A Crows Nest man who has enjoyed a weekly ritual of playing his favourite Keno numbers at his local hotel every Thursday for the past two decades is today struggling to come to terms with his $5.5 million Keno prize.
The Queenslander scored the Keno Classic 10 Spot jackpot in draw 389, drawn Thursday 18 January 2024 and took home a total prize of $5,519,481.00.
The windfall is believed to be one of the largest Keno Classic 10 Spot wins in Australian history.
The winner’s total prize was bolstered by the fact that he chose to add the Bonus feature to his ticket - a feature that multiplies the regular prizes – on a whim.
“I’m still in shock, to be honest, mate!” the winning man laughed when an official from Keno called to confirm his windfall.
“It’s been a ritual of mine for decades.
“Every Thursday afternoon, I’ll head down to the local and play the same numbers.
“I never expected anything to ever come of it, but I can’t tell you how happy I am that something amazing happened.
“It’s just such a game-changer!
“I’ve now got options in life that I never thought I’d have.
“It’s great! It’s just going to make my life so much easier.
“The first thing I’ll be doing is booking a trip to see my children and grandchildren.
“Then I can look to help who I can and prepare for the future.
“I keep pinching myself and hoping it sinks in. It might take a while!”
His winning Keno Classic 10 Spot entry was purchased at Grand Old Crow Hotel, 32 William Street, Crows Nest.
Grand Old Crow Hotel Manager Pauline Clancy said the team were still in shock following the massive win and was over the moon to see it go to a worthy winner.
“When I first heard about the win, I found it hard to believe it had actually happened in our venue!” she said.
“We were all waiting to see the ticket scanned before we accepted it was real.
“It’s the biggest win our town has ever seen and we’re just so excited for the winner.
“We want to wish them all the best for the future and hope they savour every second of their win.”