A Tasmanian man travelling through New South Wales got a little more than he bargained for when his rest stop netted him a $250,000 Instant Scratch-Its top prize win.
The top prize-winning $10 Instant Scratch-Its ticket was purchased at Gundagai Foodworks & LPO, 152-158 Sheridan Street, Gundagai.
Speaking with an official from The Lott this morning, the triumphant traveller admitted he rarely played Instant Scratch-Its and felt like fate had put him in the right place at the right time.
“I was heading back home after spending some time in New South Wales and just thought I’d duck down to the shops for supplies while I took a break from driving,” he said.
“As I was about to leave, I thought, ‘I might try my hand at a few Instant Scratch-Its tickets,’ and my god, I’m glad I did now!
“I didn’t believe it at first! I rarely play Instant Scratch-Its, so I didn’t really know what I was looking at either.
“To have won $250,000 is the most incredible feeling, and it’s going to do so much good in my life.
“It still hasn’t quite sunk in, but when I see the money in my account, I think it will hit home.
“The first thing I’ll do is pay off my home and get going with a few renovations. Then I’ll buy myself a new car.
“It honestly feels like fate put me in this position, and I’m so grateful.”
Gundagai Foodworks & LPO owner Navjeet Singh said it’s the first top prize winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket his outlet had sold.
“The winning man bought the ticket and then almost immediately started scratching away,” he proclaimed.
“I think I was just as shocked as he was when he asked me to confirm he’d won!
“At first, I thought it was $25,000, but when we looked closer, we realised it was a lot more than that!
“It’s fantastic for the winner and we’re so excited for him.
“We just want to wish him all the best in the future and hope he enjoys this moment!”
In 2021, there were 157 Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners across The Lott’s jurisdictions who collectively took home more than $10 million in top prizes.
During this same time, Instant Scratch-Its players enjoyed more than 29.1 million wins across all prize tiers worth more than $256.26 million. This equates to almost three-quarters of a million dollars won on Instant Scratch-Its every day.
Every month, 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.
The official home of Australia’s lotteries, The Lott operates and markets Australia’s leading lottery games customers know and love creating everyday winners, winning every day.
In 2021, more than 130.8 million winners took home more than $3.79 billion in prize money from their favourite games at The Lott, including Saturday Lotto, Monday & Wednesday Lotto, Powerball, Oz Lotto, Set for Life, Lucky Lotteries, Keno, Super 66, Lotto Strike and Instant Scratch-Its.
Last financial year, Australia’s official lotteries contributed more than $1.5 billion via state lottery taxes and donations to help community initiatives, such as hospitals, health research, disaster relief and education.