Keno

Keno is, in many respects, similar to bingo. There are keno cards (with 80 numbers on them) on which players can mark the numbers that have been drawn, also there is a number-drawing system in place (either done by a “blower” or a random number generator), much like in bingo.

The similarities stop here though. The numbers on the keno cards are always from 1-80, and players can wager on anything between 1-20 numbers. There are exactly 20 numbers drawn, and announced. The player checks how many of those 20 numbers match the ones that he picked for himself. According to that, pay-out is made.

Keno is played in most casinos, online casinos and bingo halls. The reason why casinos seem so fond of this game is the house edge. While at normal casino games (not slots though) the house edge is between 0-5%, in keno it can reach as high as 66%. Not a good bargain of you’re a player…

The player gets a payout depending on how many numbers he/she “hit”. The wager placed on each of these numbers is multiplied by how many of them were hit. In theory, a person can wager on as many as 20 numbers, but most online and offline casinos limit his number to 10 or 15.

The odds of a 20 number “jackpot” hitting are practically non existent (1 to 3,5 quintillion) so do not count on that making you rich any time soon.

In a real casino, there’s usually a keno booth, or there are hired people to distribute keno tickets. The numbers picked have to be registered with the casino, and in case of a win, they have to be taken to the booth immediately for validation. Keno games usually follow one another fairly quickly, so it makes sense to hurry up when you have a winner, or you risk having your ticket voided.

Purchasing a multi-race ticket (valid for several games) can save you the stress. Still better, you can buy special tickets which do not have to be cashed in immediately as they’re valid for about a year after the game has concluded (they’re called “stray and play” tickets).