A pair of Gold Coast sweethearts who went away for the weekend to mark their wedding anniversary have ended up not only celebrating their love but also a $2.6 million Keno win.
The Queenslanders scored the Keno Classic 10 Spot jackpot in Keno draw 490, drawn Friday 26 April 2024 and took home a total prize of $2,628,534.90.
The winning husband, who answered the phone this morning when officials from Keno reached out to confirm the win, revealed he was still feeling a sense of ‘numbness’.
“Ah! I can’t believe it!” he cheered.
“It’s so exciting. We’re all in shock.
“I didn’t fathom the win until I had called into the Keno contact centre on Friday; it all started to hit me.
“My wife and I have a routine of coming up to Mooloolaba every year and we always play a game of Keno at the local club. We’ve been playing the same numbers for 10 years.
“We were having a lovely dinner and celebrating our wedding anniversary over the sunset when our lucky numbers went off. We immediately went numb.
“We’ve shared the news with some immediate family members and some close friends - they were numb too.
“We honestly don’t know what to do with the prize as of yet, but it will go to good use.
“It’s a big gift for sure.”
The winning couple, who wish to remain anonymous, purchased their Keno Classic winning entry at Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club, 1 The Esplanade, Mooloolaba.
In 2023, Keno players across the eastern states of mainland Australia celebrated more than 67.31 million wins collectively worth more than $1 billion.
During this time, Keno crowned 21 millionaires and multi-millionaires who collectively took home more than $51.5 million. Seven of these major winners were Queenslanders, including a Kallangur man who won $8.45 million after scoring the Keno Classic and Keno Mega Millions 10 Spot jackpots in the one draw.
Queenslanders enjoyed more than 21.79 million Keno wins totalling more than $349.14 million at pubs and clubs across the state in 2023.
Keno players can also enter into the monthly second chance draw for the chance to win one of five $1,000 prizes by scanning their ticket at win.secondchance.keno.com.au.