A Shellharbour woman has described her $224,000 Keno win as “too good to be true” after her long‑held special numbers finally came up, turning an ordinary lunch into an unforgettable moment.
The Illawarra resident won the Keno Classic 9 Spot jackpot in draw 123 on Monday 6 April 2026. She won a total prize of $224,538.20.
The ecstatic winner shared she had been playing Keno for more than a decade and had recently refined her approach.
“I used to play the 10 Spot, but I thought I’d try something different. Sometimes, I play the 8 Spot, but lately it’s been the 9 Spot,” she said.
“I use my special set of numbers that I’ve been playing a while. I thought, ‘I reckon all these numbers come out a bit’. So, I just put them all together and I kept playing them.
“There’s no way I can forget these numbers now,” she laughed.
“I was sitting there having lunch and I was watching the draw. I thought, ‘I’ve got seven numbers – I just need the number 17’, and then it came out. Then I just needed 78 and then 78 came out next.
“I had to double check before I got too excited. I even waited until the screen said someone in the club had won. I thought, ‘It has to be me!’. It felt too good to be true.
“I was surprised how calm I was. I can’t believe it. It’s so wonderful!”
When asked how she might best enjoy her prize, the winner shared plenty of ideas were racing through her mind.
“There are lots of things I’m thinking about – replacing carpets, a new car, some home renovations. And a holiday, too!” she said.
“All these things I thought I had to save up for, I can buy now.”
The woman’s winning Keno Classic entry was purchased at The Shellharbour Club, Pioneer Drive and Shellharbour Road, Shellharbour.