How to Play Keno and Win

Gambling has always been a popular but somewhat taboo pastime in India, with lotteries maintaining as the most widely established commercial form of betting in the world’s second-most populous country.

Keno, a traditional ticketed game with Chinese roots, is an undervalued gambling invention that does not get nearly as talked about as it should. It is unique in that it gets offered by both brick-and-mortar gaming establishments and organizations that operate public state/nationwide draws. Thus, it toes the line between casino-style gaming and lotteries. History books claim that it first sprung up around the third century BC in Asia and made its way onto North America in the mid-nineteen century. From there, it spread across the globe. It is safe to say that keno got popularized in the United States due to Nevada implementing a no-limit jackpot rule, also valid for keno.

The appeal of this game of chance lies in its simplicity and in that it implemented a standard lottery format that everyone can pick up in minutes. There is no skill involved in playing keno, and that is why it is attractive to casual players, as fate has the final say in all draws. Today, Indians from all parts of the country can enjoy keno online games. Below we dive a bit deeper into explaining some of the basics and nuances of this forgotten gambling classic for those interested in testing their luck on it.

Keno Rules

The word keno has a French origin, signifying five each. Nevertheless, modern keno gameplay rarely entails players hitting at least five correct guesses before attaining a prize. Essentially, the goal in this game is for players to pick what they believe are lucky numbers, often up to twenty. They select these from a selection that ranges from one to eighty, hoping that their chosen ones will match those that get randomly drawn by a game’s organizer.

The payouts achieved in keno get based on the hit numbers multiplied by a player’s original wager proportional to the base rate of a specific variation’s paytable. Note that game winnings may dramatically vary depending on the operator offering the game, as not everyone incorporates the same reward ratio structures or rules. More often than not, the looming prize will proportionally correspond to the number of select picks. For example, it is better to get eight out of eight selections right than eight out of ten. As a rule of thumb, most online products from providers like Rival and Microgaming supply an x1,800 payout for gamblers getting ten out of ten picks right. Though, the probability of players holding such a ticket is one in 250,000.

Many keno games have progressive rewards, but these require twenty out of twenty accurate selections, and the chances of something like that occurring are one in multiple billion.

Where to Play Keno

While keno is available in most North American casinos, that is not the case elsewhere. In India, gambling establishments are legal in Sikkim, Daman, and Goa only. However, the options available in these Indian states are mainly cruise-ship casinos that focus on traditional table games, poker variants, and Indian-specific card gambling products. Therefore, the only option for most Indian gamblers to experience a bit of keno fun is to head over to the digital sphere. Thankfully, hundreds of gambling websites accept Indians and offer keno games.

According to top review hubs, the two best such platforms on the internet are Las Atlantis and Wild Casino. The first is a Curacao-licensed online casino that greets new players with a welcome package that can yield up to $14,000 in bonus cash, and the latter is a Panama-based site that can churn out $9,000 over a user’s first five crypto deposits. Both of these implement state-of-the-art security and have impeccable reputations of always paying out wins on time.

Keno Tactics

The reality is that aside from partnering up with a reliable operator and choosing a variation that has a decent paytable, there is little that gamblers can do to boost their odds at winning at keno. Players need to study the paytable of a given game before they delve into playing it, as keno by default has a pretty dramatic house edge, so there is no need to engage in betting on odds that are more sizeable than the standard ones offered.

Those that have never played this gaming product before would be wise to try it out by utilizing at demo-play option at any online casino that offers titles from this genre. That usually requires no registration. Once they feel comfortable with everything, they can move to real money fun. However, regardless of a gambler’s experience level, everyone must budget their sessions responsibly and never overstep their means.

About the Author

Shelly Schiff has been working in the gambling industry since 2009, mainly on the digital side of things, employed by OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos.com. However, over her eleven-year career, Shelly has provided content for many other top interactive gaming websites. She knows all there is to know about slots and has in-depth knowledge of the most popular table games. Her golden retriever Garry occupies most of her leisure time. Though, when she can, she loves reading Jim Thompson-like crime novels.