How do you win $1 million at Oregon Lottery’s Keno game? Very rare 10 spot luck

A Washington state man matched all 10 spots on his Keno ticket last month to win $1 million, the Oregon Lottery said Monday. John Exley, 60, of North Bonneville, Washington, bought a ticket at the Oregon City Safeway just before Christmas. To win on his 10 spot game, he needed to match all 10 numbers between one and 80.

For no added cost, he added the Special Keno game play option, which gave him a shot at the $1 million. The Oregon Lottery said a 10 spot win is quite rare. Oregon’s most recent $1 million Keno winner was from February 2000. “Not many people choose to play the 10 spot, with the 4 and 8 spot being our most popular way to play Keno,” said Tina Erickson of the Oregon Lottery, in a news release.

“One reason this type of win is so exciting, is because players must select the ‘Special Keno’ option to win a prize this size, and there aren’t many who do.” The odds for a 10 spot win are one in 8 million, the lottery said. In Keno, players choose from one to 10 numbers and every four minutes 20 numbers are filled in the 80 number board.

The option Exley chose trades off more chances for lower prizes for fewer chances at a large prize. His gamble paid off..