A Tweed Heads man has admitted he experienced pangs of jealousy when he first heard a $1.7 million Keno prize had been won in the venue where he was having lunch before reality hit and he discovered the prize was his.
The winning man held a Keno Classic 10 Spot winning entry in draw 634, drawn Thursday 23 November 2023 and took home a total prize of $1,779,864.20.
“I’ve been playing the same numbers across Keno and lotteries for more than two decades and they finally hit!” the winning man laughed when an official from Keno confirmed his windfall this morning.
“I never gave them a hope in hell. Turns out it was worth the wait.
“Everything went ballistic at the pub and this enormous win kept flashing up on the screen, so I thought someone had come forward and claimed it.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sit there and think, ‘gee that would be nice wouldn’t it’.
“Anyway, I left and went home and didn’t think about it again until a mate contacted me to say the prize hadn’t been claimed yet.
“To say I was shocked when I checked the numbers is an understatement!”
When asked how he’d celebrate the win and enjoy his prize, the winner admitted he’d yet to make firm plans as a newly-minted millionaire.
“I won’t change too much, mate, but I’m really looking forward to setting up my kids and ensuring their lives are as easy as possible,” he said.
“It’s life changing, I just feel so lucky.
“It’ll pay off my home loan and that’s enough for now.”
The winning Keno Classic 10 Spot entry was purchased at Twin Towns Juniors, Fraser Drive and Leisure Drive, Tweed Heads.
Twin Towns Juniors manager Chris Mullen said for the major win to happen on the very first day of trade at the brand-new club was “phenomenal”.
“Someone has come along to Juniors, probably to check us out and have a look around, decided to put a Keno on and wow, they’ve won almost $1.8 million,” he said.
“That’s a life-changing amount of money, and we’re all so excited that it was won here! We glad to hear it’s one of our locals.
“To christen our new club on day one with a Keno jackpot win of this size is something we’ll always remember, and our members will too.
“We hope the luck continues at our club.”