A Warners Bay couple have had a truly merry Christmas and are looking forward to a happy New Year after being gifted an Instant Scratch-Its ticket that won them $150,000.
The top prize winning $10 Unwrap the Cash Instant Scratch-Its ticket was purchased at Merewether Newsagency, 59 Ridge Street, Merewether.
Confirming their instant windfall with an official from The Lott this morning, one of the winners declared they’d never had a better Christmas.
“We received it as a gift for Christmas from my family,” the winning man explained.
“We were pretty much in disbelief when we saw we’d won. We couldn’t believe it!
“Honestly, I thought it might be a big joke, or some kind of novelty thing.
“You never actually think it’s going to happen, so it came as a big shock.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t go to the newsagency straight away, so I was feeling a bit uneasy for a few days.
“I just wanted to know if it was true.
“Once it was confirmed, it was amazing.
“It’s really, really good for us.
“It’s certainly going to make for a great 2021.
“Our family was so ecstatic for us. We haven’t had a chance to celebrate just yet, but once we get the money, we will do something special.”
When asked how they planned to spend their instant windfall, the pair admitted the timing of th prize couldn’t be more perfect.
“We’ve actually been looking to buy a house for a while,” he shared.
“So it’s come at a really great time! It’ll be a deposit for a home.
“We’ve been looking online heaps since our win and we’ve seen a few we like.
“It’s very exciting!”
Merewether Newsagency co-owner Lee Matthews said she couldn’t be happier for her winners and hoped they enjoyed a happy New Year with their prize.
“That is just awesome,” she explained.
“We’ve sold quite a few major prizes in the past.
“We’re ecstatic! Honestly, you’ve made my day. I always tell my customers I hope they win and I am so glad this couple have won. It really is the most wonderful time of year!
“Two years ago we sold another top prize winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket at Christmas too! The winner had used his ticket as a place setting for Christmas lunch, and it turned out it held a top prize!
“What a fantastic win for this couple too - $150,000 is just amazing.
“We truly wish our winners all the very best with their prize.”
Between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, there were 151 Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners across The Lott’s jurisdictions who collectively took home more than $11.8 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 $235.25 million. This equates to more than half a million dollars won on Instant Scratch-Its every day.
