A Southport man has given his wife the ultimate birthday celebration after surprising her with a whopping $1.6 million win in a recent Keno draw.
The Gold Coast retirees scored the Keno Classic 10 Spot win in draw 434, drawn Monday 12 February 2024 and took home a total prize of $1,641,481.60.
The Queenslander was driving back home from the club alongside his family when an official from Keno called to talk about the winning moment.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” he shared.
“I’m struggling to describe the different emotions I’m going through.
“I had a Keno ticket for 50 games on me when I walked into the club, and I handed it over to the team member to see if I’d won anything on it.
“The team member told me I had won $29 on the ticket, so I decided to give Keno another go.
“I ran my same special numbers that I’ve been playing for years – it consists of family birth dates, which makes this win extra special.
“I didn’t even know that I had won the $1.6 million prize until I walked up to the team member and handed them the ticket. That’s when things started to escalate.
“The team member told me to sit down because I started to look pale. They thought I was feeling a bit crook!
“I was with my wife, my two brothers-in-law and their partners. We were at the club celebrating my wife’s birthday over some lunch.
“It will be hard to top my wife’s birthday next year!
“We’re going to celebrate over some dinner tonight, which my brother-in-law has jokingly suggested I pay for now that I’ve won this prize – we will see about that!”
The winning couple were too stunned to make any immediate plans with their prize but did ponder on the thought of visiting their son living overseas.
“There’s so many things we could do, but we haven’t had a chance to comprehend the win as of yet,” he explained.
“We’ve got a son in the States, so maybe we could surprise him with a visit!
“Thank you so much.”
His winning Keno Classic 10 Spot entry was purchased at Lions @ Springwood, 2 Pannikin Street, Rochedale.
Lions @ Springwood manager Murray Jamieson said it was such an exciting feeling to help fulfil the dreams of one of his patrons.
“Dreams really do come true here at Lions @ Springwood and we’re pleased to hear one of our patrons scored themselves a million-dollar win,” he said.
“We’re so pleased to be a part of our patron’s special moment, and there’s no doubt they’ll remember this moment for the rest of their lives.
“One of our staff members had informed the winners to sit down to process the win, and the winner himself had shed some tears - it was a really heartfelt moment.
“Congratulations to our winning family, and we wish them all the best with their prize. Thank you for supporting our venue and we hope to have you back soon!”