Keno

Introduction to the game of Keno

While certainly not among the most famous casino games compared to the more classic ones and made famous even in the cinema, Keno still boasts a large following of players. Thanks to today’s technology, you will find the possibility to play Keno even from mobile on your smartphone.

OLG Keno balls extraction box.

The game is in fact present in almost all online casinos as in the ‘real’ traditional ones. The most famous Keno lottery in Canada is OLG Keno, run by The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).

A bit of history…

Over the years it has become one of the leading games for casinos thanks to the large house edge that is usually applied. While they may not have the same reputation that games like roulette, video poker, craps and blackjack enjoy, at the same time there are many people who go to the casino specifically to play Keno.

The name is said to derive from the French (‘quine’, five winning numbers), but many think that the foundations of the game originated in China centuries ago. Certainly the Chinese workers who participated in the construction of the transcontinental railroad took him to America. In fact, starting from 1866, the game spread in Texas under the name of Keno.

Purpose of the game

The object of the Keno game is to choose between 1 and 20 numbers on a card from among 80 possible numbers. If these numbers coincide in whole or in part with the 20 different numbers called by the dealer (or by a random number generator) you win. The more cards that match and the higher the starting stake, the better the outcome for the players. Obviously the value of the win depends on the Paytable applied.

Bad Reputation of Mobile Keno: Why?

One of the main reasons why Keno does not have the same following and recognition and reputation as blackjack, roulette or craps is that government gambling regulations in terms of house edge generally do not apply to keno. This has allowed various land-based casinos to both increase payout levels and create very advantageous house edge tables for them.

Care must be taken. In fact, there are some keno games where the house edge can be as high as 66%. Compared to the average house edge of around 2.5% of other casino games (excluding slot machines), this is something truly absurd.

But that’s not a problem. To avoid these absolutely disproportionate house margins, just check the pay tables. For example, you will find in most land based casinos many tables each with different pay tables. This gives you the option, as a customer, to choose which one you want to play. This means that you can actually choose the house edge for the table you are playing at.

Keno paytable odds.
An example of a table with the statistical odds of mobile Keno.

You can also increase your knowledge of the math that governs the game to keep the house edge as low as possible. Some land-based casinos have keno with a house edge of up to 4%, which is acceptable.

In mobile Keno the game is fairer!

But the real revolution came with the advent of licensed online casinos. It is not necessary to look for the OLG Keno lottery anymore. The interesting thing about mobile keno is this: in online casinos the question of the reputation of the game is taken into the utmost consideration. In fact, while some traditional gaming companies will take an unfair advantage from inexperienced people who want to try to play (they will offer ridiculous bets with a margin of perhaps 66% we were talking about before), there are online casinos that have completely reversed this situation. They try to raise the reputation of the game by offering extremely reasonable house edge margins, with percentages of perhaps 4%.

Try mobile keno for free here with us

And here’s what all new players are waiting for: the chance to experience how to play! We offer you this possibility. The game you see below is exactly the same as those you will find in online casinos, but of course you don’t win anything! The only way to make real winnings is to register and open an account as a real player in one of the authorized casinos that we also suggest on this page. If you want to know more, go to our review pages and choose the one you like best.



Always be careful

In casinos that have software created by themselves “in house” there is a lot of flexibility on the offer in terms of bets. Many of them will try to offer those bets which are usually the classic “sucker bets” where the player has no chance of winning.

However, online casinos that use Microgaming software, for example, offer mobile Keno games that are very fun and reasonable in terms of stakes and costs. So you understand very well how crucial it is to go around looking for an online casino with a low mathematical house edge if you plan to play a lot of Keno.

We have worked for you!

But don’t worry, we’ve done the work for you. The casinos we have chosen offer the best conditions at the present time for Keno players. You can choose the one that suits you best from the top list you find on this page. We also found some amazing offers: some casinos allow you to play without a deposit. Right. Open your account and they offer you a sum to start playing without depositing a dollar!

Or for those who want to start winning big but have a limited budget, there are online casinos that allow a minimum deposit of only $5. Can’t find any lower than that!