The Keno Lottery

The Keno Lottery is a game of chance where the money you win depends on correctly guessing the numbers drawn on the balls. The history of the Keno lottery is thought to have begun in ancient China around two hundred years before the modern era. Legend has it that the idea for this form of gambling entertainment belonged to the ruler of the Han Dynasty. Modern balls at the time were replaced by Chinese characters (120 in total), which were placed in a special table. The player would blot out certain characters with an inked brush (hence the name “spot”, meaning “speck”).

The winner was determined personally by the emperor, who took out the plaques twice a day. Participants whose marked characters matched those on the emperor’s tablets won. There is information that much of the cost of building the Great Wall of China was covered by this lottery. The western world got acquainted with the Imperial lottery (which is called Keno) in the XIX century, after mass resettlement of the Chinese to America.

Rules of the game and the likelihood of winning

A potential participant fills in a form on which they mark 20 numbers out of a possible 80 (indicating the stake). The form must be certified by an agent. The algorithm of the game process is simple:

• During the drawing process, a special device (lotto machine) randomly throws 20 balls with specific numbers (from 1 to 80);
• The player compares the numbers drawn with the numbers indicated in advance and notes them on his form;
• The player who guessed the most numbers gets the biggest win. 

In traditional casinos, lightning-fast reactions were required, as the draw took place at high speed and some players didn’t make it in time to check the correct number.

The odds of winning

The odds of guessing all 20 numbers is negligible (the ratio of the probability of such an event to one is calculated by a value of nineteen digits). The casino has a statistical advantage in the Keno lottery of 25-30%. The calculated probability is based on the number of correctly marked numbers in the range of two to five:

• two – 14.8%;
• three – 24%;
• four – 25%;
• five – 17.6%.

Even under these conditions, Keno has remained popular for decades. Even those who guess 2-3 numbers receive some winnings.

Differences of the virtual version of the Keno lottery

Advances in IT technology have allowed the Keno lottery to successfully migrate to online gambling sites. The interface of the software offering Keno is a table accommodating 80 numbers. The main difference is that the gamer can choose only 15 balls.

After selecting the numbers and starting the slot, the balls fall out on the field (matches are marked in colour). The winnings are calculated according to a special payout table, taking into account the bet made. Virtual players can use the quick ball selection option.

Strategies for playing Keno

A random number generator is responsible for determining the winning numbers in online Keno. One thing to be aware of is that each subsequent round of Keno is not related to the previous number drawn. Most gamers choose one of two strategic options, and these are:

• Selecting balls that have not yet been drawn in previous rounds (the outcome of a reverse event);
• Betting on the numbers that are most likely to fall out.

There is no statistical evidence to support the effectiveness of such strategies. According to probability theory, matches of three, four or five numbers are considered to be the most expected.