You bet it is! And it offers online casino gamers everything they're looking for - great games, great promotions, great fun. Today we're going to look more closely at the game of keno - less well-known than slots and poker, but no less fun.
Sloto Cash Casino offers the popular keno lottery game to enhance players’ options for real casino gambling fun.
Almost every state and national lottery features at least one type of keno game because it’s the most popular specialty game around. Keno’s history goes back thousands of years but today bettors don’t need to stand in line to buy a keno ticket – online casino features the keno option so players can indulge in this fun-filled game of chance at any time and from any location when playing on any PC or mobile device.
Keno
Archaeologists have found keno grids that date back 2200 years in China. Legend has it that emperor Cheung Leung of the Han dynasty invented the game and encouraged his countrymen to play as he collected the profits and used them to finance his army and solidify his kingdom. Cheung felt that taxing his subjects directly could lead to insurrection and rebellion. Instead, he used funds raised from the game to help finance the construction of the Great Wall of China.
Our Keno of today bears only a slight resemblance to China’s Keno game of 2200 years ago. The ancient game included 120 Chinese characters which covered a grid. The grid was divided into subdivisions of 8 and whichever player guessed a whole subdivision or a combination of several subdivisions won the game. That meant that the chances of winning were significantly lower than today’s Keno.
Keno became so popular in China it was played in big cities as well as in small outlying villages. To keep the villagers involved, the tradition developed of sending results of keno draws to the small villages and hamlets by carrier pigeon. Till today, keno is known as “white dove ticket” in Chinese.
Keno was brought to North America by Chinese immigrants who immigrated to work on the railroads in western United States and Canada. The game became known as the “Chinese lottery” to locals and slowly, non-Chinese began to play as well. The grids were reduced to 80 squares and numbers replaced the Chinese symbols. The main goal of the game, for a gamer to make predictions on a line to win, remained unchanged.
Surprisingly, keno wasn’t featured at land-based casinos until relatively recently. States prohibited casinos from offering lottery games so as not to compete with their own lotteries. Some casino owners disguised keno as a similar game but one that would pass state regulators but that didn’t always work.
Popularity
As mentioned Keno was popular in China almost since its inception but in America, it was regarded as “foreign” and it didn’t become popular till the middle of the 20th century. When states began to hold lotteries, keno was seen as a natural lottery game and was adopted by most lotteries because it’s simple and straightforward.
One of the biggest fights that brick-and-mortar casinos have had with state regulators in numerous states revolves around the game of keno which state regulators wanted to reserve for their own lotteries. But casinos have long recognized the game’s lure. Multiple land-based casinos now offer keno and keno is featured prominently in the Specialty Games section of the online casino worldwide.
As a simple game keno is more accessible to more people than other casino games. Even playing the slots requires knowledge of the machine’s technology and an understanding of what needs to be done with certain symbols and specific bonus options. The classic casino games like blackjack, poker, craps and baccarat all have their own rules and understanding and mastering them – much less learning the various suggested techniques needed to win – require several sessions of play. Keno, on the other hand, is about as easy a game as can possibly be. You can learn keno rules in seconds, forget about technology and strategies and just put down your wager to play for fun.
In addition to its simplicity, gamers are drawn to keno because it provides the chance to enjoy all the elements of an interactive slots machine or an engaging classic casino game with little effort and for only a small deposit. Keno demands no skill. Rather, it’s a game in which people can wager and then hope for the best – which does, sometimes, come to pass.
Finally, if you’re looking for a skill-based game, keno isn’t it. But if you enjoy a game of chance, you don’t have to worry that you’re competing against someone who knows more than you. The playing field among gamers is absolutely even, ensuring a fun-filled gaming session with no worries and no stress.
How to Play?
To play keno, start by picking a set of numbers from 80 possible choices (anywhere between three and 20 numbers) Then, mark your game sheet with your selection and make your bet.
After the draw, which is made by a ball machine or a random number generator, compare your predictions with the balls that were picked. You’ll win depending on the number of picked numbers that came up during the draw. Winnings are allocated based on the amount of numbers that matched.
Take a break from the traditional casino games and give yourself a break with a fun-filled keno adventure.
