For Aussie dads vying for more than socks and jocks this Father’s Day, the Instant Scratch-Its top prize postcodes from the past 12 months have been unwrapped ahead of the special day.
The Lott, the official home of Australia’s lotteries, has scratched away at the data and can exclusively reveal the postcodes and states where the most top prize wins have landed across Australia (excluding Western Australia).
The research released by The Lott comes ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday 3 September 2023 – one of the most popular times of the year for Instant Scratch-Its gift-giving.
Between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023, there were 147 Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners across Australia who collectively took home more than $12.1 million in prize money.
During this same time, Instant Scratch-Its players enjoyed more than 27.15 million wins across all prize tiers worth more than $252.76 million.
This equates to more than half a million winners a week and $700,000 won on Instant Scratch-Its every day.
Not only did Queensland take out the State of Origin this year, but the Sunshine State also took out the top spot for the most Instant Scratch-Its top prizes.
The latest data revealed there were 56 top prizes in Queensland that totalled more than $4.8 million in prize money (Table 1).
New South Wales Instant Scratch-Its fanatics enjoyed 36 top prize wins totalling more than $3.1 million, while Victorian players claimed 33 top prize wins collectively worth more than $2.9 million.
Table 1: The number and value of Instant Scratch-Its top prizes by state and territory during FY23
| State / Territory | Number of top prizes won | Total value of top prizes |
| Queensland |
56 |
$4,853,161.00 |
| New South Wales |
36 |
$3,165,115.00 |
| Victoria |
33 |
$2,984,837.00 |
| South Australia |
12 |
$747,023.00 |
| Tasmania |
6 |
$295,000.00 |
| Australian Capital Territory |
3 |
$45,000.00 |
| Northern Territory |
1 |
$25,000.00 |
| Total |
147 |
$12,115,136.00 |
The data also reveals the postcodes in each state and territory that have sold more than one top prize-winning Instant Scratch-Its in FY23 (Table 2).
In Queensland, it was the postcode of 4670 for Bundaberg that led the nation with four top prizes totalling $632,023.00.
Maroochydore Newsagency was the only Queensland outlet to sell two Instant Scratch-Its top prize-winning tickets in the past 12 months.
In New South Wales, the postcodes of 2340 for South Tamworth, 2145 for Greystanes / Pemulwuy and 2525 for Figtree each sold two Instant Scratch-Its top prize-winning tickets.
Furthermore, Figtree Newsagency and CTC South Tamworth were the only New South Wales outlets to sell two Instant Scratch-Its top prizes.
In Victoria, the postcode of 3350 for Ballarat, 3030 for Werribee / Point Cook, and 3175 for Dandenong sold each sold two top prizes. Northway Supermarket in Ballarat was the only Victorian outlet to sell two Instant Scratch-Its top prizes.
In South Australia, the postcode of 5608 for Whyalla sold three top prizes amounting to $21,000.
In Tasmania, half of the state’s top prize-winning Instant Scratch-Its in FY23 were sold in the Hobart region at Cat & Fiddle Lotto, Bridgewater News & Lotto and Glenorchy Central Newsagency.
In the ACT, Manuka Newsagency, Thistle Kiosk, and Gifted and More Kaleen were the three outlets in the territory to sell top prize-winning Instant Scratch-Its.
In the Northern Territory, Casuarina Nextra News sold the territory’s sole top prize-winning Instant Scratch-Its in FY23.
Table 2: The postcodes where multiple top prize-winning Instant Scratch-Its were sold during FY23
| Postcode | Suburb | State / Territory | Number of top prizes | Total of top prizes |
| 4670 | Bundaberg | Queensland | 4 | $632,023.00 |
| 4870 | Cairns | Queensland | 3 | $262,023.00 |
| 4132 | Marsden/Crestmead | Queensland | 3 | $30,000.00 |
| 5608 | Whyalla | South Australia | 3 | $21,000.00 |
| 2340 | South Tamworth* | New South Wales | 2 | $770,000.00 |
| 4655 | Eli Waters / Point Vernon | Queensland | 2 | $252,023.00 |
| 2145 | Greystanes / Pemulwuy | New South Wales | 2 | $202,023.00 |
| 4570 | Gympie / Southside | Queensland | 2 | $200,000.00 |
| 4558 | Maroochydore* | Queensland | 2 | $152,023.00 |
| 2525 | Figtree* | New South Wales | 2 | $110,000.00 |
| 4022 | Rothwell | Queensland | 2 | $110,000.00 |
| 3350 | Ballarat* | Victoria | 2 | $87,700.00 |
| 4211 | Carrara / Nerang | Queensland | 2 | $27,023.00 |
| 3030 | Werribee / Point Cook | Victoria | 2 | $27,023.00 |
| 3175 | Dandenong | Victoria | 2 | $26,000.00 |
| 4740 | Mackay / Andergrove | Queensland | 2 | $16,000.00 |
| 4165 | Victoria Point | Queensland | 2 | $11,000.00 |
*Two Instant Scratch-Its top prizes sold at Maroochydore Newsagency, CTC South Tamworth, Figtree Newsagency and Northway Supermarket.
The biggest Instant Scratch-Its prize of FY23 was worth $520,000. Three players won a prize of this value with tickets sold at CTC South Tamworth (NSW), Fresh Fields Foodworks (Qld) and SuperStar Lucky Lotto (Vic).
Half of South Australia’s top prize wins were worth $100,000 each.
Table 3: Biggest individual Instant Scratch-Its top prizes won in each state and territory during FY23
| State | Postcode where the prize was won | Biggest individual top prize won |
| Queensland | 4670 (Bundaberg) | $520,000.00 |
| New South Wales | 2340 (South Tamworth) | $520,000.00 |
| Victoria | 3977 (Cranbourne) | $520,000.00 |
| South Australia | 5070 (Firle), 5040 (Novar Gardens), 5608 (Whyalla) x 2, 5016 (Largs Bay), 5032 (Underdale) | $100,000.00 x 6 |
| Tasmania | 7000 (Hobart) and 7010 (Glenorchy) | $100,000.00 x 2 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 2617 (Kaleen) | $25,000.00 |
| Northern Territory | 0810 (Casuarina) | $25,000.00 |
The Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said Australia’s flurry of Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners had landed far and wide, surprising a smorgasbord of players across the nation.
He said only time would tell whether last year’s top prize-winning postcodes would retain their reputations in the months to come.
“From Cairns to Hobart and Tamworth to Whyalla, last financial year we saw Instant Scratch-Its top prize wins land far and wide across cities and regional towns,” he said.
“Some Instant Scratch-Its players make a beeline for outlets that have a track record of big wins in the hope they might also land a top prize. Others tell us they see if they can make their mark on the map elsewhere.
“Regardless, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t matter where you buy your ticket, an Instant Scratch-Its prize win can land anywhere and at any time, with most games offering a total prize pool worth millions of dollars.”
With Father’s Day this weekend, Mr Hart said The Lott could welcome a new brood of top prize winners.
“Imagine how exciting it would be to surprise and delight dad with a top prize-winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket on Father’s Day! It could certainly allow him to scratch some things off his bucket list!
“Recent Instant Scratch-Its winners have told us they used their prizes to enjoy new cars, pay off the home, take lavish holidays, undergo renovations, and even grab smaller household items, like fridges and king-size beds.
“A Camden man couldn’t wait to treat his fiancé to an incredible wedding after winning $25,000 on an Instant Scratch-Its ticket last November.
“Elsewhere, a Morisset woman was left shocked after discovering she’d won $100,000, not $10,000 as first thought. She looked forward to paying off her mortgage and taking her family on an overseas holiday.
“As the prizes are determined at the time Instant Scratch-Its tickets are printed, wins can land anywhere at any time. Where they fall this financial year, only time will tell.”