Keno
Online Keno
If you fancy a change to our slots, roulette or free blackjack demo games, you might want to try Online Keno – which is a fast paced lottery style game. In this version, numbers (or spots as Mt Wombat informs me) are marked out from 1 to 80 on the scoring grid, and twenty balls are drawn at random during the game. If you’re the sporty type, you could also play our Red Card game where you try and avoid the red cards in 49 footballs. But let’s get back to Online Keno.
Your job is to correctly predict the numbers drawn- bet on up to 15 numbers per game. All you need to do is to click on the keno board to pick your numbers (press clear to clear the previous round´s selection or just leave the bets “to ride”). Once you press PLAY, balls will shoot out of the air blown tube and will land on the numbers. Hopefully they will land on the numbers that you have picked!
If you manage to predict 5 numbers, you will win your bet back. 6 numbers pays back evens (x2 your bet), 7 x5 your bet and so on up to 15 correct numbers which would net you 10,000x your bet.
Because you can bet on 1 number or as many as 15, the odds and pay-out will vary -it’s more difficult to pick 15 out of 20 numbers (selected from the 80 ball total) than 1 of course.
The amount you win will depend on how difficult the pick is. Each number you correctly predict from the 20 drawn is known as a “catch”. The Pay-Out schedule is shown here and on the game.
Pay-Out Schedule for Players Picking 15 Balls and 5 Balls
Where Does the Word Keno Come From?
Many think the word “keno” has Japanese roots, but in fact the word has French or Latin roots (quine in French meaning “five winning numbers”, and quini in Latin meaning “five each”).
However, the game is thought to have developed in China- some even say that it helped to fund the Great Wall of China.
Chinese workers brought the game of keno with them to the West when they helped build the First Transcontinental Railroad in the 19th century.
Keno Big Wins
You have to be a Lucky Jim to win big at keno- one of the largest wins we’ve heard about was in the US when a $2 ticket netted over $300,000 : the highest Keno 8-spot win in Oregon Lottery history.
The winner? Bruce Buckley. Now there’s a good man’s name.
Summary
Microgaming have some fine slots and table games like Spanish Blackjack Gold and are pretty good at these kinds of “Casual Games” for want of a better word. Another one you might want to try is Jackpot 3×3.
Keno is an easy game to play- it´s effectively a lottery that can be played instantaneously- there´s no waiting around for the weekly draw. Just remember to play responsibly and take your time.
Wombat Score: 4/5
Easy to play and simple to understand, what’s not to like about keno? If you can play the lottery, you can play this game. We just wish that there was a mobile version- you’ll need to play this one on a desktop or mobile.