If you’ve always been a big fan of lotteries, then playing Keno at the online casinos might be the best option for you. Like slots, Keno is a game of random luck and chance, but where you could easily win huge sums of cash based on nothing more than good luck. If you are also looking to swap the high skill casino games for a soothing change of pace, look no further than Keno.
Online Keno Guide
Keno is an online casino game played using a deck of cards with numbers ranging from 1-18. However, unlike other casino classics that use cards, keno is played like a lottery. You are required to pick a number to bet on after which 20 numbers are randomly drawn using a random number generator (for the software-based game) or a ball machine. Winning numbers are paid out based on the numbers drawn, the numbers that you’ve matched and the much that you’ve wagered.
Keno is very popular among Indian casino players and at the online casinos, it’s usually offered under the lotteries section. Behind this popularity, there are several factors, which we are going to highlight in this article. We’ve also made an effort to include all the useful information you need in order to play this game without any stress.
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A Quick History of Keno
Keno has its roots in China. It is believed that Cheung Leung was the man responsible for inventing the game. Yet, despite being formed more than 3,000 years ago, keno has never lost its appeal and popularity amongst players. Furthermore, the modern version of the game still uses the same format as the first keno game devised, which is perhaps why the game is still as popular as the original version.
The Origin of Keno
The word ‘keno’ could have originated from the Latin quini – which translates to ‘five each’ – or French quini – which translates to ‘five winning numbers’. While the exact origin of the modern-day version of keno is unknown, it’s well documented that the game was first played in China.
Rumour has it that in Ancient China, the Chinese government was heavily burdened with expensive projects. Projects that involved building the largest wall in the history of the world – the Great Wall of China – as well as funding wars. Given how the Chinese loved to gamble, the government thought it wise to come up with a taxing system, one which instead of following the lottery game format, would attract players to voluntarily play in it.
As legand has it, there was also a popular game – Baige Piao (which translates to ‘White Pigeon’ – that derived its name from the pigeons which were trained to carry lottery results to different villages. The government used this game to tax players and needless to state, the strategy of collecting the funds worked well. Even after achieving its goal, the game Baige Piao didn’t disappear.
Instead, during the industrial revolution of the 1800s, Chinese started migrating to different parts of Europe and the Americas. While doing so, they spread the game of Baige Piao to other parts of the world, including India. This game was later introduced to casinos under different names such as Keno.
Development of Keno in the 19th century
By the 1900s, keno had been commercialized and advertised for mainstream society. And the best way to make the popularity spread across the world is by introducing the game to the Nevada Gambling scene – which at that time had just been legalized.
After the game found its way to Nevada – around 1933 – it spread like wildfire across the United States. And after being featured in several films – most notably Vegas Vacation – the game was widely adopted across casinos around the world.
Modern Day Online Keno
The last step of keno development was its incorporation to the digital era, which happened when the game was introduced online in the late 1990s. The game’s rules remained the same, with the only difference being that the outcomes were generated using a Random Number Generator software.
With its adoption online, the game became accessible through multiple online gambling platforms, with some of the online casino brands even offering tournaments for the game.
How to Play Keno Online
It’s no doubt that keno is one of the simplest casino games. It also doesn’t come as a surprise that it’s one of the trickiest to play. The online version of the game, however, streamlines it – making it even simpler to play!
The simple aspects of the game are:
· Locating the game at the online casinos. Keno is usually located under the ‘other games’ or ‘lottery’ section
· Simplicity in playing it. Short and sweet, no-frills and the online version of the game loads fast
· Once the game has finished loading, you are presented with a board that features 80 numbers on it. This is the section where you are required to select your lucky numbers. In total, you are required to pick 15 numbers – though you can always pick fewer
· Once you are done picking your lucky numbers, hit the play button. This will see a draw of 20 numbers taking place to reveal the winning numbers
· Players with winning numbers receive their payouts instantly, so you won’t have to wait forever
· Once the wins are paid out, you can choose to keep your winning numbers for another draw or opt to clear the board and pick new numbers
It’s pretty easy and straightforward, right? It is, but there’s also a tricky part to keno:
· Correctly picking the winning number(s)
But hey, this is the thrill of playing keno – every player has his/her lucky numbers and you can test different systems, different combinations and see if you’ll land yourself the jackpot. If you are lucky to pick out 15 correct numbers, you stand a chance of winning up to 10,000x your bet!
To help you familiarize yourself with the game’s rules, and workings, online casinos have a free to play keno game.
How Does The Free Keno Games Work?
The same way as you’d be playing keno in the real money mode. The game has the same features, same odds, and follows the same rules as the real money game. The only difference is that you won’t be able to win any real cash.
Play Online Keno for Real Money
If you are ready searching for fast action and mega riches, you can rest assured that online keno has your number. In fact, the game has 80 of them for you to pick. And if your winning number shows up, you’ll land yourself some big cash prizes – but only if you stake real money to the game.
How do you stake real money to the games, you ask? Indian friendly casinos offer plenty of payment options, which mostly constitute of eWallets. Use these payment options to deposit money from your bank account to the casino account. You can use this cash to play keno for real money.
You Can Speed The Fun With Turbo Keno
To speed up things, software developers designed a popular keno variation – Turbo Keno. This is a game that reveals the up to 20 numbers instantly. While most of the games will reveal a number at a time to build the suspense, Turbo Keno works differently. Activate the Turbo Mode to reveal the round’s 20 selected numbers at a go.
Download vs. Instant Keno – The Two Popular Ways of Playing Keno Online
Once you’ve made up your mind to play keno online, you can access it through any of the two simple platforms:
· The browser-based version: Also known as the instant or no download platform, you simply need your device’s browser to pick your lucky number
· The download version: For this, you have to download the casino’s application to play keno
Different types of Keno Bets?
As you play keno online, these are some of the frequent types of bets that you are bound to come across:
· Straight Ticket Bet: Usually has one selection of numbers
· Way Ticket Bet: Contains a number of group bets. It could be two bet, five bets or 100 bets
· King Ticket Bet: It will have a king number that appears in every grouping
· Split-Ticket Bet: This is a group of straight bets
· Combination Ticket Bet: Will combine several grouping types
What’s the House Edge in Keno
While there’s no fixed figure showing the house edge for online keno games, there’s a huge range of keno odds. Usually, the house edge will range from an average of 4% to a massive 35%, depending on where you play. Of course, land-based casinos will have a huge house edge of between 20% and 30%. It’s because of this that serious gamblers avoid playing keno at the land-based casinos and instead play online.
At the online casinos, the allure of winning the lottery-style jackpot is usually tempting for most players to turn it down. When you calculate the odds of a particular ball showing up, it will come down to 1.25% as there are 80 numbers to pick from. The best way you can calculate these odds is by using the keno calculator, which allow you to pick anywhere from 1 number up to the highest possible selection.
Why is Keno Such a Big Hit Despite the High House Edge?
Some of the biggest keno fans pick and submit their lucky tickets multiple times a day. There are those players who frequently play keno several times a day. And from all this, one thing stands out – keno is loved for good reasons. In this section, we take you through some the reasons why keno – despite its huge house edge – remains a very popular game among players.
1. Keno is Easy
The ease of picking the numbers and placing your bets in keno is one of the main reasons why it commands a huge following amongst players. There’s no need of memorizing complicated strategies, worry about controlling your bets or make your way around video game-style bonus game.
Keno rules are simple and straightforward! And when you choose to play the game online, you won’t have to wait for game starting times, lucky numbers or anything of the sort. It’s just you, the game and your bet so that you can start picking the numbers and get almost instant results!
2. Any Interested Person Can Enjoy Playing Keno
The online version of the game has become a favourite among many casino players as it gives them the opportunity to have entertainment time out from the day to day routine. You don’t need to interact with the casino’s dealer or other players. For a few minutes, you get the chance to focus on your lucky numbers, prepare your ticket and wait in anticipation as the game produces the results. And the best part about all this is the fact that you don’t need any skill to execute it.
3. The Results Are Determined Within A Short Time
Besides roulette and slots, there’s no other game that delivers instant results like keno. In fact, with Turbo Keno, you get to know the game’s results instantly once you’ve activated the Turbo mode.
New to Playing Keno? We’ve Got Useful Tips to Help You!
Due to the inbuilt randomness of Keno, there is no strategy that you can use to improve your winning chances. However, there are a few tips and tricks that you can observe, which will help you maximize your chances of building the bankroll. They include the following.
1. Pick Keno Games with The Best Bonuses
The best way of optimizing your playtime is picking online keno games that offer bonus wins over and above the instant payouts. There are betting options that offer you special in-game bonus rounds accompanied by enhanced odds, free rounds, marked spots and progressive jackpots that deliver payouts of between 5x and 10x your bet
2. Shop Online for the Best Odds
Don’t jus sign up at an online casino because you want to bet! On the contrary, create an account at an online casino because it has proven beyond doubt that they’ll offer you value for your money. To pick such an online casino, shop around by visiting different online casino forums, online casino reviewing sites such as Indiaslots.com and conduct a quick comparative examination of the keno odds offered. Only then can you make your hard-earned cash work for you in the best possible way!
3. Bet Max when you have The Chance To!
One rule of the thumb is to place the highest possible bet as you play any online casino game. Of course, this is if you can afford to. Doubling down as you play keno ensures that you land big wins in the event that you’ll be smiling all the way to the bank
4. Keeping Track Of Past Winning Numbers Doesn’t Work With Keno
Keno isn’t cricket betting where a team’s past performance plays a crucial part in determining the winner. Even if a past number hasn’t appeared in a long while, it does not mean that it is more likely to occur. If you are a believer in this, then you are believing in the ‘Gamblers Fallacy’, which is highly discouraged whenever you are playing any online casino game.
Online keno is a game that uses the state of the art Random Number Generator software to determine the outcome. This, therefore, means that the game’s results are usually 100% random, unpredictable and independent of the outgoing results.
5. Last But Not Least – Have Fun Picking Your Lucky Numbers
The numbers you pick should follow a system that you are comfortable with. Number plates, birthday dates, anniversary dates, your child’s birth date or any format that you are most likely going to have fun with!
How To Pick Keno Numbers
Picking the correct keno numbers could make a huge difference in your life. It could easily mean that your life changes instantly, especially if there’s a huge prize on the line. To help you decide on ways that you can pick lucky keno numbers, we’ve included a list of methods that seem to work for most of the lucky winners. However, as you use them, always remember that the odds are usually stacked against you and that they are not a guarantee that they’ll work.
· Anniversaries and Birthday Dates: Unforgettable days is generally the main way through which players pick their lucky keno numbers. You’ll be surprised to find that more than 70% of keno players use anniversaries and birthday dates to pick out the numbers
· Cold and Hot Numbers: This usually tends to work best with the land-based keno games. Studying past draws over a given period of time will reveal a certain number combinations. Some players use this information when picking their numbers
· Lucky Numbers: Of course all the numbers that you pick are your lucky numbers. However, there are special lucky numbers, which are mostly determined by mythology and history pertinent to every country. In China, for instance, the number 8 is a lucky number. In other countries, the number 7 is lucky when it comes to gambling
· Pattern Play: This form of picking numbers is widely popular with players picking the numbers physically. These players will pick their numbers based on the patterns that appear on the sheet
· Quick Pick Feature: It is very common with the software-based keno games online. Once you’ve activated this feature, the computer software will pick all the numbers on your behalf
Fun Facts about Keno
Below are some five (fun) facts that you probably didn’t know about keno.
· As a game that was invented in China, the original game was played using Chinese symbols. This only ended in the 19th century when the game was introduced to the Americans by the Chinese migrants
· Keno is based purely on luck. There’s no sure winning strategy as you play the game
· Payouts in keno depend on the numbers that you have picked as well as those that come up
· You can play progressive jackpot keno games at the land-based casinos. You’ll hardly find these games at the online casinos
· It is one of the games with a very high house edge
· Payouts in keno vary from one online casino to another
· You can play keno for free – at the online casinos – before deciding to commit real money
Keno In India
Like in most parts of the world, keno commands a massive following in India. Even though the online gaming industry is not particularly established in India as it is in Europe and America, the Indian online gambling market is immense. In fact, it is also worth noting that most Indian keno punters play at casinos licensed under foreign jurisdictions. It is also worth noting that only a handful of Indian-based online casinos offer keno games.
The Legality of Online Keno In India
In India, any form of online gambling is considered illegal. Even those states that allow for physical land-based sports betting have an intricate set of rules that define how the activity should be carried out. What really surprises us most is that most of these laws that govern gambling in the country are as old as the country itself.
For instance, according to the age-old The Public Gambling Act of 1867, all forms of betting are prohibited within the country. This is a law that was formulated back in the day when India was still a British colony.
This law was only revised in the Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act of 1976, which stated that five-star casinos to be set up in the states mentioned. It , however, still didn’t mention anything to do with online gambling – because of course the internet hadn’t been invented.
On the other hand, the state of Maharashtra under the “Bombay Wager Act” prohibits any form of online gambling. It is an offence to play even at the offshore online casinos while you are in the state
The closest law to defining online casino gaming and other forms of gambling is The Information Technology Act, 2000. This law requires all internet service providers to put effort into preventing gambling brands from offering Indian players services.
So Is It Illegal To Play Keno at The Online Casinos?
After all is said and done, we can say that it’s not illegal to play keno online. Because:
1. There’s no law that explicitly declares online casino gaming illegal
2. There has never been any player arrested and prosecuted for playing online casino games
3. There are plenty of offshore online casinos offering their services to Indian players. You can always visit these sites to enjoy the casino services
All In All…
Online keno is a very popular game among casino players, and particularly those who enjoy playing number games, lotteries and fans of bingo. Undoubtedly, there’s an art to picking numbers as far as lotteries are concerned and different people have different ways of picking these lucky digits as they tread the road to impending riches.
The popularity of this game does not only come from being a great source of entertainment but also because it’s a lot of fun. It is a simple and straightforward game that you can learn at recommended online casinos. Visit any one of these brands, familiarize yourself with the game’s rules – for free – before putting any money on the line in the real money mode!
Casino, Betting, & gambling expert with 11+ years of industry experience. publications featured in the Hindustan Dainik, Dainik Bhaskar, the Times of India & many more. Vichaan Acharya is our in-house gambling expert here at Indiaslots.com
