Keno was first played in two hundred BC by the Chinese army leader, Cheung Leung who used this game as a finance resource for his declining army. The city of Cheung was waging a battle, and after some time seemed to be looking at a country wide famine with the dramatic decrease in supplies. Cheung Leung had to come up with a rapid response for the economic disaster and to produce money for his military. He, as it follows invented the game we know today as keno and it was a wonderful success.

Keno was referred to as the White Pigeon Game, since the winning numbers were sent out by pigeons from larger cities to the lesser towns. The lotto ‘Keno’ was brought to the US in the 19th century by Chinese newcomers who came to the United States to work. In those times, Keno was played with 120 numbers.

Today, Keno is regularly bet on with 80 numbers in most of American based casinos as well as internet casinos. Keno is mainly enjoyed today because of the relaxed nature of playing the game and the basic reality that there are no skills required to play Keno. Despite the reality that the chances of coming away with a win are horrible, there is constantly the chance that you could hit quite big with very little gaming investment.

Keno is enjoyed with 80 numbers and twenty numbers are picked each game. Enthusiasts of Keno can select from two to ten numbers and gamble on them, as much or as little as they want to. The pay out of Keno is dependent on the bets made and the matching of numbers.

Keno has grown in universal appeal in the US since the close of the 1800’s when the Chinese letters were replaced with more familiar, US numbers. Lottos weren’t covered under the laws of wagering in the state of Nevada in 1931. The casinos renamed 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 swiftly adjusted the name to ‘Keno’.