A Maroochydore woman has confessed a new vacuum cleaner is at the top of her wish list after scratching one of the top prizes of $250,000 on a $10 Double Sided Dollars Instant Scratch-Its ticket.
The winning ticket was sold at Nextra Swan Newsagency, Shop 137 Sunshine Plaza, 154-164 Horton Parade, Maroochydore.
Sharing her excitement with an official from The Lott, the thrilled winner recounted how she came to hold the winning ticket.
“I’ve been making a lot of mistakes at work today! I can’t concentrate!” she laughed.
“It’s still sinking in that I’ve won $250,000. It’s a life-changing amount.
“I love playing scratchies. I bought one recently, and I won $100! I got very excited about that!
“I cashed it in and used it to buy a couple more tickets before taking the rest as cash.
“I thought I’d try the $10 ticket in the dispenser for a change, and I’m glad I did!
“I never ever thought I would win a top prize. I didn’t believe it when I saw I had won.
“It wasn’t until we claimed the prize that I started to think it might be true.
“We haven’t celebrated yet, but I think I might take myself down to the local club for dinner and a drink once it’s in my bank account!”
When asked how she planned to enjoy her instant windfall, the self-confessed battler said the win was truly life-changing.
“I don’t want to spend it all. I’m not going to waste it!” she declared.
“This is a lot of money for us, so we are going to put it to good use. We’re lucky to own our small house, but there have always been a few things that are a little out of reach.
“We’re coming up to retirement in a few years, so we’ll be investing it in our super.
“We’ll also use it to pay off a loan and get a few things for the house.
“It sounds a bit boring, but I really want a new vacuum cleaner and washing machine.
“We’ll also put some away for the kids too. They can pop it in a term deposit so when they are ready, they can use it to buy something they want.
“We might treat ourselves to a night away somewhere too!”
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.