Keno

A set of keno betting slips

Keno /kn/ is a lottery-like gambling game often played at modern casinos, and also offered as a game in some lotteries.

Players wager by choosing numbers ranging from 1 through (usually) 80. After all players make their wagers, 20 numbers (some variants draw fewer numbers) are drawn at random, either with a ball machine similar to ones used for lotteries and bingo, or with a random number generator.

Each casino sets its own series of payouts, called "paytables". The player is paid based on how many numbers were chosen (either player selection, or the terminal picking the numbers), the number of matches out of those chosen, and the wager.

There are a wide variety of keno paytables depending on the casino, usually with a larger "house edge" than other games, ranging from less than 4 percent[1] to over 35 percent[2] in online play, and 20-40% in in-person casinos.[3] By way of comparison, the typical house edge for non-slot casino games is under 5%.[4]

  1. ^ Online Keno odds
  2. ^ Shackleford, Michael. "Keno - Strategy and Odds by The Wizard of Odds". Wizard Of Odds Consulting, Inc. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  3. ^ "What is the House Edge?". Kiowa Casino - Oklahoma Casino. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  4. ^ Casino advantages for various games