A Nelson Bay man is $100,000 richer after discovering an Instant Scratch-Its ticket he was given as a Christmas present two years ago.
The man found the ticket, originally purchased at Nelson Bay Newsagency, in an old gift bag in his linen closet.
“We’ve got lots of kids in the family, so for the past few nights, we’ve been wrapping Christmas presents,” the man said.
“We’d run out of the good wrapping paper, and so my wife went into the cupboard and dug out old gift bags to use.
“This ticket was face down in the bottom of this one gift bag, so we had no idea we even had it until then.
“The next morning, we were having breakfast, and my wife decided she’d scratch it while eating.”
Nelson Bay Newsagency owner Gary Ramponi said he was thrilled to have made one of his customers $100,000 richer.
“It’s incredible! That’s one of the best winning stories I’ve ever heard,” Mr Ramponi said.
The winner, who celebrated last night with some Canadian Club and champagne, says the first thing he’ll spend his winnings on is an air conditioner for his house.
“We could get a new car, maybe go on a holiday, who knows. We’re still trying to get our heads around it,” he added.
