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A Chinchilla woman’s birthday took an unexpected and unforgettable turn when a series of setbacks, including a sore back and a missing purse, led to a $100,000 Keno windfall.
The chirpy Western Downs resident scored the Keno Classic 8 Spot jackpot in Keno draw 462, drawn Tuesday 20 May 2025 and pocketed $101,938.80.
Just as she was about to give up on celebrating her special day, her daughter stepped in to turn things around.
“I won on my birthday. How amazing is that?!” the winning mother laughed when speaking to an official from Keno.
“I had a sore back, and I could hardly walk at work, then I lost my purse and thought, ‘What’s next?”
“After all that, I was contemplating doing nothing for my birthday, but my daughter pulled me down to the RSL and said, ‘Come on, let’s have lunch for your birthday’.
“I usually watch Keno closely, but this time I missed it completely. I was gobsmacked when I realised I had all eight numbers.
“I said, ‘I think I’ve got eight out of eight, that should be more than $25,000, right?'. Then the clerk goes, ‘It’ll be $100,000.’ I thought he was joking! I said, ‘Yeah right!’ But then he showed me, and it was real!”
“I do play those numbers often. They’re for various family members and they’re pretty special to me.”
With a thrilling $100,000 coming her way, the winning Queenslander had some small but mighty plans in mind.
“I’ll get some new towels, and I need some new bed sheets,” she said.
“Maybe some new tyres too. It’s truly amazing. Thank you so much!”
Her winning Keno Classic entry was purchased from Chinchilla RSL Memorial Club, 61 Heeney St, Chinchilla.
In 2024, Keno players across the eastern states of mainland Australia celebrated more than 76 million wins collectively worth more than $1. billion.
During this time, Keno crowned 23 millionaires and multi-millionaires who collectively took home more than $54.9 million. Ten of these major winners were Queenslanders, including a Crows Nest man whose favourite numbers scored him $5.5 million.
Queenslanders enjoyed more than 26.9 million Keno wins totalling more than $461.2 million at pubs and clubs across the state in 2024.