Eight Maitland friends went from squabbling over Keno picks to celebrating in harmony after the ticket they finally agreed on delivered a dazzling $160,000 Keno win.
The Hunter Valley residents scored the Keno Mega Millions 8 Spot jackpot in Keno draw 705, drawn Sunday 23 November 2025. Their winning entry won a total prize of $160,637.40, delivering each person a special payday of $20,079.67.
From debating ticket types to swapping numbers at the last second, the win came after a series of small but pivotal moments.
“I think we’re all a bit tired today after celebrating last night!” one of the winners laughed.
“It was a group of us – four couples. We met up because we’re all going on a holiday soon.
“We were organising the details on how we’d get there, which up until yesterday was the train. Now we’re getting a limo!
“There were a lot of sliding door moments that night.
“First of all, I wanted to do an 8 Spot while one of my friends wanted to do a 4 Spot. There was a bit of back and forth but finally we landed on choosing the 8 Spot ticket.
“Then when we were each picking a number, I chose one and then changed my mind. The next person choosing went, ‘Well, I should take that number now!’. And then, yeah, happy days!
“I wasn’t really watching the draw but at the end of it, I was looking at the screen and I said, ‘I think we’ve got a couple of numbers here’. That’s when my friend just went, ‘Mate, we’ve got all eight!’.
“It was a great surprise. We’re all stoked and it’ll make our holiday even better!”
His winning Keno Mega Million entry was purchased at The George Tavern, 3 Molly Morgan Drive, East Maitland.
The George Tavern general manager Andrew Herd said the team were thrilled to be a part of someone’s life-enhancing Keno win.
“We’re all very happy and excited for the winners! We’ve had a few Keno wins here, but this has to be one of the biggest,” he said.
“We’ll be letting all our patrons and customers know about the fantastic win.
“Congratulations to our major Keno winners! We wish you all the very best and thank you for supporting us. Look forward to seeing you again soon at Tthe George Tavern.”
In FY25, Keno players across the eastern states of mainland Australia celebrated more than 76 million wins collectively worth more than $1.2 billion.
During this time, Keno crowned 20 millionaires and multi-millionaires who collectively took home more than $57.9 million. Thirteen of these major winners were from New South Wales and the ACT, including an East Maitland dad who scored a $6.6 million windfall.
Players in New South Wales and the ACT enjoyed more than 39 million Keno wins totalling more than $636.3 million across the region in FY25.