Play Keno Online

Keno Rules & Strategy

Basic Rules
Keno is a popular casino game that is similar to playing the lottery. It is easy to play and offers the possibility of winning large payouts on relatively small wagers. To play keno online, we suggest InterCasino, Portofino Casino, and Sci-Fi Casino.

History
Invention of the game of keno is attributed to Cheung Leung around 200 B.C. who created it as a way to raise money for a war fund. The game originally used characters, rather than numbers, taken from a popular poem "The Thousand Character Classic," which was a poem utilized in the instruction of reading and writing. Chinese immigrants building America's Old West railroad brought the game to the U.S. where today it has become a standard game in casinos.

How to Play
In keno, a player chooses numbers between 1 and 80. Each chosen number is called a "spot," (i.e., five numbers would be a five spot game). Payout percentages are based on the total numbers you picked and how many of those numbers are winners. For example, the payout will be higher if you get two winning numbers out of five than if you get two winning numbers out of ten. The house advantage in keno is usually about 30% or more. Still keno offers better odds than most lotteries where, as in the U.S., states keep about 45%.

In casinos, keno tickets can typically be found throughout the gambling and eating areas. A crayon is used to mark your selected numbers on the keno ticket. The casino often has keno couriers which will pick up the ticket or the ticket can be taken to the main keno desk.

Once the game commences, twenty numbered keno balls are drawn at random from a barrel containing 80 numbered balls. The numbers drawn are then shown on keno boards placed throughout the casino.

Keno has also found it's way to casino machines and online casinos. Numbers are chosen via a computer screen and a random number generator (RNG) picks the winning numbers.