The Best Online Keno Casinos - 2024

Online Keno Explained

Keno might seem unfamiliar at first, but it’s easy to grasp. It’s much like bingo, where winners are decided based on a set of numbers drawn at random. So, what’s the difference between the two? First, you’re not playing against other people — just the house. Second, you get to pick your numbers yourself. Unlike a round of bingo, where your numbers are pre-printed on the ticket, each game of keno begins with players choosing their numbers. How many you pick is up to you. 

Most games allow up to 15 or 20 chosen numbers or ‘spots’, usually between 1 and 80. The aim is to hit or ‘catch’ as many numbers as you can, with bigger payouts for more hits. In a real casino, the numbers are drawn by a hopper of balls. When you play online keno, it’s all taken care of by a random number generator (RNG). This bit of software does exactly what it says on the tin — it generates random numbers, which are used to decide the draw. 

After the draw, winnings are paid out based on how many spots you chose and how many of them hit, along with the size of your stake. To find out your potential winnings, consult the keno paytable — more on that in a moment. 

Keno Payouts

How much you win in keno is based on two factors: the number of spots you choose, and how many of them you hit. Each keno game has a paytable indicating the various base payouts. Multiply these by your stake size and you can see what you stand to win. 

Here’s an example of a paytable for a 10-spot keno game, with spots along the top and hits along the side:

Say you pick five numbers. If 3–5 of them hit, you’ll get a payout between 2x and 200x. But if less than three of them hit, you don’t win anything. The payout multipliers are based on the probability of each combination of spots and hits occurring. We’ll cover that in more detail shortly.

Online Keno Bets

While online keno is a pretty simple game, there are still a few different ways you can bet. Let’s take a look:

• Straight bets are your keno bread and butter. This is where you simply select your spots — if you hit enough of them, you get a payout.
• Top and bottom bets are where you’re betting on how many numbers will land in a particular half of the board. Say you bet ‘top’ in a 20-spot game from 1–80. That means you’re covering the first 40 numbers on the top of the card, 1 to 40. Your payout depends on how many of the 20 drawn numbers land within that range. A ‘bottom’ bet is the opposite.
• Odd and even bets are just like top and bottom bets, but instead of high and low numbers, you’re betting on how many of the picks are odd or even. 
• Combination bets are more complicated and let you bet several groups of spots or numbers on one ticket. Say you want to bet three numbers — 3, 10, and 41. Your friend wants to bet five numbers — 17, 21, 74, 79, and 80. Your ticket now has a three-spot and a five-spot in play. You can also combine these groups together to make an eight-spot, giving you three different ways to win on one keno ticket. One popular combination bet among keno players is the 190-Way Eight, where every possible permutation of eight-spots is covered on the ticket. 

Keno Odds

Before playing keno online, it’s a good idea to know the odds of winning. This information, in combination with understanding the house edge, can help you decide whether a particular bet is worth making. Here are the odds for a 20-spot keno game:

As you can see, the likelihood of hitting more than 12 numbers grows increasingly slim. Hitting more than 14 spots is incredibly rare. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but our advice? Don’t hold your breath!

Online Keno Bonuses

Before you can play keno online, you’ll need to sign up with an online casino that offers the game. And when you do, you’ll be able to take advantage of a welcome bonus. These offers are given to new players to entice them to sign up, and are a great way of boosting your bankroll. There are a few types of bonus up for grabs — let’s take a look. 

Matched Deposits

If you’re looking for an online keno bonus, matched deposits are your best bet. These offers consist of bonus casino credit, and the amount you get is based on your first deposit. Say you see an offer for a 100% match up to £100. If you deposit £100, you’ll get an extra £100 in bonus funds for a total of £200 to play with. This bonus credit is separate to your real money balance.

Matched deposits are great for keno players as they’re usually quite flexible and can be used on many different games at the site. With that said, check the terms and conditions before you claim to ensure the deposit match is eligible for playing keno online. 

Free Spins

Fancy a go on the slots without stumping up the cash? Free spins are the bonus for you. Often offered alongside a matched deposit, a bundle of free spins can generally only be used on one or two specific slot titles. We’re not complaining, though — you’ll have a chance to win real cash without staking your own. If you fancy a break from playing keno online, free spins are a good way to dip your toes in the ever-expanding world of online slots. 

No Wagering Bonus

If you’re looking for a player-friendly promotion with a greater chance of a cash withdrawal, look for a no wagering bonus. While most bonuses have wagering requirements attached — stating how much of your own money you must wager before the bonus can be withdrawn — no wagering bonuses are free of these stipulations. That means any profit is yours to keep. No wagering bonuses are usually smaller in size or come with meaner restrictions elsewhere, such as low winnings caps. It’s worth considering what’s more important to you: more free play or a greater chance at a cash withdrawal.

Online Keno Strategies

Applying a betting strategy to online keno is a little different to other casino games. For example, many choose to use a Martingale or D’Alembert betting system for roulette or blackjack to help manage their bankroll. While theoretically you could do this for keno too, it doesn’t really make sense to. Instead, it’s best to set a budget for your session and stop when you’ve reached your limit. 

When picking your numbers, there are a few strategies you can follow. These won’t necessarily increase your odds of success but can be a fun way to change up your online keno gameplay.

190-Way Eight

One of the most popular combination tickets played in keno is the 190-Way Eight. This ticket covers every combination of eight spots in 80-ball keno, giving you 190 different ways to win. Be sure to check the minimum bet for each ‘way’ here as the ticket can be rather costly. 

Hot or Cold

Another way to choose your numbers is picking hot or cold ones — the ones drawn most and the ones drawn least, respectively. We should emphasise that this has absolutely zero impact on the likelihood of a number being drawn; online keno is purely down to chance. That said, this can be a fun way of picking your spots. 

Pick 4–8 Spots

You might see a better chance of success if you pick between four and eight spots. You’re most likely to hit between three and seven spots in 80-ball keno, but you won’t usually receive a payout for these outcomes if you picked more than eight spots.

Online Keno Software Developers

Just like with table games and slots, online keno games are created by different developers. Below are some names to watch out for when picking which keno game to play.