A Byron Bay man admitted he celebrated discovering he won a top prize on an Instant Scratch-Its ticket by dancing around the house with his beloved dog. 

The winning $5 Live the Life Instant Scratch-Its ticket was purchased at Byron Bay Newsagency, Shop 1, Centrepoint Byron Bay. 

We called the winner this morning, who was still trying to comprehend the news he’d won one of the top prizes of $1,000 a week for five years. 

“I was just at the shop buying a paper and decided to pick up some Instant Scratch-Its tickets while I was there,” he explained. 

“I went home and while I was reading the paper and having a cup of coffee, I scratched the ticket. 

“I couldn’t believe what I saw! It didn’t feel real. I had to check it over and over again. I was ecstatic. 

“There was no one home but my dog, so I had no one to tell but him! I was so excited about it and we were running around the house. I was cheering, he was barking! 

“Woo-hoo! It’s fantastic. 

“This is awesome, absolutely awesome.” 

When asked how he planned to enjoy his instant prize, the thrilled man admitted it had come at the perfect time. 

“This will be a big help to my retirement,” he shared. 

“I might get myself some new toys for myself and get my teeth done. 

“It will help a lot.” 

Byron Bay Newsagency manager Adam Stewart said he was thrilled for his winning customer. 

“It is very exciting,” he said. 

“Our winner is a local customer and when he found out he was so excited and shocked. 

“We were just as happy for him! He’s such a great guy and very deserving. 

“We’ve been sharing the news with our customers and it’s certainly created a buzz.

“We are feeling a bit lucky now, so hopefully this is the start of a winning streak and we deliver more wins to our customers.”