Keno was first played in two hundred BC by the Chinese army commander, Cheung Leung who utilized this game as a way to finance his declining army. The city of Cheung was waging a war, and after some time seemed to be looking at a country wide shortage of food with the excessive decrease in supplies. Cheung Leung had to create a quick fix for the financial disaster and to acquire money for his military. He, as it follows invented the game we know today as keno and it was a wonderful success.
Keno once was well-known as the White Pigeon Game, since the winning numbers were broadcast by pigeons from larger locations to the tinier towns. The lotto ‘Keno’ was brought to America in the 19th century by Chinese newcomers who migrated to the States to jobs. In those times, Keno used 120 numbers.
Today, Keno is generally played with 80 numbers in most of American land based casinos as well as net casinos. Keno is largely played today as a consequence of the relaxed nature of betting the game and the simple reality that there are no skills required to enjoy Keno. Regardless of the reality that the chances of winning are terrible, there is always the hope that you might hit quite big with very little gambling investment.
Keno is played with eighty numbers with twenty numbers selected each round. Players of Keno can select from 2 to 10 numbers and wager on them, as much or as little as they want to. The payout of Keno is according to the bets made and the matching of numbers.
Keno has grown in popularity in the United States since the end of the 1800’s when the Chinese characters were changed with more familiar, US numbers. Lotteries weren’t covered under the legalization of wagering in the state of Nevada in Nineteen Thirty One. The casinos adjusted the name of the ‘Chinese lotto’ to ‘horse race keno’ employing the concept that the numbers are horses and you want your horses to place. When the Nevada government passed a law that levied a tax on off track wagering, Nevada casinos quickly changed the name to ‘Keno’.