If you thought Scratchies were unlikely to win you the big bucks, you might want to think again.
A young Queensland woman bought Scratchies for her family members for Christmas, and decided to give herself one as well.
When the Bundaberg woman got scratching her $10 Jumbo Crosswords Instant Scratch-It ticket, she was stunned to reveal she had won an incredible $150,000.
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The woman said the six-digit win was “kind of crazy”.
“I actually bought a few of these tickets as gifts for my family for Christmas and I also bought myself one,” the woman explained to an official from The Lott.
“Then, on Christmas Eve, we scratched them.
“At first, I was counting (for the requisite number of) words and thought I’d won a smaller prize.
“But then we kept checking the ticket and would find an extra word.
“Then I was like, ‘No way! That’s the top prize!’.”
She was the only one of her family members to score, but her relatives weren’t jealous — rather, they were excited about her win.
“My family didn’t win anything on their tickets, but they were very happy for me,” she said.
“It’s quite a boost going into the new year.
“I’ll be debt free and the rest of the prize I’ll use for savings until I get a better idea of how best to use it.”
The winning ticket was bought at the Lucky Dollar Newsagency in Bundaberg.
It’s also been an exciting start to 2024 for an Adelaide man whose decision during a trip to Bunnings to buy a Lotto ticket netted him $2.3 million.
The man said his decision to buy a ticket, at the Pimpala Newsagency & Gifts at Woodcroft Plaza, had been a “spur of the moment thing” during a trip to Bunnings on December 30.
It turned out his Saturday Lotto ticket was one of three division one winning entries.
“It was a bit of good news just before 2024 starts,” the man said, with some understatement.
The lucky winner received a call from an official from The Lott the next day, making for a New Year’s Eve to remember.
“I got on the computer this morning and checked my ticket and couldn’t believe it,” he said.
“It’s pretty surreal.
“I’m trying to stay cool, calm and collected.
“I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet.”
If you’re concerned about your gambling or the gambling of a friend or family member, log on to Gambling Help Online or make contact via phone on 1800 858 858.
You can access online counselling as well as services in your state or territory and support for family and friends.
