A Bribie Island man has confessed he wasn’t sure if he was going to throw up his dinner or jump for joy after discovering he’d bagged more than $2.2 million in a recent Keno draw.
The Queenslander held a Keno Classic 10 Spot entry in draw 580, drawn Friday 14 July 2023, and took home $2,275,277.40.
“I’m tired today! There’s been a few sleepless nights in between winning and speaking with you. It’s just been so hard to close my eyes,” the winning man laughed when an official from Keno called to confirm the win.
“I’m just trying to figure out how to best spend this money.
“It’s something I wasn’t prepared for that’s for sure.
“I was out to dinner on Friday night with family and thought I’d play a few Keno games.
“We’d only just finished eating when someone asked if I’d checked my entry because someone at the venue had just won a couple of million dollars.
“I scantly believed it was possible for me but when I scanned the ticket, and they told me what had happened, I just stood there in disbelief.
“Butterflies were going round and round in my stomach and I didn’t know if I was about to be sick or if I should be losing my mind with happiness.
“I’m thinking I’ll buy a few things, throw a bit of money back into the economy, but then I think I should invest the remainder and try and set my family up for the rest of our lives.
“Things like this don’t happen very often, so I’m just trying to drink it in and really appreciate what’s happened.
“Thank you so much!”
The winning entry was purchased at Bribie Island Bowls Club, 23/11 Welsby Parade, Bongaree.
Bribie Island Bowls Club General Manager Kevin Bertwistle said the entire team were in shock following the win but overjoyed for their winning customer.
“It’s amazing that this has happened for one of our customers and it’s amazing to think of all the possibilities that will open up now for the winner and their family,” he said.
“The atmosphere on the night and since has been electric! Everyone has just been amazing by the sheer size of the win.
“We’ll be celebrating for weeks to come and it’s going to be a talking point within the community for a long time too.
“Congratulations again to our winning customer and we wish them all the best for the future.”
In 2022, Keno players across the eastern states of mainland Australia celebrated more than 76.25 million wins collectively worth more than $1 billion.