The 4 Biggest Keno Payouts of All-Time
Without a doubt the most alluring part of gambling is it’s larger than life payouts, & Keno is no exception. For over a century Keno has been a celebrated part of gambling culture. While some see it as a fun pastime others play with a passion. Everyday thousands of players from around the world compete against the odds & chase the dream of making their fortune. Unfortunately for most, the odds of hitting a mega payout are slim to none. But the players’ love for the game & unbridled determination fuels the raging popularity of this lucrative pastime. Luckily for those who relentlessly play Keno, there are a handful of big winners that we can look to for inspiration. In this article we compiled a list of 4 of the most impressive payouts won at the glorious game of Keno.
Top 4 Biggest Keno Payouts In the World
Mega Payout #4: Surprise Rugby Club Win – It’s always inspiring when a good day gets even better. One Aussie man discovered this when he realized that he had won $2.8 million at the Tugun Seahawks Rugby League Football Club. He originally thought that he had won $10,000, but when he excitedly rushed up to collect his winnings he discovered that he had actually won millions. After almost keeling over with a mixture of elation & surprise, he vowed to pay off his mortage & spend more time at his favorite rugby club. One of the biggest Keno payouts.
Mega Payout #3: Firewood Salesman Wins Big – In 2011 biggest Keno payouts. was made by one retiree. It was a life changing bet at the Jimboomba Country Tavern in Logan City, Australia. For the last 25 years he had been betting the same numbers, & all that consistency finally paid off big time. The grandfather had lived a humble life, working as a plaster & then selling firewood after he retired. All that changed when he won a staggering $3.17 million payout. Fortunately he played it smart & left quietly before anyone in the news could discover his identity. He reportedly escaped to England with his beloved wife to see her family.
Mega Payout #2: Widower Uses Cash to Save Lives – While money can’t replace your loved one, it can always be used to help save others. A 68 year-old widower with biggest Keno payouts vowed to use the cash he won to help other people avoid the pain he experienced when his wife passed away after fiercely battling with cancer. In 2013, the retiree won a massive $4.37 keno jackpot at the BlackButt Hotel in New Lambton. He turned around & donated a large portion of the winnings to the local hospital where his wife received treatment. He shunned the luxurious lifestyle, opting instead to continue hanging out with his friends at the same keno lounge.
Mega Payout #1: Nurse’s Aide Finally Receives Aide – Without a doubt the biggest Keno payouts occurred in Las Vegas when a nurse’s aid named “Eddie” won $6.4 million. He reportedly used the age of his wife & children to pick the winning numbers. This outstanding win put him in the media spotlight, but the man concealed his identity by giving a false name & wearing sunglasses. This was done to protect his family since having money was extremely dangerous where he was from. Money has a way of changing lives, hopefully he escaped to somewhere safe with his family.
Click here to find the latest winners of Keno in Australia
What are Keno Payouts?
Keno payouts are based on how many numbers the player chooses and how many of those numbers are “hit”, multiplied by the proportion of the player’s original wager to the “base rate” of the paytable. Typically, the more numbers a player chooses and the more numbers hit, the greater the payout, although some paytables pay for hitting a lesser number of spots. For example, it is not uncommon to see casinos paying $500 or even $1,000 for a “catch” of 0 out of 20 on a 20 spot ticket with a $5.00 wager. Payouts vary widely by casino. Most casinos allow paytable wagers of 1 through 20 numbers, but some limit the choice to only 1 through 10, 12, and 15 numbers, or “spots” as the numbers selected are known.
What was the biggest Keno payouts in Australia?
Few more biggest Keno payouts in Australia
The Keno Mega Millions jackpot win on 10th August was the third 10-number jackpot – the top Keno prize – to be won in Australia, and the biggest cash prize ever to be won in the country since Keno started.
The $7.9 million anonymous winner celebrated with family but was clearly surprised at his huge win
Mega Millions is a premium version of the existing Keno Classic game and gives players the chance to win $5 million or more every three minutes for $2. Mega Millions was launched in New South Wales in November 2016, and has paid out $64 million in prize money and sold six million tickets. The winner spent $26 on the ticket, playing 13 $2 games. The winning numbers were 6, 7, 9, 10, 25, 26, 41, 43, 75 and 77.
New South Wales players win more than $36 million on average every month playing Keno in pubs and clubs around the state. Each month, Keno pays out around $77 million in prize money to New South Wales, Victorian, Queensland and ACT players.
In 2021 a South Australian woman has pocketed an eyewatering $1 million after winning a lunchtime game of Keno .The Fullarton woman – who was having a casual lunch with her husband at the Arkaba Hotel when she won – scored the Keno Spot 10 prize in draw 119 and took home a prize worth $1,478,105.70.The woman has described the win as “surreal”, joking that her husband is still in disbelief.
NT Keno too offers $1 play where you can win one million dollars.
What is the Keno probability?
The probability of a player hitting all 20 numbers on a 20 spot ticket is 1 in 3,535,316,142,212,174,320.
Even though it is virtually impossible to hit all 20 numbers on a 20 spot ticket, the same player would typically also get paid for hitting “catches” 0, 1, 2, 3, and 7 through 19 out of 20, often with the 17 through 19 catches paying the same amount as the solid 20 hit. Some of the other paying “catches” on a 20 spot ticket or any other ticket with high “solid catch” odds are in reality very possible to hit:
| Hits | Probability |
| 0 | 1 in 843.380 |
| 1 | 1 in 86.446 |
| 2 | 1 in 20.115 |
| 3 | 1 in 8.009 |
| 4 | 1 in 4.877 |
| 5 | 1 in 4.287 |
| 6 | 1 in 5.258 |
| 7 | 1 in 8.826 |
| 8 | 1 in 20.055 |
| 9 | 1 in 61.420 |
| 10 | 1 in 253.801 |
| 11 | 1 in 1,423.822 |
| 12 | 1 in 10,968.701 |
| 13 | 1 in 118,084.920 |
| 14 | 1 in 1,821,881.628 |
| 15 | 1 in 41,751,453.986 |
| 16 | 1 in 1,496,372,110.872 |
| 17 | 1 in 90,624,035,964.712 |
| 18 | 1 in 10,512,388,171,906.553 |
| 19 | 1 in 2,946,096,785,176,811.500 |
| 20 | 1 in 3,535,316,142,212,174,320.000 |
Probabilities change significantly based on the number of spots that are picked on each ticket.
