An Ormeau man has confessed he didn’t hesitate to abandon his dinner and drink in a mad dash to his car after discovering he’d bagged $51,000 in a game of Keno.
The chirpy Queenslander scored the Keno Classic 8 Spot jackpot in draw 856, on Saturday 8 November 2025. He took home a total prize of $51,916.70.
The thrilled winner relived the moment he discovered his fortune while speaking to a Keno official.
“I’m really happy! It was such a surreal moment. I still can barely believe it,” he said.
“When it happened, I was sitting there looking at the numbers, and I probably counted them a dozen times.
“I kept double-checking the numbers, and once it finally sunk in, I just got up, dropped everything I was doing, headed straight to my car and burst into tears.
“Then I just drove home. I didn’t even finish my food or drink!
“I’ve never won something like this in my life, so it’s pretty crazy. It just doesn’t feel real.
“I’ll always use the same numbers. I’ve stuck with them for years.
“When I came back in the next day with my ticket, the staff were all excited. They said they’d been wondering who it was.
“It’s amazing timing right before Christmas. I’m not sure how I’ll use the prize yet, but I’ll be buying myself a Christmas present to celebrate.”
His winning Keno Classic entry was purchased at Norfolk Tavern, Cnr Pasco Road and Halfway Drive, Ormeau.
Norfolk Tavern spokesperson Lysandra Simmonds said the team was happily sharing in the excitement with their major Keno winner.
“What an incredible win for our patron! It’s always great hearing these winning stories and now we have another one to share with our patrons,” she said.
“We’re thrilled for our customer, and we hope to see more major Keno winners in our venue soon.
“Congratulations to them. We have no doubt they’ll enjoying their prize!”
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. Four of these major winners were Queenslanders, including a Townsville man who scored $4.4 million.
Queenslanders enjoyed more than 27.3 million Keno wins totalling more than $450.7 million at pubs and clubs across the state in FY25.