How to Play Keno

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How to Play Keno

Keno is a lottery-like or bingo-like gambling game played at most modern casinos, and at many bingo halls. A player chooses anywhere from 1 to 20 numbers and marks them on a keno ticket of 80 numbers (1 to 80). The casino then draws 20 numbers at random. The player is paid out against his original wager based on how many numbers match the ones he marked on his ticket.

As a casino game, it is notable because it provides the casino with an advantage against the player greater than any other gambling game -- on some bets up to 66%. The normal house advantage for a casino game is between 1% and 5%.

Keno is believed to have originated in ancient China. The game was brought to America in the 19th century by Chinese immigrants.

Keno odds

The payouts for keno are based on how many numbers the player chose and how many numbers "hit", multiplied by the player's original wager. The more numbers a player chooses, and the more numbers hit, the greater the payout. Payouts vary widely from casino to casino. Some casinos allow the player to pick up to 20 numbers, but most limit the choice to only 15 or 10. The probability of a player hitting the "jackpot" 20 numbers from 20 chosen is 1 in 3,535,316,142,212,180,000. If every person who ever inhabited planet Earth played one keno game every single second of their lives, there would be about one winning ticket to date. If all these possible keno tickets were laid end to end, they would span the Milky Way galaxy -- and only one of them would be a winner.

Modern keno

Modern keno is played everywhere in casinos that offer the game, and the numbers are picked at the "keno booth". "Keno runners" will walk around shouting "keno!" and offering number selection cards to anyone interested in playing.

After picking numbers and recording them at the keno booth, the player will then watch either a "big board" in which winning keno numbers will light up or on a video monitor showing the selected numbers found throughout the casino. As the winning numbers light up, the player usually marks them on his or her card with a bright-colored marker. A winning ticket needs to be taken to the keno booth immediately if it is an individual game ticket, as drawings usually take place every five minutes. If the player tries to redeem a winning ticket when the next drawing starts, it is void and no money is paid out.

To avoid having a void ticket, a keno player can purchase a "multi-race" ticket with the same picked numbers on anywhere from 2 to 20 tickets. When the maximum number of games (matching the number of tickets) is finished, the player can then redeem any winnings and avoid the peril of a void ticket. Another option is the "stray and play" ticket, which is usually a number of games greater than 30. Unlike standard keno tickets, the "stray and play" doesn't have to be redeemed immediately and is often good for up to a year after purchase.

Lottery versions of Keno are now used in many National Lotteries or state licensed Lotteries around the world. The games have different formulas depending on the wanted price structure and whether the game is slow (daily or weekly), or if it is a fast game with just minutes between the draws. The drawn numbers are typically published on TV for the slow games and on monitors at the point of sale for the fast games. A video keno machine typically has a far greater payout and win-rate than a traditional keno game.

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