How to play keno

How to play keno in six steps

Keno is a lottery-style game. You don't play against other people or make decisions after the draw. Online, a round takes a few seconds from start to finish:

1. Choose how many numbers to pick. Each pick is called a spot.
2. Mark your numbers on the 1-to-80 grid, or use Quick Pick to let the game choose them.
3. Set your stake per game.
4. Press Play (or Draw). The game draws 20 numbers at random.
5. Count your hits: the numbers you picked that were drawn.
6. The pay table for your spot count says what that many hits pays, and wins are credited automatically.

That's the whole game. Everything else is about which spot count you choose and what the pay table offers. For the RealTime Gaming version, see our online keno page, and for more how-tos, the casino guides hub.

How the keno draw works

Every keno game uses the same structure: 80 numbers, 20 drawn, no replacements. That means a quarter of the board is drawn each game, so any single number has a 25% chance of coming up. Your spots don't influence the draw, and numbers drawn last game have the same chance as any other this game.

Online keno at offshore casinos uses a random number generator. RTG's Keno was released in 2018, according to SlotCatalog, and GamesHub lists a Quick Pick option. RealTime Gaming's pay tables and RTP for Keno aren't published in the sources we checked, and the two catalogs disagree on the top prize: SlotCatalog lists a 250x max win and GamesHub $50,000. Open the game's pay table to see the real figures.

Some games let you pick up to 15 or 20 spots. The math works the same way; the chance of hitting every spot just gets much smaller.

Keno odds: your chances for 1 to 10 spots

Keno odds come from straightforward combinatorics: how many ways the 20 drawn numbers can include your spots, out of all possible draws. Here's the chance of catching every number you pick:

Partial hits: what usually happens

Most pay tables also pay for partial hits, so the full distribution matters more than the top line. For an 8-spot ticket, the most likely result is 2 hits (32.8%), followed by 1 hit (26.6%) and 3 hits (21.5%). You'll catch 0 of 8 about 8.8% of the time, 5 of 8 about 1.8% and 6 of 8 only about 0.24%. Many 8-spot pay tables start paying around 4 or 5 hits, so most 8-spot games return nothing.

Keno pay tables and how to work out the return

A keno pay table lists, for each spot count, what each number of hits pays. You can work out any table's return to player (RTP) by multiplying each payout by its chance and adding them up. Here's a made-up 4-spot table to show the method; it isn't any casino's real table.

That example keeps about 26.5 cents of every dollar over the long run. Keno pay tables vary widely between games and spot counts, so the same method is the quickest way to compare two tables. Compare that with RTG's Jacks or Better, which third-party sites list at 99.54% with perfect play, in our how to play video poker guide. Our house edge guide explains why these differences add up.

How many keno spots should you pick?

There's no spot count that wins more often over time; the house edge depends on the pay table for that count, not on the number itself. What changes is the shape of your results:

• 1 to 3 spots: frequent small wins, small top prizes. A 1-spot ticket hits 25% of the time.
• 4 to 6 spots: a middle ground. Partial hits pay on many tables, and the top prize grows quickly.
• 7 to 10 spots: long dry spells, with most of the return concentrated in rare big hits. Expect many games with no payout at all.

Pick a count that matches your budget and patience, then compare pay tables for that count. Quick Pick numbers are exactly as likely to hit as numbers you choose yourself, birthdays included. Our explainer on the gambler's fallacy covers why "hot" and "cold" numbers don't exist in a random draw, and the same goes for the hot and cold slots myth.

How to play keno online for real money

1. Check your state's law on our states with legal online casinos page.
2. Open an account and finish verification early, so a win isn't held up later.
3. Find Keno, usually under specialty games, or search the lobby.
4. Open the pay table and note what each spot count pays.
5. Set a stake and pick your spots, or use Quick Pick.
6. Press Play and check your hits against the pay table.
7. Stop when you reach the budget or time limit you set before starting.

Online keno is much faster than a lottery or bar keno draw. Repeat or auto-play features can run dozens of games a minute, so it's easy to wager far more than you intended. Our bankroll management guide and gambling budget guide show how to set limits that hold.

What a keno session costs in dollars

Expected loss is total wagered × house edge. Since RTG doesn't publish its keno RTP, the table uses example returns to show how fast the cost grows with speed. If you play $1 games, the number of games per hour drives everything:

Those are averages. Because most keno returns come from rare big hits, a typical session loses more than the average, and an occasional one wins well above it. If keno is your game, slower play is the simplest way to cut the cost per hour.

Keno and casino bonuses: the wagering trap

Unlike baccarat or craps, keno often counts toward bonus wagering. SlotoCash's bonus terms (opens in a new tab) list keno among eligible games for its welcome bonus, Silver Oak's terms (opens in a new tab) put keno in the 40x group with slots, and a third-party review reports Slot Madness's MAD275 match for slots and keno.

That sounds convenient, but keno's house edge works against you while you clear a bonus. Deposit $100 with a $100 bonus at 25x (deposit plus bonus) and you must wager $5,000. If the keno table you play returns 75%, the expected cost of that wagering is about $1,250, far more than the $100 bonus. At 90% it's still about $500. Our pages on wagering requirements and what games count toward wagering explain how to compare.

Keno winnings and taxes in the US

Gambling winnings are taxable federal income, including keno wins. According to the IRS instructions for Form W-2G (opens in a new tab), for payments made in 2026 a payer reports keno winnings of $2,000 or more, reduced by the wager, and regular gambling withholding doesn't apply to keno. Offshore casinos may not issue W-2Gs, but the income is still yours to report.

From tax year 2026, the 2025 tax law caps the gambling loss deduction at 90% of losses, as reported; check IRS guidance. Keeping a record of each session helps either way. See our guides on gambling taxes, the W-2G form and keeping gambling records.

Is online keno legal in the USA?

Casino-style online keno is legal where a state licenses online casinos: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Maine legalized tribal-run online casinos in January 2026, but nothing had launched by October 2026 and a lawsuit is pending. Some state lotteries also run keno-style draw games under their own rules; our guide to state lotteries online covers that side.

Offshore casinos offering keno elsewhere aren't licensed or regulated by any US state, so there's no state regulator to complain to and no state-backed protection of balances. Our explainer on offshore casino legality sets out what state laws say.

Where to play keno online with an offer via our links

These three casinos fit a keno page: SlotoCash's own homepage names Keno in its lobby and counts it toward the welcome bonus, Silver Oak's terms include keno in its bonus wagering, and a third-party review lists Keno at Slot Madness. Check the casino's lobby before depositing. All three are offshore casinos, not licensed by any US state, so check your state's law first. We earn a commission through these links, and the order is commercial.

SlotoCash Casino: $6,000 Welcome Bonus + 60 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). The casino's own site advertises a different package, $7,777 plus 300 spins over five deposits, with a $20 minimum per bonus, 25x (deposit plus bonus), no max cashout and a $10 max bet; eligible games include slots and keno. The Michigan Gaming Control Board named SlotoCash on October 8, 2026 (opens in a new tab). Read our SlotoCash review.

Silver Oak Casino: $2,500 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Its offer page advertises 100% on each of the first ten deposits with 30x playthrough and no max withdrawal, while its terms set 40x for slots and keno; deposits start at $30, so check current terms. Michigan named Silver Oak on April 9, 2025 (opens in a new tab). See the Silver Oak review.

Slot Madness Casino: $2,500 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Third-party reviews report code MAD275 for a 275% match on slots and keno, a $30 minimum, 30x (bonus plus deposit) and no max cashout. Michigan named Slot Madness on August 14, 2025 (opens in a new tab). Read the Slot Madness review or our best keno casinos list.

The terms shown at sign-up apply. SlotoCash's banking page states a $5,000 weekly withdrawal limit, Silver Oak's terms set weekly withdrawals from $2,500, and third-party reviewers report a $2,500 weekly cap at Slot Madness. If gambling stops being fun, call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).

21+ (18+ where allowed). Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: responsible gambling tools and free help. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).