Keno

In the most common variation of Keno, the “ticket,” or “blank,” contains eighty numbers, printed consecutively in eight rows of ten each. You, the player, select from one to fifteen numbers marking them typically with an X with a crayon provided by the casino.  After you’ve determined how much money you want to bet on the game you turn your ticket in to the Keno booth or submit with a keno writer or runner.

The house then draws twenty numbers out of the field of eighty which are printed on eighty individual ping-pong balls. These balls are then spun around in a wire cage, or blown into a large clear plastic sphere, much like as in Bingo. As each ball is selected, the winning number is electronically highlighted on the Keno boards throughout the casino. Currently, however, many casinos use computer chips to generate random numbers.

Payouts are based on the amount of winning numbers “caught” by the player out of the twenty drawn. These are known as “straight” tickets.  Should you win, your winning ticket needs to be turned in before the start of the next game in order to collect.