The origin of keno has been traced to the Han Dynasty of ancient China to about 200 B.C. There are many legends associated with the game. It is said that the invention of keno saved a city during a war and its popularity started from there. The war was a protracted one and the army needed funds for supplies and weapons. The citizens were tired of contributing to the war effort and refused to give any further assistance. Then a man named Cheung conceived of a game with a large house edge but the opportunity of making a few players very rich so that everyone would want to gamble. This was the ancient version of keno played with Chinese characters. When funds were required to build the Great Wall of China keno again came to the rescue. The game became popular in all of China. The drawings of the winning "numbers" took place in the larger cities and were sent to the towns and villages by courier doves or pigeons. Hence the game got the name of "White Pigeon Game".
Keno in America
When the Chinese migrated to America across the Pacific in the 19th century to build the trans-continental railroad there, they brought keno with them. Since keno was still played with Chinese characters it was originally called "Chinese Lottery". In America the transition was made to Arabic numerals and the name of keno came into being. It is believed that the name is a corruption of the French word quine, which means five winning numbers.
Over time, a number of different variants were introduced and because of the improvements in technology, the playing arena shifted from halls to casinos to the Internet. Some of the variants are multi-race games, stray and play games and lottery keno. Casinos keep on bringing new variations in order to maintain interest in the game.
