An ancient Chinese ruler, Cheung Leung of the Han Dynasty, has invented a game somewhere around 200 BC, which was very similar to Keno. An ancient manuscript tells that Leung’s city was plagued by war for many years, which has led to an economical devastation.

The manuscript states that Leung’s citizens were no longer able to contribute money for funding the war. In order to get the money he needed so bad, Leung created a game quite similar to Keno, which had 120 numbers instead of 80 of the modern Keno. The game became very popular and helped raise the necessary funds. It is also rumored that Keno was used to finance the construction of the Great Chinese Wall.

The story tells that birds were used to deliver the winning combinations from the big cities to smaller villages. Thus, the game of Keno in ancient China was known as the White Pigeon game.

Keno in Modern Times

The large influx of Chinese immigrants in the 19th century has introduced Keno to the United States. At first the game was known as the Chinese lottery, and became very popular amongst Chinese immigrants and residents alike. But, initially the game had problems with perception from the Western players, because it was still using Chinese symbols. When the symbols where changed to the current form of numbers, Keno’s popularity exploded.

With the 1931 gambling legalization in Nevada, it was still illegal to play lotto in casinos. To avoid legal issues, casinos officials have changed the game’s name from «Chinese lottery» to «horse racing keno» But instead of lotto the player was given a choice of horses each having a number. A change to legislation that followed soon, made casinos and online casino adopt the game again, turning it to Keno as we know it now. Online poker.

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