Keno’s History

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Keno was created in 200 before Christ by the Chinese military commander, Cheung Leung who used this game as a way to finance his declining army. The city of Cheung was waging a battle, and after some time seemed to be facing country wide famine with the excessive decrease in supplies. Cheung Leung needed to come up with a quick response for the economic calamity and to create money for his army. He therefore developed the game we now know as keno and it was a fantastic success.

Keno used to be known as the White Pigeon Game, because the winning numbers were broadcast by pigeons from larger locations to the lesser towns. The lotto ‘Keno’ was brought to America in the 1800s by Chinese immigrants who headed to the States for jobs. In those times, Keno was played with 120 numbers.

Today, Keno is regularly wagered on with eighty numbers in a majority of American brick and mortar casinos as well as web casinos. Keno is commonly enjoyed today because of the relaxed nature of playing the game and the simple fact that there are little skills required to enjoy Keno. Regardless of the reality that the odds of winning are horrible, there is always the hope that you will hit quite large with a tiny gambling investment.

Keno is played with eighty numbers and 20 numbers are drawn each round. Gamblers of Keno can select from two to 10 numbers and bet on them, whatever amount they are able to. The pay out of Keno is according to the wagers made and the matching of numbers.

Keno grew in popularity in the United States near the close of the 19th century when the Chinese characters were changed with , American numbers. Lottos were not covered under the legalization of wagering in Nevada State in 1931. The casinos renamed the ‘Chinese lottery’ to ‘horse race keno’ employing the notion that the numbers are horses and you want your horses to come in. When the Nevada government passed a law that levied a tax on off track wagering, the casinos quickly changed the name to ‘Keno’.