A Rockhampton woman has experienced a serendipitous twist of fate after her generosity in gifting Instant Scratch-Its tickets turned into a $100,000 bonanza.
The left-over ticket, initially intended as a Christmas present, remained unscratched until a chance decision to play it herself.
The top-prize winning $5 Merry Christmas Instant Scratch-Its ticket was purchased at Yeppoon Central Lotto and News, Shop 28, Yeppoon Central Shopping Centre, 42 Park Street, Yeppoon.
The winning Queenslander relayed how her winning discovery came about to an official from The Lott.
“Funnily enough, I don’t normally play Instant Scratch-Its myself. I’ve never even bought a lottery ticket, but I love to give them as gifts.
“With Christmas coming up, I bought a bunch to give to various friends and colleagues, but after getting all the presents organised, I had a couple left over.
“I thought to myself, ‘Now I really want to play one’.
“So, I gave it a go. I didn’t think any of the symbols matched so I didn’t think anything of it.
“I just left it on the bench and went about my day.
“Later on, my partner saw it and said, ‘I think you’ve won’ but I brushed him off and that’s when he said ‘No, I really think you’ve won!’ and he was getting all amped up and excited.
“So, we scratched the little confirmation box and I realised he was right!
“When we went to the newsagency, I was too nervous to check it! I just couldn’t fathom actually winning $100,000.
“It’s just bizarre and wonderful!
“And it’s come at a perfect time. Christmas can be so jam-packed and it’s hard to relax but now I feel like I can just breathe!
“It’s going to be a real help. We’ll be able to do some extra work around the house and go on a holiday.”
Yeppoon Central Lotto and News team member Amanda Adamson said she and the team were thrilled for their victorious customer and wished them all the best.
“This is the first time we’ve sold a top-prize winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket since opening four years ago so we’re over the moon!” she said.
“It feels great to be a part of such an incredible win and we are so happy for our winning customer.
“We spoke to them when they came in and it sounds like it couldn’t have come at a better time for them.
“Thank you so much and thank you to all of our wonderful customers for the ongoing support over the years. We hope this is the start of a winning streak for us!”
In FY23, there were 147 Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners across The Lott’s jurisdictions who collectively took home more than $12.1 million in top prizes.
