Keno is a popular chance-based game available at a wide range of online casinos. Its origin is shrouded in legend but it is believed to have been begun in China and helped raise funds to build the Great Wall of China. In the Western World, it first became popular in Houston, Texas, and was well-known by the mid-19th century, under the Western name of Keno.
How does the game work?
Keno is set on a board of eighty numbered squares, in a very similar manner to bingo. Players choose up to 15 numbers each, each additional number offering greater payout if they are all hit. So for example, whilst hitting one number may offer a x2 multiplier on your stake, hitting 3 numbers may offer a x4 [note: these are examples of potential multipliers and should not be taken as actual multipliers on any given casino table].
The second part of the game involves the house randomly selecting twenty numbers between one and eighty. This can be done either through a ball machine, as seen in bingo, or through a random number generator- how it is achieved is at the casino’s discretion. If the numbers drawn match those which you have selected, you are a winner. These winnings increase significantly as you continue to match more and more numbers on any given turn. However, as is taken as a given, the winnings are inversely proportional to the probabilities of achieving these things.
What are the probabilities?
If you are to choose 20 numbers, you are most likely to hit 4 or 5 of them, and as such the rewards for doing so is relatively low. In fact, the probability of hitting 4 or 5 is 4.877 and 4.287 respectively, by far the highest. From 10/20, it rapidly becomes increasingly improbable. The chances of scoring 13/20 are 1 in 118,084.920, whilst the odds of scoring a perfect 20 is a whopping 1 in 3,535,316,142,212,174,320.000. These proportions change significantly depending on how many numbers are picked, and as a result, the winnings for hitting certain amounts (for example 5/20) tend to be altered to match this. However, the opportunity to win large amounts is certainly present throughout the thoroughly enthralling game that is Keno.
Some casinos, but not all, will reward the better if they score 0/20, and this can range up to €1000, depending on the number of numbers picked. This is due to the improbability of not scoring a single number on a 20 choice ticket. Again, this will drastically vary depending on how many numbers are picked.
With 1×2 Keno, you are able to bet between 2R and R400.00, with winnings ranging as high as R190,000 if you are able to correctly guess all 15 numbers.
What is the RTP
Due to the casino individually being able to set the odds and payouts, there is significant variation of the return to player (RTP) % in Keno. In some cases, it can be as low as 65%, whilst in others it can be as high as 95%, meaning that on average for every R100 spent by players, R95.00 is returned to the betters. For 1×2 Keno, the RTP stands at a very respectable and competitive 88%.
Where can I play?
Keno is offered by a wide variety of online casinos, our recommendations are on this page.
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