The History of Keno
Saturday, 10. April 2021
Keno was first played in 200 BC by the Chinese army commander, Cheung Leung who utilized keno as a monetary resource for his failing forces. The city of Cheung was at war, and after a bit of war time appeared to be facing country wide shortage of food with the dramatic decrease in supplies. Cheung Leung had to develop a rapid response for the economic disaster and to produce revenue for his military. He therefore designed the game we now know as keno and it was a wonderful success.
Keno was known as the White Pigeon Game, seeing as the winning numbers were delivered by pigeons from larger locations to the smaller villages. The lottery ‘Keno’ was imported to America in the 19th century by Chinese expatriates who headed to the United States to work. In those times, Keno used 120 numbers.
Today, Keno is generally gambled on with 80 numbers in most of American brick and mortar casinos along with online casinos. Keno is largely played today as a result of the laid back nature of playing the game and the simple reality that there are no expertise required to enjoy Keno. Regardless of the fact that the odds of getting a win are appalling, there is constantly the possibility that you might win quite big with little gambling investment.
Keno is enjoyed with eighty numbers and twenty numbers are selected each round. Players of Keno can pick from two to ten numbers and bet on them, whatever amount they want to. The payout of Keno is dependent on the wagers made and the roll out of matching numbers.
Keno grew in popularity in the US near the end of the 19th century when the Chinese letters were replaced with more familiar, American numbers. Lottos weren’t covered under the laws of gambling in the state of Nevada in Nineteen Thirty One. The casinos renamed the ‘Chinese lottery’ to ‘horse race keno’ employing the idea that the numbers are horses and you are wanting your horses to come in. When a law passed that levied a tax on off track wagering, the casinos swiftly adjusted the name to ‘Keno’.
Posted in Keno by Reed