Keno is derived from a Chinese lottery that is said to have been developed Over 2,000 years ago by a man named Cheung Leung.  The lottery Leung created was very similar to the modern keno game in which random numbers are selected and prizes are awarded to the lucky winners. (this lottery was used to fund Leung's army and to build part of the Great Wall of China.)

    All keno tickets reflect the game's Asian heritage.  The tickets are divided into two sections with numbers I to 40 at the top and numbers 41 to 80 at the bottom.  This balance is said to reflect the and sometimes famous balance of yin and yang.

    While keno has considerable history and some claims on meta- physical design, it remains a "suckers' game" at most casinos.  Why?
Because the house take is close to 25 percent.  Take this into consideration before you re-mortgage your house to swell casino profits.
Even slot machines offer better odds!

THE BASICS

    The objective of keno is to predict which numbers (up to 20 may be chosen) will be drawn from 80 numbered balls.  Although the draw itself takes place in the keno pit, you can usually play anywhere in the casino.  The lottery is drawn every 15 minutes or so.

    After filling out the ticket, simply hand it and the money you want to wager to one of the keno "runners" who roam about the casino. The runner will take it to the keno counter and return to you with the official keno ticket.  The runner will also cash in a winning ticket for you - or you can cash it in yourself.

    This is obviously not a game of great skill.  Las Vegas casinos try to make players of keno feel like they're in control of the gaming, but this is only because the game is so profitable to them.  The odds for you, the player, are poor.

MAKING A BET 

    Keno players mark the numbers they think will be drawn by circling or crossing out numbers on the keno ticket. There are endless combinations of numbers available on the ticket, but the easiest play is called a "straight ticket." Here are the options:

    Straight ticket is a ticket where you mark from one to the maximum number of spots (numbers) allowed by the casino (usually 20).  For example, one possible straight ticket would be the numbers 3, 10 and 67.  The payoff odds differ for each ticket depending on how many numbers are chosen.

    Split ticket allows a player to make two or more straight bets on one ticket.  You can mark two or more groups of numbers and then separate these groups by circling the numbers of each.  For example, suppose you want to bet on three groups of numbers. in the first group, you choose 3, 15, 17 and 18; in the second group you choose 29, 30, 39 and 40; and in the third group you pick 49, 53, 58 and 60.  To mark your ticket, you simply circle the numbers of each group.  To indicate this, write in the margin the number of groups, a division slash and then how many numbers are in each group.  In our example, you would write the fraction 3/4.

    Way ticket suggests its Asian origin even in the name.  It allows you to place bets on at least three equal groups of numbers, then each group is combined with every other group to form multiple straight-ticket combinations.

    For example, suppose you circle and mark 3,12,15,25 and 33 as the first group; the numbers 8, 19, 28, 30 and 39 as the second group; and 48, 60, 68, 78 and 80 as the third group.  This means that you are betting on each group separately, plus the first and second group combined, and the first and third group, and the second and third group.  This means that you have three 10-spot group bets.  On the margin of the ticket, you'd write in the fraction 3/10 (three groupings of 10 numbers).
 

    Before betting, it's a good idea to read through the keno pamphlets available at the casino.  Minimum bets, maximum bets, rules and payoffs vary from casino to casino.  There are also a few more obscure betting options (king tickets, multi-race tickets, combination way tickets) whose rules differ from one casino to the next.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

    Keno is purely a game of chance where skill plays no part in the outcome.  In simplest terms, it's a lottery within the casino. While it is possible to play keno with as little as 70 cents, the likelihood of winning is small because of the house advantage.

 The odds of betting on 10 numbers and getting all of them correct is just under 9 million to 1. Such big, payoffs aren't likely to be seen in your lifetime much less during your casino visit. on a $1 10-spot straight ticket, your typical payoff will be around $25,000 all your numbers match the ones called.  The prize is a great inducement to play, but the odds are stacked against you.
 

 KENO ODDS
 

 If you pick...                   the odds against you are

 one number .........................4:1
 two numbers .......................2:1
 three numbers ....................2:1
 four numbers ......................5:1
 five numbers ....................18:1
 six numbers .....................86:1
 seven numbers .............619:1
 eight numbers .......... 7,383:1
 nine numbers ........163,380:1
 ten numbers......  8,911,711:1
 eleven numbers or more You're more likely to be struck by lightning 
 

    For people who like to take their time gambling, who enjoy a slow paced-game that doesn't require much (if any) mental exertion or strategic thinking then keno may be a fine entertainment. Anyone who wants fast-paced action and high-stakes will fall asleep in a keno lounge. Considering the house advantage, keno has little to recommend it as a gambling activity, though neither do provincial lotteries and their tocket sales amount to hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
 

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