A Warren man is looking forward to staying toasty and warm this winter after declaring he plans to use his $61,000 Keno 8 Spot windfall to install heating in his home.
The New South Wales player held a Keno 8 Spot winning entry in game 416 on Monday 8 June 2020, and took home a $61,222.70 prize.
Speaking with an official from Keno, the happy winner revealed he’d been playing the same special numbers for years.
“I go down to my local a couple of afternoons a week and whenever I am there I put on some Keno,” he explained.
“I hadn’t played in a while due to the lockdown so was keen to play my favourite numbers again.
“I always use the same numbers, which are family members’ birthdates.
“I don’t always play an 8 Spot ,but since I hadn’t played in a while and the jackpot was getting higher, I thought I’d give it go!
“All those years of playing, the same numbers finally paid off!
“I’ve won bits and pieces over the years but never won anything like this!
“The good news will be lighting up the bush telegraph around town! That’s for sure!”
When asked how he planned to enjoy his Keno windfall, the happy winner confessed he thought of the windfall as ‘maintenance money’ to help upkeep his home.
“I’m going to put it in the bank for a little while until I decide what I am going to do with it,” he said.
“I’m going to use it as maintenance money for my house.
“It’s nice and cool here in the summer, but it’s freezing in the winter so I think I’ll look at installing ducted heating so I can warm the place up a bit.”
The happy winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased his winning entry at Warren and District United Services Club, 87A Dubbo Street, Warren.
Warren and District United Services Club manager Amanda Brien said she was thrilled the club had sold another major prize.
“We’ve had plenty of Keno wins at the club over the years, including a Keno 10 Spot prize about 18 years ago. We also sold a few major prizes over $100,000 a few years ago,” she explained.
“For a small club in a country area, we’ve been fortunate to have been able to share the Keno wins around town.
“All of our members are talking about the win. I think everyone is excited to know that wins can happen anywhere.
“Everyone is enjoying talking about something upbeat and exciting after everything else happening at the moment.
“It was excellent timing as we had only been open again for a few days.
“It was a good way to get back into it!
“We are absolutely thrilled for our winner! We wish him all the best with his prize!”
In the 12 months to 30 June 2019, Keno players across the eastern states of mainland Australia celebrated more than 64 million wins collectively worth more than $853 million.
During this time, Keno crowned 17 millionaires and multi-millionaires who collectively took home more than $47.2 million. This included a Baxter man who didn’t discover he had won a Keno 10 Spot prize of $1,541,399.90 until a fortnight after the draw.