A Kuranda woman has kicked off the New Year in style, swapping extra shifts for well-earned downtime after pocketing a dazzling $85,000 Keno win.
The North Queensland resident scored a Keno Classic prize in draw 679, drawn Friday 2 January 2026 and looks forward to a total prize of $85,615.80.
“It’s life-changing for me!” she exclaimed when an official from Keno called to confirm her win.
“It’s going to change a lot of things for me, darling.
“I think I’ve been playing that same ticket for close to a year now, it’s unreal.
“It’s going to be the perfect nest egg for me.
“I work a lot, so it’ll be nice to cut back and relax a bit more this year.
“When I see the money come through, I think I’ll have to go out for a nice dinner with my partner.”
Her winning Keno Classic entry was purchased at Barron Falls Hotel, 34 Coondoo Street, Kuranda.
Barron Falls Hotel venue manager Riina Huovinen shared she was thrilled to discover her venue had sold its first major prize-winning Keno entry since taking over ownership in March.
“I couldn't believe my eyes when our venue's name came on the Keno screen as having sold a winning entry! We were all very excited and so happy for the winner!” she said.
“We will be telling everyone about our major win, and we have no doubt it’s going to create some excitement.
“Since taking over the venue in March, this is our first time selling a major prize-winning Keno entry.
“Congratulations to our winner! My team and I are very happy for you - well done!”
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.