A Bendigo man is planning a family holiday to remember after this week scratching one of the top prizes of $10,000 on a $1 Retro Riches Instant Scratch-Its ticket he found languishing in his car three months after he purchased it.
The winning ticket was purchased at Market News Bendigo, Shop 14, Bendigo Market Place, 116/120 Mitchell Street, Bendigo.
Sharing his joy with an Instant Scratch-Its official today while claiming his prize, the winner recounted how he came to hold the winning ticket.
“I buy scratchies every now and again,” he explained.
“I had bought these and left them sitting in the car for about three months.
“It wasn’t until I went to collect a lottery win from another ticket that I remembered they were there and scratched them before I went into the store.
“It was a bit of a surprise to see I’d had $10,000 sitting in my car for months without knowing!”
When asked how he planned to spend his instant windfall, the thrilled winner revealed he had already started planning his next family holiday.
“We’ve got a trip planned at Easter time,” he explained.
“I can’t wait to take the family away and just have a great holiday without having to worry about saving for it.”
The Lott spokesperson Bronwyn Spencer said the Bendigo winner’s story was a great reminder to all Instant Scratch-Its players to scratch their tickets as soon as possible.
“While many of our winners enjoy the joyment of scratching their Instant Scratch-Its tickets on the spot, other winners have told us that they have waited days, weeks and even years to scratch that winning ticket,” she explained.
“Imagine having a top prize right under your nose and not realising! That why we encourage our players to scratch their tickets right away to discover if they are a winner.
“Even if you don’t think you could be winner, make sure you double check at an outlet before throwing the ticket away! Some winners have told us they have had to rescue their winning tickets from the bin.
“A winning ticket is like cash. It can’t be replaced and is needed to claim the prize. If you have any unscratched tickets laying around make sure you scratch them today to see if you are winner!”
In 2018, there were 155 Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners across the Lott’s jurisdictions who collectively took home more than $14.26 million.
It can happen in an instant. It can happen to you.