Keno is a game of luck similar to bingo, and there are various versions of live games in casinos, though state lotteries, and on line.

History

The game of keno is said to have been started in ancient China more than two millennia ago. According to legend, a man named Cheung Leung invented the game as a way to pay for a war. The story is that the soldiers in Cheung Leung's town had run out of supplies, but the people of the town did not want to pay the money to buy them more of what they needed. However, enemies were threatening, and the town was in danger. Revenue earned by playing the game raised the needed money, the army was resupplied, and the town was saved.

In subsequent years, the game spread throughout China. It was known as the "White Pigeon Game," because the sponsors of the games used pigeon messengers to send the results of the game to the players who lived in rural villages. The White Pigeon Game is said to be responsible for providing some of the funds used to build the Great Wall of China.

The original version of this game did not use numbers; instead, it used the first 80 characters of a famous poem called "The Thousand Character Classic." The poem had long been used to teach children reading and writing skills, since each of the thousand characters was used only once. In fact, some people used the poem as a way of counting from one to 1,000.

Chinese Lottery

In America, the game was known as "Chinese lottery," and it was quite popular, even though gambling was technically illegal. Many kinds of gambling were legalized in the early 1930s, though lotteries were still against the law. As a way of getting around this, casino owners referred to it as "horse race keno." The implication there was that each number stood for a horse, and the player was merely betting on a horse to come in.

In general, the odds one gets from playing keno are not as great as those from playing other games. Still, the game remains popular because it is relatively simple, and there is the possibility, however small, of receiving a big payout.

Casino Version

In a game at a casino, the player starts with a card in which there are 80 squares, each numbered in sequence, 1 to 80. The player is given a crayon or other marking device and is asked to mark the numbers to be played. A player can mark just one spot, or can mark more, up to 15 spots. Most players mark 10 spots.

After the card is marked, it is presented to a clerk, who makes a copy by punching the marked spots on a house ticket. When the drawing for the game is to begin, an announcement is made over the loudspeaker, and players gather to see what they have won.

A keno blower, which contains 80 ping pong balls, each numbered one to 80, is then started. Compressed air mixes the balls around, and 20 balls are removed, one by one. The number of each ball is given on a large electronic keno board nearby. The players check their cards, and collect their winnings. A new game starts a few minutes later.