Keno, like Sic Bo, is a game of Oriental origin. There is no skill involved, and it is a purely random game. In this sense, keno is simply a form of lottery. Its attraction, like a lottery, lies in the fact that only small bets need to be placed, but payouts can be large. It thus works on the same principles as a lottery, in that a large number of players contribute small amounts to a central pot, thus making a large payout financially viable for the house. How to play Keno.

Playing keno amounts to marking off numbers on a card. Players obtain keno cards, which have 80 numbers on them, and can select between 4 and 10 numbers on the card by marking them. Each number marked off is called a "spot", and marking off all ten numbers allowed is called making a "ten spot" - hence the common terminology which has found its way into the English language. Players then hand these cards in and pay a wager amount, depending on how many numbers they have selected per card. Players can wager as many cards as they like.

Once the betting has closed, a bucket of 80 numbered balls is presented, from which 20 balls are drawn at random. The more numbers that you marked that are drawn, the higher your winnings. These numbers are then displayed centrally, so that all players can see what they are, and can go and claim their winnings. Again, this is exactly the same as a lottery.

Due to its simplicity and the relatively cheap betting rates, keno is a very popular game. Keno wagers range from 5c to $1, although there are higher stakes games, depending on which casino you are in. There is also the excitement of being part of a large group of people playing the game, and players often play keno while playing other games in a casino, as an extra way of possibly making money.