It goes without saying one could bump into a sheer variety of alluring and marvelous gambling games around the world. Moreover, it makes sense that each game stems back to past times interconnected with the habits and interests our ancestors had. We all know people started gambling long ago, when the very first gladiator battles were held. That is how far in the past the gambling background goes.
In the modern world of casinos and other gambling activities, players could relish playing thousands of different chance games, from traditional video slot machines with colourful reels to absorbing card projects like blackjack, baccarat, roulettes and poker. On the contrary, multiple online casinos feature lottery-based games, where players’ chances of securing a win hinge on luck solely.
Being a stunning combination of the traditional bingo game and lottery, Keno and its online variations are extremely popular among gamblers across the world. The game has easily captured players’ minds and imagination. In this piece, we are to dissect the reasons for such growth in players’ demand and delve straight into the history of this exhilarating game. Of course, we will provide basic rules for playing this lottery game, although as it is a lottery, regulations are quite simple. You hope the lady luck won’t turn its back to you, and that is it, frankly speaking.
Well, there is nothing standing in our way to begin the storytelling. Let’s hit the ground running!
Origins of Keno
Regretfully for the most fervent keno fans, it is extremely hard to decipher the exact origin of the keno game as there are no documents recorded to prove the lottery existed in the past. Nevertheless, myths about ancient traditions to play lotteries are still alive. They unveil the origins of Keno. There is one suggestion that Cheung Leung, one of the members of the Han Dynasty, used to try his luck in playing Keno that is pretty identical to the one we are playing nowadays. The growing popularity of the game was so bright and swift that it helped raise sufficient funds to construct the acclaimed Great Wall in China. That is why Keno is closely intertwined with the Chinese gambling background.
Multiple historical specialists agree that Cheung Leung was the original inventor of the keno game. The kernel of that game was in choosing characters from a pile of 120 symbols. Punters used to select several characters. Leung chose them as well in a totally random way, and then winning combinations were formed. Pigeons delivered the game outcomes throughout the country. That is possibly why the activity was later called ‘White Pigeon’.
From China to Rail Workers
During the centuries that passed, the lottery game was still in high demand among players of different social classes and ages. In the same way as various other gambling games were born in the country of China, North America saw the eventual inception of Keno in the middle of the 19th century when Chinese rail workers immigrated to the continent. The same as railway specialists build tracks, the game finally spread across America very swiftly.
The unpalatable for keno lovers fact should be mentioned regarding the legality of the lottery game in the US. Originally, local laws prohibited punters from playing keno, although it already was an iconic game. San Francisco became the first place in the country where Keno became popular. It was commonly referred to as the Chinese Lottery. The game eventually gained popularity, but no longer characters were used. They were substituted with numbers. Making the game simpler to players, more gamblers could ultimately relish playing the game and win great prizes. The initial number of symbols (120) was finally reduced to 80.
Nevada and Keno
It is quite logical that straight after the state of Nevada made keno a legal game, people began playing it in Las Vegas. The year 1936 was marked as a period in time when Warren Nelson, the owner of the Reno Casino, commenced organizing keno lotteries. At the beginning, Nelson illegally offered keno to residents of Montana. Another famous figure, Joe Lydon, introduced Keno in Las Vegas at the Fremont venue.
Eventually, several changes to the game were carried out. At the beginning, Keno was an illegal game in Nevada. Although there were multiple legalised gambling activities throughout the state, you couldn’t play keno legally. Following the creation of the new name to the game, ‘Horse Race Keno’, it was finally allowed to enjoy the lottery.
Rules of Modern Keno
To be fair, basic rules of the modern Keno lottery version are quite the same for online and offline kinds of the game. It is pretty easy to play both at online casinos and at special lottery venues.
Being a game of chance, you will learn the outcomes of Keno instantly. This is one of the reasons the game is extremely popular among those who are too preoccupied playing prolonged poker sessions.
The Keno game essence is to wager money on multiple numbers that are drawn randomly. From a range of numbers from 1 to 80, players place their bets on either 1 or 20 numbers simultaneously. Once the numbers that appear straight after the draw match the ones you chose, you will be given prizes. A winning amount you would receive depends on the total you wager, how many numbers exactly you selected to bet on and how many numbers were lucky.
While playing this brilliant game on the net, you would come across several terms:
- All or Nothing. Also known as ‘Catch All’, players could receive winnings when no numbers are drawn or all of them are
- Deuce. This is a term given when we have 2 adjacent numbers selected
- Combination ticket. This ticket features not one bet type but several
- Draw. The term explains the exact number of symbols being drawn
- Split ticket. When you get this type of ticket, players pick several numbers and play them separately
- Way ticket has multiple bets included.
In Conclusion
Of course, punters can enjoy playing lottery-based Keno at brick-and-mortar casinos. Nevertheless, online gambling counterparts propose this game on their sources as well. It is no hardship for Internet casino operators to offer Keno as it is a simple game to grasp. The one and only difference between land-based and online Keno is that players are able to play the lottery from the comfort of their homes. Thanks to modern technological advancements, millions of players around the world can relish this exhilarating and rewarding game.
