What is keno?

What is keno? The simple explanation

Keno is a numbers game that works much like a lottery draw. You mark the numbers you want on a card of 80, choose your stake, and the game draws 20 numbers at random. Each of your numbers that matches a drawn number is a catch.

Each number you pick is called a spot, and our keno spot glossary entry explains the term. Most games let you play anywhere from 1 spot up to 10 or more, and the pay table changes for each count. You don’t need to catch every spot to win; on larger tickets, catching a share of your numbers often pays something.

RealTime Gaming’s Keno is listed by third-party catalogs as released on April 15, 2018, with a quick pick option reported by GamesHub (opens in a new tab) that chooses numbers for you. Our online keno game page covers the RTG version in more depth, and our casino questions hub answers related queries.

How to play keno online, step by step

1. Open the keno game and choose your bet per game.
2. Pick your spots by clicking numbers on the 80-number card, or use quick pick if the game offers it.
3. Check the pay table for the number of spots you chose.
4. Start the draw; the game reveals 20 numbers.
5. Count your catches and collect any payout shown on the pay table.
6. Keep or clear your numbers for the next game.

Online keno games can run back-to-back in seconds, much faster than a land-based keno lounge. That speed is the main thing to watch when you’re setting a budget. Our how to play keno guide walks through tickets and pay tables in more detail.

Keno odds: how often you catch your spots

The chances below are worked out from the 80-number pool with 20 balls drawn. They hold for any fair keno game; the payouts for each catch are what differ between games.

The jump from 7 of 8 to 8 of 8 is the key thing to notice. Each extra spot you need multiplies the difficulty, which is why top keno prizes look large and almost never land. Read our page on jackpot odds for the same idea applied to slots.

Keno RTP and max win: what’s published

RealTime Gaming’s return figure for its Keno isn’t published in the sources we checked, so we won’t guess one. Keno pay tables vary between games, and the house edge depends entirely on them.

The max win is disputed. SlotCatalog lists RTG Keno’s top payout as 250x, while GamesHub gives $50,000. Those figures measure different things (a multiple of the bet versus a dollar cap), and we can’t confirm which applies. Open the game’s pay table to see the real top prize for your ticket before you play.

If you see a keno pay table online, you can estimate its return yourself: multiply each payout by its chance from the tables above and add them up. That total, as a share of your bet, is the game’s return.

Keno and casino bonuses: a rare non-slot exception

Most welcome bonuses are slot-only, but keno is often treated as slot-like. Here’s what our partners’ own terms say about it:

Eligibility doesn’t make a bonus free value. Wagering still runs through the house edge, and max-bet rules apply. Our guides to wagering requirements and game weighting show how to work out the real cost in dollars.

Keno winnings and taxes in the US

Gambling winnings are taxable federal income. Under the IRS instructions for Form W-2G (opens in a new tab), keno winnings of $2,000 or more, counted net of the wager, are reportable for payments made in 2026; regular withholding doesn’t apply to keno.

From the 2026 tax year, the 2025 tax law is reported to cap the gambling loss deduction at 90% of losses, and only up to your winnings; check IRS guidance before you file. Offshore casinos may not send you a form at all, but the income is still yours to report. See what a W-2G is and our gambling loss deduction explainer.

Keno myths: hot numbers and lucky patterns

Some keno screens show which numbers came up most in recent draws. That doesn’t help. Each draw is independent, so a number that’s been ‘cold’ for 30 games is exactly as likely as any other in game 31.

Patterns, birthdays and quick picks all have the same odds. If a game is driven by a fair random number generator, no choice of numbers changes the house edge. Our gambler’s fallacy guide explains why our brains see patterns that aren’t there.

Is online keno legal in the USA?

Real-money online casino keno is state-licensed only in 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.

In other states, no regulator licenses online casino games, and offshore sites licensed abroad, if at all, take US players without state oversight. That means no state complaint route and terms set by the casino. Federal UIGEA targets payment processing rather than players; your state’s law decides what applies. Read our offshore casinos legality explainer before you deposit.

Setting limits for fast keno games

Rapid draws make it easy to play hundreds of games in an hour. A $1 ticket played 300 times is $300 wagered, so set a time limit as well as a money limit.

If keno or any gambling is causing problems, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), free and confidential, or chat through NCPG’s help and treatment page (opens in a new tab). Our deposit limits guide shows how to cap what you can add to an account.

Where to play keno online: offers via our links

We chose these three because their own sites or terms tie them to keno. SlotoCash lists Keno on its own site and makes it eligible for the welcome bonus. Miami Club lists a Keno category on its own site and counts keno 100% toward wagering. Silver Oak’s terms set keno wagering. We swapped out Decode, since nothing we have connects it to keno.

All three are offshore casinos, not licensed by any US state, so check your state’s law first. You must be 21+ (18+ where allowed), and terms apply. We earn a commission from 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). Its own bonus terms (opens in a new tab) advertise a different package, $7,777 plus 300 spins over five deposits, at 25x (deposit + bonus) with a $20 minimum per bonus, no max cashout and a $10 max bet; keno is eligible (casino’s own terms).
• Miami Club Casino: $4,000 Bonus + 285 Bonus Games, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Its own site advertises up to $800 instead (a 100% match up to $100 on each of the first eight deposits) at 20x (deposit + bonus), with no cashout cap stated and keno counted 100% (casino’s own terms). It runs WGS (Wager Gaming) software, not RTG.
• Silver Oak Casino: $2,500 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Its own site advertises ten 100% deposit matches up to $10,000 with ‘no max withdrawal’ and no free spins; keno wagering is 40x in the terms but 30x on the offer page, and deposits start at $30.

Miami Club and US players: section 1.6 of its own Terms of Use (opens in a new tab) (v2.1, September 28, 2026) lists the United States as a prohibited jurisdiction, while the site owner’s affiliate program confirms US players are accepted. Confirm your eligibility at sign-up before you deposit. See our WGS software page for its games.

Free spins are slot-only, and the terms shown at sign-up apply over anything summarized here. Michigan’s Gaming Control Board named Silver Oak on April 9, 2025, Miami Club on August 14, 2025, and SlotoCash in an October 8, 2026 release (opens in a new tab), calling them illegal offshore operators. Read the SlotoCash review, Miami Club review and Silver Oak review, or compare more options in our best keno casinos list.

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).