A Rockhampton man’s festive season just got a whole lot brighter after he realised his “$10,000” Instant Scratch-Its prize was actually a $100,000 pay day.
 
The Central Queenslander’s winning $5 Christmas Edition Crosswords ticket was purchased at Northside Plaza News, Northside Plaza, Shop/23 Musgrave St, Berserker.
 
The top prize win comes after a Rockhampton couple received the life-changing phone call last Thursday night, revealing they scored $50 million in the $100 million Powerball draw.
 
When we reached out to confirm his instant bounty, the cheerful man shared he was looking forward to treating himself to an early Christmas present - a shiny new car.
 
“It’s unreal!” he cheered.
 
“I’ve been playing the Crosswords Instant Scratch-Its ticket for years now – It’s my go-to!

“When I first checked over my ticket, I thought I’d won $10,000, and I was pretty stoked. It wasn’t until my wife looked at it and started screaming that I realised I’d won more.

“Never would I have imagined $100,000!
 
“It feels like an early Christmas present.
 
“I’ve been wanting to get a new car for a while, so I can finally go car shopping now.
 
“I might even treat myself to a nicer car than I first intended.
 
“We’ll be celebrating the win all holiday season. Thank you!”
 
Northside Plaza News owner Jarrod Black shared he was thrilled to hear a local customer had won $100,000 just in time for Christmas.
 
“It’s very exciting to hear another Rockhampton local win following the big Powerball draw last week,” he said.
 
“They say things happen in threes, so hopefully we can sell another winning ticket to a local soon.
 
“We’ve sold many division one winning tickets over the years, but not as many top-prize-winning Instant Scratch-Its tickets.
 
“Congratulations to our lucky customer! We’re all very excited for you and we hope you enjoy your win this Christmas.”