A retired man from Wollongong is suddenly feeling festive after scratching one of the top prizes of $10,000 on a $1 Merry Christmas Instant Scratch-Its ticket.
The winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket was purchased at Centretown Newsagency, Shop 1, 143 Crown Street, Wollongong.
Speaking to a NSW Lotteries official this morning to confirm his prize, the happy winner explained how he bought the winning ticket on a whim.
“Merry Christmas to me!” he exclaimed.
“I bought my ticket in Wollongong this morning and I took it home and scratched it then and there.
“I didn’t believe it so had to take it back to the store to check.
“I didn’t pick this ticket for any particular reason, I just buy Instant Scratch-Its. But I’m glad I bought it.”
“I think this means I will have a merry Christmas now!
The regular Instant Scratch-Its enthusiast shared he was no stranger to instant wins.
“I won one thousand dollars on an Instant Scratch-Its once. This is better,” he laughed.
“With this I’m going to go straight home and put that money in the bank. No treats just yet, it can help set me up for the future.”
Centretown Newsagency owner Dennis Colla said it was always exciting to see his regular customers win top prizes.
“We were so happy when he came in with his win,” he said.
“Earlier this year we had a local syndicate win half a million dollars, so selling another top prize really is the cherry on top of the cake.”
Last financial year, there were 158 Instant Scratch-Its top prize winners across the Lott’s jurisdictions who collectively took home more than $11.28 million.
The latest range of Instant Scratch-Its tickets are available now at NSW Lotteries outlets. It can happen in an instant. It could happen to you.
