An unexpected instant windfall is momentous enough, but it’s even more memorable when you didn’t even buy yourself the winning ticket.
Research by The Lott has revealed that one-in-seven (15%) Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners from 2020 didn’t see their windfall coming because they were gifted their winning ticket in celebration of a special occasion.
Those winning Instant Scratch-Its tickets for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries yielded their recipients top prizes worth up to $520,000.
The survey prompted winners to re-live the exciting moment they scratched their top prize.
“It was the highlight of my life! An experience I will never forget,” one winner who took home $100,000 recounted.
“It was a life-changing experience to not have to worry about bills or house repayments,” another added.
From first homes to fine dining, 2020 winners enjoyed their Instant Scratch-Its fortunes in a myriad of ways.
“I was able to get my teeth fixed and buy my first home!” one said.
“I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face knowing I would now be able to travel business class!” another added.
“I went to the shopping centre and paid it forward by randomly paying for people’s groceries.”
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, The Lott spokesperson Lauren Cooney said your mum could dream big if you gifted her a top prize winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket.
“Imagine lighting up mum’s day with a $100,000 gift – you would instantly be her favourite,” Ms Cooney said.
“You could share in the fun as well, 72% of last year’s winners told us they shared the exciting news with their immediate family.
“One winner told us it had made life worry free and had opened up more options for their future.
“Another explained that in the middle of a global pandemic, their win had made life a lot less stressful.”
With Mother’s Day one of the biggest times of the year for Instant Scratch-Its, Ms Cooney said she looked forward to talking to the mums who scored top prizes on the tickets they found in their cards and gifts next Sunday.
“Just last year, one mum from Cronulla told us she’d had a truly memorable Mother’s Day when she received a $50,000 winning ticket from her daughter,” she recalled.
“With Instant Scratch-Its limited-edition $5 Precious Gems ticket you would certainly be outshining your siblings.
“There are two top prizes of $100,000 up for grabs and if mum scratches a ‘win all’ symbol, she could score a treasure trove of all 20 prizes shown in the game panel.”
The full Instant Scratch-Its ticket range, including a special Mother’s Day $5 Precious Gems ticket, is now available at Instant Scratch-Its outlets in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
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.
