Definition
Keno
Also known as Video Keno, Keno Game, Chinese Lottery
By Abhinav VasudevanReviewed Editorial policy
In short
Keno is a draw game where you pick numbers from a field of 80 and are paid according to how many match the 20 drawn. House edges run from 20% to 35%, among the worst in any casino.
Keno is a lottery-style game run continuously in casinos and online. You select between 1 and 20 numbers from a field of 80, and 20 numbers are drawn.
The payouts
You are paid according to how many of your selections match. A typical 10-spot paytable:
| Matches | Typical payout |
|---|---|
| 0–4 | Nothing |
| 5 | 2x |
| 6 | 20x |
| 7 | 140x |
| 8 | 1,000x |
| 9 | 4,500x |
| 10 | 10,000x |
Matching all ten has odds of roughly 1 in 8.9 million.
The cost
This is the salient fact about keno:
| Game | House edge |
|---|---|
| Blackjack | 0.5% |
| Baccarat | 1.06% |
| European roulette | 2.70% |
| Online slots | 3–6% |
| Keno | 20–35% |
Keno is the worst bet on a casino floor by a wide margin, roughly ten times more expensive per pound staked than roulette, and comparable to a lottery.
Paytables vary between operators more than in almost any other game, so the same bet can cost 20% at one site and 35% at another. Where keno is played at all, comparing paytables is unusually worthwhile.
How many numbers to pick
Mathematically it makes little difference. The house edge is roughly constant across spot counts, with minor variation by paytable.
What changes is volatility. Picking 3 or 4 numbers produces frequent small wins; picking 10 produces almost nothing punctuated by very rare large hits.
Why it persists
Keno is slow, social and undemanding. In a casino it runs in the background, in bars, restaurants and lounges, and a ticket costs little. The appeal is a lottery-shaped payoff without leaving the room.
Video keno and online keno are much faster, which multiplies the effective cost per hour without changing the edge per game. A player running 300 online keno games an hour at a 25% edge is losing at a rate far beyond anything else available.
Common questions
What is the house edge in keno?
Between 20% and 35%, making it the worst bet on a casino floor. That is roughly ten times more expensive per pound than roulette, and paytables vary enormously between operators.
Does picking more keno numbers improve my odds?
Barely. The house edge stays roughly constant across spot counts. What changes is volatility: three or four numbers produce frequent small wins, while ten produce almost nothing punctuated by rare large hits.