A Baxter man has his good mate to thank for a million-dollar discovery, after realising he won a $1.5 million Keno 10 Spot prize more than two weeks ago.
Keno officials had been searching for the mystery winner who scored a winning Keno 10 Spot entry in game 157 on Saturday 8 June 2019 at Baxter Tavern, 117 Baxter-Tooradin Road, Baxter.
Sharing his joy with a Keno official, the Baxter local recounted how he discovered the life changing news.
“I had no idea I had won as I usually buy an entry when I am down at the tavern and keep it in my wallet until I am there next,” he explained.
“A mate came over and we got chatting. He mentioned that he heard Baxter Tavern had sold a Keno prize over $1 million but they hadn’t found the winner.
“I said, ‘hang on, I’ve got a ticket from there that I haven’t checked yet!’. So we jumped in the car and went for a drive to the tavern to check my ticket and there it was.
“I couldn’t believe it! It feels great!
“I definitely shouted my mate a drink for letting me know there was a winner!”
When asked how the stoked bloke planned to enjoy his Keno fun money, he confessed it had come at the perfect time.
“I’ve been having a bit of a rough time lately so this will really help me out,” he declared.
“It will allow me to pay off my mortgage and a few bills and give me a bit of breathing room while I think about what to do next.”
The winner also revealed his celebrations would be low key until the prize was paid.
“I really don’t think it will sink in until I see it in my bank account so I won’t be doing any celebrating until then,” he laughed.
“I just can’t wait to see that amount in there!”
Baxter Tavern Operations Manager Dean Normington said the team were thrilled to discover the winner had been united with his prize.
“We were so excited to hear that our winner had discovered their life-changing win!” he said.
“We are happy to hear he is a local and a regular to the tavern.
“Let’s hope there are plenty more wins to come for our patrons.
“Congratulations to our winner, we wish them all the best with their prize!”
Baxter Tavern is no stranger to big wins, as this is the second Keno 10 Spot winning entry it has sold. The last win was in 2015 when a local woman scored $1.179 million.
In 2018, Keno crowned 16 millionaires and multi-millionaires who collectively took home more than $36.47 million.
Victorians win $5.925 million on average each month playing Keno in pubs and clubs across the state.
Last year in Victoria alone, players bought 8.28 million Keno tickets and won $71.105 million in cash prizes, including 165 individual 7, 8, 9, and 10 Spot jackpot prizes.