The History of Keno
Keno was introduced in 200 BC by the Chinese military commander, Cheung Leung who used keno as a way to finance his failing army. The city of Cheung was waging a war, and after a bit of war time seemed to be facing national famine with the excessive decrease in supplies. Cheung Leung needed to develop a fast fix for the economic calamity and to produce money for his army. He, as it follows invented the game we know today as keno and it was a great success.
Keno once was well-known as the White Pigeon Game, due to the fact that the winning numbers were delivered by pigeons from larger cities to the tinier towns. The lotto ‘Keno’ was imported to the United States in the 19th century by Chinese migrants who headed to the United States to jobs. In those times, Keno was played with one hundred and twenty numbers.
Today, Keno is regularly gambled on with just 80 numbers in almost all of the US land based casinos along with internet casinos. Keno is mainly played today as a result of the laid back nature of betting the game and the simple fact that there are little skills required to play Keno. Despite the reality that the chances of getting a win are horrible, there is always the chance that you will hit quite large with a tiny gaming investment.
Keno is enjoyed with 80 numbers with twenty numbers selected each game. Players of Keno can pick from 2 to 10 numbers and gamble on them, as much or as little as they want to. The pay out of Keno is according to the wagers made and the matching of numbers.
Keno grew in popularity in the US near the end of the 1800’s when the Chinese letters were replaced with more familiar, US numbers. Lottos were not covered under the legalization of gambling in the state of Nevada in Nineteen Thirty One. The casinos renamed the ‘Chinese lottery’ to ‘horse race keno’ employing the idea that the numbers are horses and you are looking for your horses to come in. When the Nevada government passed a law that levied a tax on off track gambling, the casinos quickly adjusted the name to ‘Keno’.