“I was shocked!” said Sue Strong, who regularly plays the Club Keno game
Credit: Michigan Lottery
NEED TO KNOW
- Sue Strong, 65, hit a record-breaking jackpot after purchasing a lottery ticket while buying pizza on her lunch break
- The Michigan woman said she was eating her lunch when she watched the drawing on her phone and saw she won
- “I’ve hardly slept since!” Strong told lottery officials
A Michigan woman just hit a record-breaking jackpot after buying a lottery ticket on her lunch break.
Sue Strong, 65, recently purchased the Club Keno ticket at Party Palace Liquor Inc., on Schoenherr Road in Shelby Township, according to a news release from the Michigan Lottery.
The Shelby Township woman paid an extra $1 for an add-on known as “The Jack,” which gives players nine easy pick numbers to match the Club Keno numbers drawn.
“I regularly play Club Keno, and I always add The Jack to my ticket,” Strong said, per lottery officials. “I went out and bought a Club Keno ticket and pizza on my lunch break and then watched the drawings on my phone while I ate.”
Suddenly, Strong realized she had matched her easy pick The Jack numbers — 10-26-33-50-56-58-60-67-70 — to nine of the 20 Club Keno numbers in the drawing.
As a result, Strong was the winner of a record-breaking $822,159 Club Keno The Jack prize. The previous record was $677,141, which was won in March 2025.
“I was shocked!” Strong exclaimed. “It was nerve wracking and exciting, and to be honest, I’ve hardly slept since!”
Strong has since visited Michigan Lottery headquarters to claim her prize, according to lottery officials.
The woman now plans to share some of her winnings with family, in addition to paying bills and saving what is left.
The jackpot for Club Keno begins at $10,000 and grows until it is won by matching all nine numbers, according to lottery officials. Drawings occur every three and a half minutes.
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More than $387 million was won by Michigan Lottery players through Club Keno in 2024.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, please contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-522-4700 or go to gamtalk.org.
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