Keno is in many ways like Lotto. It originates from China where it started many years ago. In the mid 1800's it was brought to the USA by the Chinese immigrants who worked in the mines and on the railroads. It's a popular game and is extremely easy to play. The huge attraction with Keno is that it offers the possibility of winning huge payouts for relatively small wagers.

You'll usually find Keno being played in Casino lounges which are purposefully allocated for the game, but you will also find 'Keno runners' who collect your ticket and then deliver any winnings if the player prefers to play from outside the actual lounge area for example if the player is busy on a another table or machine. There will also be TV monitors placed around the Casino halls to keep players up to date with the winning numbers.

In addition to the live Keno mentioned above there are also video versions of Keno. These are slots-like machines. They have the same game principles as for regular Keno but the results occur much quicker.

To play Keno, you select between 4 and 10 numbers in the range of 1 to 80. Each selection is referred to as a 'Spot', so for example if you select 10 numbers you are said to be playing a 10 Spot game.

Keno tickets can be found at tables all throughout the Casino and also in the Casino's Keno lounge. The Casino also provides a special 'Keno crayon' for entering the 'Spots'.

To take part all you need to do is fill in a blank Keno ticket with the numbers of your choice. You then either take the ticket to the Keno desk with your bet, or get a 'Keno runners' to do it for you, and the clerk will then handover a duplicate ticket. When all bets are in, twenty numbered Keno balls are drawn totally at random from a barrel containing the 80 numbered balls, and if enough of the numbers you selected are drawn then you are a winner. The results of the draw are displayed on screens, referred to as Keno boards, throughout the Casino.

The minimum bet is as low as 5 cents, although in some Casinos the minimum is set at $1. For information about the various payoffs and tickets available you can consult the house's Keno brochures.

The amount of money you can is based on the type of ticket played with and also the number of 'Spots' which come up or are 'caught'. You can play with as many or few tickets as you wish, obviously the more tickets played the greater the chance of winning. It's actually possible to win as much as $50,000 on a $1 bet in certain Casinos.

Each round of a Keno game is known as a Keno race. A lot of Casinos also feature 'multi-race' Keno, where you have the option of taking part in a number of consecutive Keno races all at the same time.

The house advantage on Keno differs depending on the actual Keno game played. It's usually around 30% or more. The actual chance of hitting one number in 80 is 0.25%, so although the payout to bet ratio is big so is the chance of winning, it's therefore amongst the worst bets you can make in a casino.