the best with their top prize.

“The team and I are thrilled! The winners are regulars. They’re very nice chaps and super deserving,” he said.

“It’s a great feeling to know our outlet helped be a part of an amazing win.

“This is the first top-prize winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket we’ve sold, so it’s a wonderful milestone for us too.

“Congratulations once again, to the winning two. We wish you all the best with your prize!”