Never mind dessert, one Penrith man is now feasting on a $1.8 million Keno treat he scored while out enjoying dinner out with his family on Saturday night.
The New South Wales player held a Keno 10 Spot winning entry in game 847 on Saturday 27 July 2019, scoring him a total bounty of $1,847,259.00.
Speaking with a Keno official moments after he discovered his win, the winner relayed his astonishment at becoming a millionaire over dinner.
“It’s unbelievably good,” he laughed.
“I still can’t believe it. I’m shouting everyone a drink to celebrate.
“I hadn’t seen the draw. I just went up and checked the ticket and the lady just said ‘we have to call Keno’. I didn’t think it would be anything this big but then I saw the prize come up on the terminal.
“I was like ‘what the hell?!’. I was just stunned.”
The middle-aged Western Sydney resident explained his winning entry featured a mix of special numbers, along with a few others for good measure.
“If I go to the pub or club, I usually put a game of Keno on, but I haven’t played for a while,” he shared.
“These numbers were my birthday, my missus’ birthday, that sort of thing, along with a couple of random numbers.
“I was just having dinner with the family. It was a bit of a catch-up and then this came up in the middle of it. I don’t mind this interruption at all!”
With his family gathered around him and celebrations in full swing, the man said a few ideas had already started to form as to what he would do with his Keno fun money.
“I will pay off the rest of the house and go from there,” he said.
“There’s a few cars I’ve been eyeing – something I’ve wanted for a long time. We’re definitely not talking about a Hyundai Excel here, something a little bit more sporty.
“I’ve got a good excuse not to turn up to work ever again, but I still will.”
The player, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased his entry at Pioneer Tavern, Cnr Maxwell & The Northern, Penrith.
Pioneer Tavern venue manager Trent Pittaway said they were thrilled one of their patrons had scored a major Keno prize.
“After our patron won, the excitement in the venue was infectious – it felt like we had all won,” he said.
“The winner was absolutely over the moon. The staff were also stoked. It has created a really good atmosphere in the hotel.
“There’s nothing more exciting for the team than seeing one of our patrons take home a huge prize. We’ve been celebrating ever since.
“We congratulate our winner and have absolutely no doubt they’ll enjoy their Keno windfall.”
In the 12 months to 30 June 2019, Keno players across the eastern states of mainland Australia celebrated more than 64 million wins collectively worth more than $853 million.
During this time, Keno crowned 17 millionaires and multi-millionaires who collectively took home more than $47.2 million. Nine of these major winners were from New South Wales and the ACT, including a Newcastle man who pocketed the biggest Keno jackpot in Australian history - a Keno Mega Millions 10 Spot prize worth $7,898,799.30.
Players in New South Wales and the ACT enjoyed more than 34.19 million Keno wins totalling more than $472.51 million at pubs and clubs across the region in the 12 months to 30 June 2019.
About Keno
Keno is a fun game played at more than 3,400 pubs and clubs across Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria.
A Keno draw occurs approximately every three minutes. During each draw, 20 numbers are drawn from 1 to 80. Players simply match the numbers on their entry to the numbers drawn for a chance to win over $1 million.
There are a range of Keno games to play, including Keno Mega Millions – a higher jackpot version of Keno Classic that uses the same Keno ball draw but gives players the chance to win $5 million or more.