Sitting down for lunch was a million-dollar decision

By Kate Northrop

FULLTERTON, Au. — An Australian couple walked away from their lunch a million dollars richer after buying a Keno lottery ticket at the restaurant and winning a $1.48 million (US$1.14 million) jackpot in the middle of their meal.

On Monday, an anonymous woman stopped at the Arkaba Hotel on Glen Osmond Road in Fullerton with her husband for lunch. Little did she know that the last minute decision to enter the Keno drawing at the retailer would instantly earn her a million dollars.

The couple went out for lunch that day and decided to play a few games while they were out. Rather than choosing their numbers, they grabbed a Quick Pick and sat down to eat.

"We weren't watching the game or checking the numbers until the barman came over to us and let us know we should check our tickets because someone at the venue had won a major prize," the woman recalled. "We were immediately nervous in case it wasn't us, and we didn't want to get too excited until it was all confirmed."

Much to their surprise, the couple discovered that they had won a jackpot to the tune of $1.48 million.

According to The Lott, Keno is a game where 20 numbers are drawn from a pool of 80. To win a Keno Spot 10 prize, a player must match all ten of the numbers selected on their ticket within the 20 numbers drawn.

"Once we realized [the barman] couldn't pay us out because the prize was too large, that's when it really started to sink in!" the woman exclaimed.

Despite the sheer excitement, the winners knew that they would need time to figure out what to do with the money from the sudden win and said that they would be putting it away in the bank for a few months while they thought about it.

"People always talk about what they would do when they win big amounts of money, but when it really happens, it's hard to make any decisions," she explained.

The couple, however, did hint at a potential overseas vacation sometime next year.