A Batemans Bay man is today toasting Christmas, the impending new year and a $132,000 Keno win after his spur-of-the-moment decision bagged him the life-changing prize.
The sporadic Sydney player scored the Keno Mega Millions 8 Spot win in draw 539 on Thursday 14 December 2023 and took home a total prize of $132,013.50.
“Mate, I still can’t believe it!” the elated man laughed when an official from Keno called to confirm the win.
“We were just mucking around and catching up with friends at the pub yesterday when I noticed the Keno jackpots were getting up there.
“I don’t play very often but thought, ‘I may as well have a go at one of those’.
“So, I just got put a bunch of random numbers down on a ticket and put it through and before I knew it, I was looking at a win.
“I didn’t expect it to be so much though!
“We were laughing about it afterwards. Just the sheer coincidence and luck of it all is what had us all in stitches.
“It’s the best early Christmas present you could ever ask for, of course!
“It’s also going to help us finalise the purchase of a new home and it will certainly save us some stress in the future.
“What a wonderful December for me! Thanks so much, mate!”
The man’s winning Keno entry was purchased at Batemans Bay Soldier Club, 2 Beach Road, Batemans Bay.
Batemans Bay Soldier Club Operations Manager Matt Edwards said the entire team were over the moon for their winning customer and couldn’t believe they’d seen a big win in their club this close to Christmas.
“It’s the season for giving, isn’t it? So this makes sense!” he said.
“We’ve all been so excited since we saw the prize was won and couldn’t be happier for our winning customer.
“It’s great for them and for the venue to see a win like this in December and I hope they have a fantastic Christmas and New Year.”
In FY23, Keno players across the eastern states of mainland Australia celebrated more than 95.42 million wins collectively worth more than $1.34 billion.
During this time, Keno crowned 20 millionaires and multi-millionaires who collectively took home more than $46 million. Eight of these major winners were from New South Wales and the ACT, including a Sydneysider who picked up a $3.81 million windfall.