22 June 21

The gift that keeps on giving: Ingham woman celebrates $10,000 Instant Scratch-Its birthday surprise

By Anna Hobdell

Updated 22 June 2021 - 2:38 pm,

first published at 22 June 2021 - 2:38 pm

An Ingham woman has unwrapped a birthday gift that keeps on giving – a $10,000 top prize winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket.

The $5 Perfect Gift ticket was purchased at The Paper Shop, 86 Cartwright Street, Ingham.

Sharing her excitement with an official from The Lott this morning, the North Queenslander said this year she’d celebrated a birthday she would never forget.

“It was a birthday present,” she explained.

“I scratched it at home and then took it to the newsagency and they told me the prize was too big for them to pay out.

“I had no idea! So I looked at the ticket a little closer, and that’s when I realised I’d won $10,000.

“I was so surprised! It was very exciting.”

With $10,000 about to land in her bank account, the Ingham woman said it would be the perfect boost to her finances and be enjoyed for many years to come.

“I am just going to save it for now,” she said.

“I have no doubt it will come in handy one day soon!”

The Paper Shop owner Jenny Olivero said it was the first top prize winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket her outlet had sold.

“We’re so thrilled and excited for our customer,” she said.

“It’s great knowing this prize has gone to a local. We certainly hope it’s the beginning of plenty of big wins for our customers.

“Congratulations to her! We hope she really enjoys her prize.”

In 2020, there were 177 Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners across The Lott’s jurisdictions who collectively took home more than $16 million in top prizes.

During this same time, Instant Scratch-Its players enjoyed more than 32.3 million wins across all prize tiers worth more than $281.17 million. This equates to more than three-quarters of a million dollars won on Instant Scratch-Its every day.

Another way to play!

Every month, the Instant Scratch-Its 2nd Chance Draw gives you another chance to turn your eligible non-winning Instant Scratch-Its into a winner.

Visit thelott.com to enter this month’s 2nd Chance Draw, check out the latest Instant Scratch-Its tickets, and read inspiring stories from real winners.

The home of Australia’s Official Lotteries, The Lott operates and markets Australia’s leading lottery games customers know and love creating everyday winners, winning every day.