A group of seven Walla Walla friends had the surprise of a lifetime after their decades-old tradition snagged them a $1.3 million Keno prize.
The Riverina residents scored the Keno Classic 10 Spot jackpot in Keno draw 964, drawn Friday 17 April 2026. They won a total prize of $1,364,296.20, delivering them an individual payday of $194,899.46 each.
The group was still buzzing with excitement on Monday morning.
“I’m great! The winning news is slowly sinking in now,” one of the friends laughed while speaking to an official from Keno.
“We’re a syndicate, so we’ll be splitting the prize.
“We’ve been playing for decades. It started as just two of us but over the years became seven.
“I was actually in bed when it happened. The group rang me up and I didn’t answer. I just thought, ‘I’ll call them back in the morning.’
“Then they called again, so this time I answered and they said, ‘You better get down here.’ People don’t usually joke about those things, so I jumped out of bed.
“We’re all over the moon. We can’t wait to be paid, then we can all celebrate together.
“Thank you so much!”
Their winning Keno Classic entry was purchased from Walla Walla Bowling Club, 111 Commercial St, Walla Walla.