03.29
The History of Keno
Keno was introduced in 200 before Christ by the Chinese army commander, Cheung Leung who used keno as a way to finance his failing forces. The metropolis of Cheung was waging a war, and after a bit of war time seemed to be facing national famine with the dramatic drop in supplies. Cheung Leung had to come up with a fast fix for the financial calamity and to acquire revenue for his army. He therefore created the game we now know as keno and it was a wonderful success.
Keno once was known as the White Pigeon Game, because the winning numbers were sent out by pigeons from bigger cities to the lesser villages. The lotto ‘Keno’ was brought to the USA in the 19th century by Chinese expatriates who came to the States for work. In those times, Keno used 120 numbers.
Today, Keno is most often gambled on with 80 numbers in almost all of the US land based casinos as well as net casinos. Keno is mainly played today as a consequence of the relaxed nature of wagering the game and the simple fact that there are no expertise required to enjoy Keno. Regardless of the fact that the chances of coming away with a win are terrible, there is always the chance that you might win quite large with little gaming investment.
Keno is enjoyed with 80 numbers and twenty numbers are selected each round. Gamblers of Keno can choose from 2 to ten numbers and gamble on them, whatever amount they are able to. The pay out of Keno is dependent on the bets made and the roll out of matching numbers.
Keno has grown in popularity in the US since the end of the 1800’s when the Chinese characters were changed with more familiar, US numbers. Lotteries were not covered under the legalization of gaming in Nevada State in Nineteen Thirty One. The casinos altered the name of the ‘Chinese lottery’ to ‘horse race keno’ employing the idea that the numbers are horses and you want your horses to place. When the Nevada government passed a law that levied a tax on off track wagering, casinos quickly altered the name to ‘Keno’.