A Kareela man is excited to “have some fun” and go on a shopping spree after discovering he won one of the top prizes of $250,000 on an Instant Scratch-Its ticket he received as a birthday gift.
The top prize winning $10 Cash Celebration Instant Scratch-Its ticket was purchased at Good News Kareela, Shop T17A, Kareela Shopping Centre, Kareela.
Speaking to an official from the Lott this afternoon, the winner relayed how the excitement on his birthday unfolded.
“It was my birthday and my parents got me an Instant Scratch-Its pack with a few different tickets in it,” he explained.
“I was just in the lounge room scratching it when I realised I won!
“I almost hit the floor! I didn’t think I’d make it to my next birthday, that’s how shocked I was.
“I thought my parents might have been playing some kind of prank on me, so I went to the newsagency and that’s when I realised it was true.
“It was a good shock!
“It’s certainly the best birthday I have ever had.
“I am still trying to get my head around it.
“I had a few drinks to celebrate the win and my birthday. So it was a double celebration!”
When asked how he planned to enjoy his instant windfall, the stoked bloke admitted he already had a wish list.
“I want to be wise with my prize, but I still need to have a little bit of fun with it,” he laughed.
“Once we can travel again I think I am going to go on a big holiday to South America and then maybe head to Las Vegas.
“Of course I will share some with my family too.
“I am going to go on a bit of an online shopping spree too! I was looking at a few things I want last night and adding them to my cart. I have to have some fun with it as soon as the money hits my bank account!”
Good News Kareela co-owner Harris Hou said he was thrilled for his winning customer.
“What fantastic news,” he said.
“We couldn’t be happier for our winner.
“Congratulations to him, we wish him all the very best with his prize and hope it brings him much joy.
“We are feeling very lucky, and hope it means the start of a winning streak.
“Good luck to all of our customers, we hope you win a major prize next!”
In 2019, there were 199 Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners across the Lott’s jurisdictions who collectively took home more than $9.7 million in top prizes.
During this same time, Instant Scratch-Its players enjoyed more than 27.1 million wins across all prize tiers worth more than $208.8 million. This equates to more than half a million dollars won on Instant Scratch-Its every day.