As team members at a Mulwala golf club frantically searched for a major Keno winner, a Tocumwal couple quietly ate their lunch oblivious to the fact they’d just scored $1.4 million.
The New South Wales players held a Keno Classic 10 Spot winning entry in draw 270, drawn Thursday 27 January 2022. Their total prize was $1,404,746.20.
When an official from Keno spoke to the winning pair this morning, they were still reeling from their million-dollar discovery.
“We’d headed into Yarrawonga for the day and decided to have some lunch at the golf club,” the winning woman explained.
“We don’t play Keno very often. We only buy tickets when we’re out for a meal and feeling a bit lucky.
“I had no idea the prize was won until I checked my ticket. When I checked the ticket, the lady at the counter said to me, ‘Go get your husband, I think he’ll want to hear this too!’.
“My mind started racing after that. I thought we might have won $10,000. I never imagined winning more than $1 million!
“Once my husband came to the counter, she told us the good news. I thought, ‘Okay, okay, so I guess I’m a millionaire’.
“We were blown away! It wasn’t sinking in. It was so weird!
“We went and sat down and just stared at each other for about an hour trying to absorb it all. After that, we got a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
“We had the worst sleep last night. We kept waking up and double-checking to see if it was real.
“I kept thinking, ‘I’m going to wake up from this incredible dream!’. But thankfully, it’s real. We’re millionaires!
“Honestly, we don’t know what we’ll do with the prize. It’ll certainly make for a very fun life!”
The winning entry was purchased at Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort, Golf Club Rd, Mulwala.
Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort duty manager Wendy Hennessy said the entire team was celebrating the major win.
“I was shocked when I saw someone had won the prize. It was so wonderful, and I was extremely excited to share that life-changing news with the winner,” she said.
“It was just after the lunch rush, so the club was a little quiet when the prize was won.
“It took a little while for them to claim the prize, so we thought the winners might be playing golf or had headed home for the day. We were encouraging everyone to check their tickets.
“Then after about an hour, the lucky winners finally came up to check their ticket. They had no idea! We are so happy for the winners. I can only imagine how they must have felt! It was an incredible moment to be a part of.
“Our patrons are so pleased for the winning duo too and hoping they’re the next big winner.
“We haven’t had a big win in about three years, so it’s very special. We can’t wait to celebrate.
“It’s been a tough few years for everyone, so it’s amazing to be able to share positive news around the town. Hopefully, we have more winning news to share soon.”
In the 12 months to 30 June 2021, Keno players across the eastern states of mainland Australia celebrated more than 64 million wins collectively worth more than $853 million.