Keno
Paytable
Pick 1–10 · 20 drawn from 80
History
Keno originates in ancient China, where it was played over 2,000 years ago. Legend says the game helped finance the building of the Great Wall. Chinese immigrants brought the game to the United States in the 19th century, where it became a casino game. The original version used Chinese characters instead of numbers.
Keno’s original Chinese name was "the game of the white dove" — results were sent to villagers by carrier pigeon. The game was brought to the United States with the Chinese workers on the 19th-century railway sites. Because lotteries were partly illegal, the game was at first called "Chinese lottery" — the name keno came only later.
Where it is played today
Keno is played in casinos around the world, often as a relaxed "background game" you can play while eating or drinking. Many state lottery games are in fact keno variants. Online it is popular for its speed and simplicity.
Rules
The grid has the numbers 1–80. Pick 1–10 numbers. The game draws 20 numbers. The more of your numbers that match the drawn ones, the bigger the win. The payout depends both on how many numbers you picked and how many hit — see the paytable.
Odds & the maths
Keno has one of the highest house edges in the casino — typically 25–30%, sometimes more. The probability of hitting all 10 picked numbers is about 1 in 8,911,711 — practically impossible. Paytables are designed to look attractive with big multipliers, but the hit probabilities make them very unfavourable. Keno teaches well why a big multiplier does not make up for a small probability.
Keno is instructive precisely because it is so unfavourable. The probability of a ten-number full hit is 1 in 8.9 million — smaller than the probability of being struck by lightning. Yet the big multipliers in the paytable make the game look attractive. Keno is a perfect example of why a multiplier alone never tells you the true value of a bet.
| Picks | Hits needed | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 of 2 | ~6.0% |
| 5 | 5 of 5 | ~0.06% |
| 8 | 8 of 8 | 1 in 230,000 |
| 10 | 10 of 10 | 1 in 8,911,711 |
Keno’s house edge is typically 25–30% — among the highest in the casino. The big multipliers for a ten-number full hit look tempting, but the probability makes them practically unreachable.
Beginner’s guide
Click 1–10 numbers on the grid (or use Quick pick). Set a bet and press Draw. A good observation for a beginner: try picking just 2–4 numbers first — you will see hits more often. Picking ten numbers feels exciting, but a full match is nearly unreachable. This is an instructive game for exactly that reason: it shows how the casino sells hope at the expense of the mathematics.