An Introduction to Keno

Keno is a precursor to Bingo, and is a popular betting game offered at many casinos, both online and "real". It originated in China hundreds of years ago, and there are various legends about its origins, which we shall not cover here. Some state lotteries have a public Keno game as well which works like a lottery. You too can learn how to play keno online or offline.

The Basics

In Online Gambling, Live casino keno uses a circular glass "bubble" containing 80 balls which determine the ball-draw result. Each ball is has a number from 1 to 80. During the ball-draw, a tube blows air into the bubble and mixes the balls. The "caller", a casino employee, presses a lever to open a tube and that lets balls up into a "V" shaped tube known as "rabbit ears". The caller and a "verifier" record the numbers of 20 balls thus drawn. A computerized keno system calculates all bets based on these numbers. Online keno uses numbers selected by a computer’s random number generator.

Playing Keno

The online casino’s web page becomes your keno lounge. You can point and click with your mouse to select numbers that you want to play, while in offline casinos you have to mark an "S" over the "spot" choices on a blank keno ticket form with 82 numbered selection boxes (1 to 80). You will have flags, windows and sounds to alert you when games are open or closed to betting, as well as to guide you through game play. After all players have put down their wagers, the casino draws 20 balls at random. At some casinos, you will notice that they automatically call the ball-draw at preset times, whether or not anyone is wanting to wager.

Paytables

"Paytables" are lists of pay scale choices set by the casino. You are paid based on how many numbers you drew match the numbers selected on the keno ticket, as well as your amount wagered as per the table. Casinos can have a wide variation of paytables, with a considerably large deviation in the house edge set for their paytables. You may see many different paytables and specialty keno bets for you to choose from, each with its own unique house edge. Some casinos offer as many as 20 or 30 different paytables which you can select from. The house edge ranges from 4%- 35% compared to between 0%- 5% for non-slot games.