Keno’s History
Keno was created in 200 BC by the Chinese military commander, Cheung Leung who used keno as a way to finance his declining army. The metropolis of Cheung was at war, and after some time appeared to be looking at a country wide famine with the dramatic decrease in supplies. Cheung Leung needed to create a fast response for the financial adversity and to acquire money for his army. He therefore designed the game we know today as keno and it was a great success.
Keno used to be well-known as the White Pigeon Game, because the winning numbers were sent out by pigeons from bigger cities to the smaller towns. The lottery ‘Keno’ was imported to America in the 1800s by Chinese immigrants who migrated to the States for jobs. In those times, Keno used 120 numbers.
Today, Keno is most often gambled on with 80 numbers in almost all of the US based casinos along with internet casinos. Keno is largely loved today as a result of the relaxed nature of playing the game and the simple fact that there are little skills required to enjoy Keno. Regardless of the fact that the odds of coming away with a win are terrible, there is constantly the possibility that you could win quite big with a tiny gambling investment.
Keno is played with eighty numbers and twenty numbers are selected each round. Enthusiasts of Keno can choose from two to 10 numbers and gamble on them, as much or as little as they want to. The pay out of Keno is dependent on the wagers made and the matching of numbers.
Keno has grown in popularity in the United States since the end of the 19th century when the Chinese letters were replaced with more familiar, US numbers. Lottos were not covered under the legalization of gambling in Nevada State in 1931. The casinos renamed the ‘Chinese lotto’ to ‘horse race keno’ employing the idea that the numbers are horses and you are wanting your horses to come in. When the Nevada government passed a law that taxed off track wagering, casinos swiftly altered the name to ‘Keno’.