check your toolbox people.

[same_old]

man wins on scratch-ticket

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegrap...001028,00.html

A MAN has found a $25,000 winning lottery ticket, more than six years after it was given to him as a gift - and only months before it was to expire.

The man from Bundaberg, Queensland, would not be identified but said he was given a $1 Instant Scratch-Its ticket by a friend who had borrowed a box of Allen keys from him about six-and-a-half years ago.

The friend had put the ticket in the box to say thank you - but the man didn't discover it until last week - just months before the prize would have been invalid for payment.

The man had only reached for the Allen keys because his water pump had broken down.

"The funny thing is, I almost wasn't going to look for the box of keys, but something made me change my mind," he said.

Then, when the man found the ticket, he almost didn't bother scratching it.

"At first I didn't put much effort into it and let it fall on the floor," he said.

"But when I was cleaning up I picked the ticket up again and tried to scratch it properly."

The man scratched three matching values of $25,000, and said he couldn't believe his eyes.

In another stroke of luck, Queensland Instant Scratch-Its prizes are payable for seven years after the ticket has been released, meaning his ticket was valid for another six months.

The period of time instant tickets are valid varies from state to state.