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Keno

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Instant Keno

Keno, despite preconceptions surrounding its foreign-sounding name, is essentially just a lottery game. Players get to choose up to twenty out of eighty possible numbers. After which, twenty numbers are drawn from the pool—players win different payouts depending on how many of their numbers matched the draw.

History

Keno traces its beginnings to ancient China. It used to be the Chinese Lottery. Instead of numbers, they made use of the first one hundred and twenty characters of the lengthy rhyme known as “The Thousand Character Classic” which was used to teach people the one thousand characters needed to be basically literate. They used paper printed with the 120 characters, upon which players marked their numbers with ink. After drawing, winning selections were delivered to far-off playing areas by carrier doves which earned it the name “white pigeon game”.

Chinese immigrants brought this early form of Keno to America in the 19th Century and soon became known in the gambling industry. The game was associated with fictional horse races to avoid prosecution because lotteries at the time were illegal. The original 120 numbers was reduced 80 and became the basis for the game’s modern version.

Gameplay

Keno is played much like a simple lottery. The players use cards or tickets printed with the numbers 1 to 80. Tickets are available in the keno booth or are issued by persons known as “runners” that go around the casino for players who wish to join. The players can select 1 to 20 numbers known as spots on the ticket (Some casinos allow more than 30 spots to be selected). The runners then return to the ‘keno booth” to process the tickets and gives the players a receipt. A Keno ball draw session is known as a ‘race’ because of the game’s former association with horse races. The race occurs at the ‘keno booth’ and spots are drawn either mechanically using marked ping-pong balls, electronically via a random number generator or manually via a rotating cage. Twenty numbers are drawn in the race and the players are rewarded for the number of matches that occur in their tickets.

In Keno, the amount of payback is dependent on how many spots were matched and how many spots were selected by the player. Fewer selections and more matches win higher paybacks. Since there is no fixed pay schedule keno games adhere to, every casino has different payouts for keno.

The Keno ticket you purchased, win or lose, can still be played for several more games. This saves the players from the hassles of going back to the keno booth to re-select their numbers or select a new set. Players can monitor a Keno game either live or elsewhere. Casinos often have a lounge where the players can sit in while listening as the numbers are being drawn. Casinos also have multiple monitors spread out that display the drawn numbers along with the results of other numbers games. Drawn numbers are also displayed on TVs in hotel rooms via special channels. Keno is can also played in instant-lottery mode where players buy sealed pre-marked tickets. Spots are pre-drawn and the player can simply scratch the ticket and compare the winning numbers. The game can also be played online.

Online Keno

As with most casino games today, Keno is also available from the numerous casinos online. The rules and basics are the same and the only difference between Keno and Online Keno is that there are are no waiting times in between games for the online platform—simply choose your numbers and see if you win. Among the hundreds of online casinos, we have selected a few who offer exceptionally great Online Keno. So if you’re a fan of the game or simply just want to try it out, you’ve come to the right place!