Keno was first played in 200 BC by the Chinese military commander, Cheung Leung who used keno as a financial resource for his declining forces. The city of Cheung was at war, and after some time seemed to be looking at a national famine with the drastic drop in supplies. Cheung Leung needed to create a fast fix for the economic disaster and to create money for his military. He therefore created the game we now know as keno and it was a fantastic success.
Keno once was referred to as the White Pigeon Game, since the winning numbers were delivered by pigeons from larger cities to the smaller villages. The lottery ‘Keno’ was brought to the US in the 19th century by Chinese immigrants who came to the United States for jobs. In those times, Keno used 120 numbers.
Today, Keno is normally bet on with 80 numbers in just about all of American based casinos as well as internet casinos. Keno is mainly loved today because of the relaxed nature of playing the game and the basic fact that there are little skills required to play Keno. Despite the fact that the chances of getting a win are appalling, there is always the hope that you will hit quite big with little gambling investment.
Keno is enjoyed with 80 numbers and twenty numbers are drawn each game. Players of Keno can choose from 2 to ten numbers and wager on them, as much or as little as they want to. The payout of Keno is dependent on the wagers made and the matching of numbers.
Keno grew in acceptance in the US near the close of the 19th century when the Chinese letters were replaced with more familiar, US numbers. Lottos were not covered under the legalization of wagering in Nevada State in 1931. The casinos renamed the ‘Chinese lottery’ to ‘horse race keno’ utilizing the idea that the numbers are horses and you are looking for your horses to come in. When a law passed that taxed off track gambling, the casinos quickly adjusted the name to ‘Keno’.