A Townsville man who almost opted for a cozy night in made a last-minute decision to visit his local pub instead, resulting in a life-changing $4 million Keno win.
The North Queenslander scored the Keno Classic 10 Spot jackpot with a x3 Bonus in draw 766, drawn Friday 25 October 2024 and looks forward to $4,468,449.40.
When a Keno official contacted the winning man this morning to confirm his newly minted multi-millionaire status, he was still reeling from the revelation that his life had changed forever.
“I’m speechless. I can’t believe it – I’m in complete denial,” he laughed.
“Initially my friends and I weren’t even going to go to the venue, and we were so close to just staying at home. But we thought we would get ourselves out there, and it really paid off!
“I treat myself to a game of Keno once a month. I always like to play the Bonus entry.
“I had some family plans the following day, so I went and saw my parents. I told them the news straight up and they were absolutely stoked. I had my parents in tears.
“It’s really life changing.”
With more than $4 million opening the doors to endless possibilities, the blue-collar worker shared he was now one big step closer to the Australian dream of owning his very own home.
“I’ll be purchasing a house for sure,” he said.
“I can’t wait to help my family out too.”
His winning Keno Classic entry was purchased at The Pub On Palmer, 31 Palmer Street, South Townsville.
The Pub On Palmer venue manager Linda Moyle said she was extremely excited to hear the venue had sold their first major Keno jackpot.
“We have only recently re-opened after being closed for renovations and this couldn't have been timed more perfectly to promote the pub at the heart of Palmer Street,” she said.
“This is our very first major Keno jackpot that we’ve had at The Pub On Palmer, and it’s so great because it’s a hefty prize!
“Everyone was absolutely buzzing with excitement when they discovered someone in the venue had taken home the $4 million win in Keno.
“Congratulations to our winner! We hope this multi-million-dollar win allows them to do some amazing things with their prize!”
In FY24, Keno players across the eastern states of mainland Australia celebrated more than 78.5 million wins collectively worth more than $1.16 billion.
During this time, Keno crowned 18 millionaires and multi-millionaires who collectively took home more than $46.7 million. Nine 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 28.5 million Keno wins totalling more than $441.6 million at pubs and clubs across the state in FY24.