Online Keno – The Ultimate Numbers Game
May 26th, 2010 | Published in Gambling Games
Online casinos have put many games that were once side diversions front and center. As lotteries around the world continue to draw a huge following, so too do lottery-style games like bingo, online scratch tickets, and keno. People love the element of luck, the superstition, the suspense, and the opportunity to bet small and still win big. If you’re a fan of such games but have never tried keno then you’re missing out!
One of the reasons that keno is the most underrated lottery-style game is that up until it was offered online it had very limited accessibility. Most of the casinos at major gambling destinations like Las Vegas and Atlantic City offered keno as a side game – something you’d play at the bar or while waiting for friends – but few of the smaller local casinos had the space or resources necessary to host the game. The internet has changed that, and now keno is finally getting the recognition and appreciation it deserves.
What Is Keno
At first glance, keno looks pretty similar to bingo. Players choose their numbers, get a card, and then watch a series of numbered balls get drawn to see if they win. There are actually some very notable differences between bingo and keno, though. For one, winning at bingo requires the construction of a certain combination. With keno, there are no lines to be filled or shapes to be made. It’s all about how many of your numbers are or are not drawn.
Each round of keno uses the same 80 numbered balls. At a live keno game these balls are drawn using a vacuum system attached to a viewing bubble. In an online keno game, this process may be mimicked using real-time animation, but in actuality randomization software picks the numbers. Twenty numbers are drawn every round. In live keno, players must manually check their tickets against the results of every round, but in online keno wins are awarded automatically.
How to Play Keno
Playing online keno is easy. To get instant access to a keno game, simply log into your casino account and then select keno from their game menu. Choose how much you want to wager per ticket. Then you must decide how many numbers you want to pick (from 1 to 10), and what those numbers are. If you don’t want to change your numbers between rounds, then you can buy a book of tickets with the same numbers. The site will announce when bets are closed and when the next round of keno is ready to begin. You can then watch the drawing of the numbers. Wins are awarded depending on how many of your numbers are drawn.
It’s the objective of keno that makes it really unique. In most lottery-style games players only win if their numbers are drawn, but in keno players can also win by getting fewer matches.