General News
7 August, 2026
'I think it's a blessing from my late husband': Little treat turns to big win for St Arnaud mum
She couldn't believe it when she took the card into the St Arnaud News and Lotto and they told her they weren't able to pay out the ticket. And that was just the beginning of the happy surprises.
A ST Arnaud woman was shocked to find her "treat myself" moment had turned into a $150,000 win.
She couldn't believe it when she took the card into the St Arnaud News and Lotto and they told her they weren't able to pay out the ticket.
And that was just the beginning of the happy surprises.
“It was sitting on my fridge for a couple of days, and then I finally scratched the ticket, and I took it back to the newsagency. The team member then told me she couldn’t pay out the ticket," the woman said.
“I said, ‘Why?’ and then she told me it was worth $4,000 and I’d have to go to The Lott head office to claim the prize.
“It wasn’t until I received a phone call from The Lott prize payments team this morning that they confirmed it was in fact a $150,000 top prize win. I just said, ‘Oh my god! Oh my god!’.
“I can’t believe it. I think it’s a blessing from my late husband... Honestly, I just treat myself to an Instant Scratch-Its ticket when I’m bored and I have nothing to do."
With $150,000 on the way to her bank account, the woman said she planned to play it smart and put the prize into a long-term deposit.
"I’m not telling any of my family members about the win yet. I’ve only told the two girls I work with about the win. They had a great reaction," she said.
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