Ancient Chinese scrolls indicate that Cheung Leung introduced the game we now call keno around 200 BC. Cheung’s city was at war for several years and was beginning to run out of supplies. The people of his city refused to contribute any more to his war fund, so the resourceful Cheung created a game of chance to produce revenue for his army. This game, keno, was an instant success and the city was saved. Spreading throughout China, keno was used to help fund the building of the Great Wall. The game also became known as the White Pigeon Game because carrier pigeons were used to send the results (winning numbers) from the keno games in the larger cities to small villages and hamlets.

In the earliest versions of keno, characters were used in the body of the ticket rather than numbers 1 through 80. These characters are the first eighty of an ancient poem known as "The Thousand Character Classic". This poem was used in China as the second primer for teaching reading and writing to children. By putting one thousand characters into a more or less coherent rhymed form, learning was presumably made easier and more interesting . It is something of a very great achievement in that no character is repeated. This poem was so well known in China that its one thousand characters, arranged in order, were often used as a fanciful way of notation or counting from one to a thousand.

Remaining basically the same, keno was brought to the United States by Chinese immigrants who labored on the railroad in the Old West, where it is still played.

The game of keno is played with cards bearing numbered squares; a number on the card may be marked when an announcer selects and calls that number from a randomly selected pellet. The standard version of keno is similar to lotto or bingo except that the numbered balls are rolled out of a container called the keno goose.

The most widely played form of keno is a variation called race-horse, or Nevada, keno. This version of keno is played in gambling casinos, in which any number of players, even one, play against the house. In racehorse keno the player is given a card with 80 squares numbered from 1 to 80 in rows of 10. The player may bet on any number or numbers but not more than 15, marking them on his card or ticket, which a clerk then records as the player pays out his wager for each number selected.

The keno numbers are also printed on 80 individual ping-pong balls, which are either blown around in a large clear plastic sphere, or spun around in a wire bird cage. As each ball is selected, the winning number is electronically highlighted on the keno boards throughout the casino.

The keno players can bet on numbers singly (a one-spot ticket), several at a time, or in various combinations. With a five-spot ticket, at least three of the numbers picked by the player must be called to win; then the house pays off at 3-1 odds; if four of five the player gets 26-1; and if all five get picked, 332-1. Actual odds, of course, are significantly higher, favoring the house by from 20 to 25 percent.

A ticket can be marked with individual numbers creating a straight keno ticket, or with a group of numbers that give a better chance of winning. These are called way and combination tickets. A way ticket allows players to group different numbers (each group containing the same amount of numbers) to create more than one way to win. Players are given credit for hitting all three numbers if any one of the group hits. A combination way ticket is one in which groups of numbers are bet several different ways, allowing money to be sprinkled over more combinations. Many experienced keno players will use these methods for a wider selection of numbers with a lower minimum wager, and a better chance to win.

Minimum bets and payoffs are different from casino to casino, but this information can be found in the keno lounge or in the instruction booklet. Players present their ticket along with their wager to a keno writer, and are issued a computerized ticket with the game number, date, ticket code, choices and the amount of the bet. It is the player's responsibility to compare the computer generated ticket to their original copy in the event of a discrepancy. Once the keno game is ready to start, betting will be cut off. When the 20 randomly drawn numbers are put up on the keno boards, players compare their ticket with the numbers displayed for the game played.

Multi-race keno allows multiple games to be played on one keno ticket. Most casinos allow anywhere from two to 20 games in a row, but some offer up to 1,000. The keno writer or runner must be told that a multi-race ticket is wanted. At the conclusion of the last game selected, players bring their multi-game ticket to the counter and claim their winnings from all the games played.

Also realize that if you are a winner at keno, you must cash in your winning ticket before the next game begins. If you are playing more than one game on a ticket, you don't have to collect until after the last game has been called but before the next game after that begins. The exception to this rule is if you are playing from 21 - 1000 games (this can vary from casino to casino). When you place bets for this many keno games, you have up to one year to collect. Before assuming this is true at the casino you are playing, be sure to ask a keno employee for assistance.

Playing keno is such a popular and exciting pastime because it offers the possibility of winning spectacular payouts on relatively small wagers. Keno can usually be played in the keno lounge, in most dining areas, or at portable keno stations on the casino floor. If players wish to play keno outside of the lounge area, keno runners circulate the casino ready to place wagers, and numerous television monitors keep players informed of the winning numbers.

One of the easiest games to play in the casino is keno. The basics of the game are the same regardless of where you play it but the payouts and guidelines can vary from casino to casino. Before playing, it is recommended that you stop by a keno counter and pick up a free booklet outlining the house rules and payouts.

Generally keno doesn't have the best house advantage. Played in a lounge or at your restaurant table, keno involves the player choosing from 1 to 15 (sometimes 20) numbers from 1 to 80. Every five minutes or so the casino will choose 20 numbers ranging from 1 to 80. If enough of your chosen numbers match those drawn by the casino then you will win, depending on exactly how many match and the payoff table at your particular casino. While the payoff tables will vary from one casino to another the expected return seems to always range from 70 to 80 cents per dollar bet, placing keno among the lowest returning bets in the casino. Many states outside Nevada offer keno as an alternative to lottery tickets.