A hardworking Cairns mum plans to shout her family to an overseas odyssey after she bagged a $1.29 million Easter treat yesterday afternoon.
The Far North Queensland woman held a Keno 10 Spot winning entry in game 162 on Saturday 20 April 2019 that scored a total jackpot prize of $1,295,742.90.
It’s the third 10 Spot Keno jackpot to land in Queensland during the past three weeks. Previous wins include a $2.5 million win at Acacia Ridge and a $1.3 million win at Dalby.
Speaking with a Keno official shortly after discovering her good fortune, the Cairns mum described how she had been enjoying lunch with her family when she became Keno’s newest millionaire.
“Oh my god!” she cried.
“I play the same numbers every time I play Keno. I’ve played them for more than a decade. They’re family numbers and birthdays.
“But I didn’t see the draw so I didn’t see them come up.
“Then a man from the hotel started coming around saying ‘someone’s just won Keno’.
“That’s when I knew I better check my ticket. I had no idea.
“Wow! I can’t believe it. It’s unbelievable!
“We haven’t had a chance to celebrate yet. We had a cry and that was about it!” she laughed.
The Far North Queensland woman shared it wasn’t the first time she had won a major Keno prize, taking home a smaller 9 Spot prize several years ago.
“I couldn’t believe it when I won the 9 Spot, so I never thought I would ever win the major jackpot,” she said.
“It’s certainly an amazing Easter treat for me!”
While she was still coming to terms with her new millionaire status, the woman confessed a few initial plans for Keno fun money were already forming.
“I’m going to help my kids out,” she declared.
“We’re also going to go on a family holiday overseas to Europe and I’ve just said ‘I’m paying’.
“I’ve never been overseas before!”
The stunned winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased her winning Keno 10 Spot entry at Grand Hotel Cairns, 34 McLeod Street, Cairns.
Grand Hotel Cairns duty manager Stacey Ilijash said the hotel’s staff and patrons were still on a high from seeing the major Keno jackpot land on their doorstep.
“I believe the winner was almost about to leave when she won so there was a chance she may not have checked her ticket and discovered her win,” she said.
“It’s amazing. You always hear about wins here and there, but it’s nice to know someone real came into our pub and won.
“It’s exciting for everyone. It’s created a good vibe in the hotel.
“We’ve definitely had our share of winners here before, but this is such a massive Keno prize. It’s nice when you see it go to a regular.
“We wish our Keno winner all the very best with their prize! I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.”
In 2018, Keno crowned 16 millionaires and multi-millionaires who collectively took home more than $36.47 million. Six of these major winners were Queenslanders.
Queenslanders won $25.87 million on average each month playing Keno in pubs and clubs across the state.
Last year in Queensland alone, players bought 34.76 million Keno tickets and won $310.64 million in cash prizes, including 494 individual 7, 8, 9, and 10 Spot jackpot prizes.