A Bendigo retiree has credited a visit to a temple for helping deliver him a $25,000 win, after he scratched one of the top prizes on an Instant Scratch-Its ticket. 

The winning $2 Instant Scratch-Its ticket was purchased from Strath Lotteries, Shop 5, Woolworths Kennington Shopping Centre, Kennington. 

When we spoke to him this morning to confirm his prize, the happy man explained how he came to hold the winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket. 

“It was my birthday and my sister got me some scratchies,” he explained. 

“I scratched them all and then I checked the rules and looked at the tickets and I realised one of them was a top prize winner! 

“I just kept looking at it and deliberating and had everyone check it to be sure! 

“When I realised I had actually won I was amused! It was very unexpected. 

“It was a pleasant surprise, a nice twist! It’s a great birthday present. 

“It was the icing on the cake! I am certainly very happy about it.” 

The Victorian man shared how he visited a Buddhist temple a day before he scratched the winning ticket. 

“In Bendigo they have a sacred Buddhist temple, The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion,” he said. 

“The day before my birthday we went and visited it and had a look around and my sister read some of the mantras and one was about money where she wished wealth on her friends and family. 

“So she was more excited than the rest of us when we discovered I won because she felt as though the mantra worked for her! That it came true and it was meant to be!” 

When we asked how he planned to use his instant windfall, the retiree said he would share it with his sister, the one who bought him the winning ticket. 

“I am going to give some to my sister and the rest I will use for some renovations on the house," he decared. 

“It’s a nice windfall that will allow me to finish jobs that I have pushed aside over the past few years.” 

Strath Lotteries co-owner Mohd Syed said he was thrilled to have sold a top prize winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket. 

“It is great,” he laughed happily. 

“The lady who bought the winning ticket for her brother came back in and she was so excited about it. It was lovely to see! 

“We are very happy for them and wish them all the best with their prize. 

“We were certainly due for a win and we are hoping this means we will deliver some more big wins to our customers soon.”