Keno was introduced in two hundred BC by the Chinese military leader, Cheung Leung who used this game as a way to finance his declining army. The city of Cheung was at war, and after a bit of war time seemed to be facing national shortage of food with the drastic decrease in supplies. Cheung Leung had to develop a rapid response for the financial disaster and to produce income for his army. He, as it follows designed the game we now know as keno and it was a great success.
Keno used to be known as the White Pigeon Game, due to the fact that the winning numbers were broadcast by pigeons from larger cities to the lesser towns. The lotto ‘Keno’ was imported to the US in the 1800s by Chinese newcomers who migrated to the States for work. In those times, Keno was played with one hundred and twenty numbers.
Today, Keno is most often played with just 80 numbers in almost all of the US based casinos along with online casinos. Keno is commonly played today as a result of the relaxed nature of playing the game and the simple reality that there are little skills needed to play Keno. Regardless of the fact that the odds of coming away with a win are horrible, there is always the hope that you will hit quite big with a tiny gambling investment.
Keno is enjoyed with 80 numbers and twenty numbers are drawn each game. Gamblers of Keno can pick from two to 10 numbers and wager 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 acceptance in the US near the end of the 19th century when the Chinese letters were replaced with more familiar, American numbers. Lottos weren’t covered under the legalization of wagering in the state of Nevada in Nineteen Thirty One. The casinos renamed the ‘Chinese lottery’ 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 taxed off track gambling, the casinos swiftly altered the name to ‘Keno’.
