Anyone who has browsed through the Vegas Palms games page would have noticed the Keno icon nestled among the Slots, Casino War and Progressives icons. Said to have originated in China nearly three millennia ago, keno is steeped in legend… yet it’s still a rewarding game to play at a modern online casino!
According to one of the legends, the invention of this ancient game actually saved a whole city from being conquered by its enemies. The city was under siege, so Cheung Leung, a Han dynasty leader, needed a way to generate income without upsetting the population with steep taxes. He invented a game, similar to a lottery and based on a classic Chinese poem. This poem was used to teach children their Chinese characters, and Cheng Leung selected 120 of these symbols, and divided them into sections of 8 symbols each. To win, players needed to get all eight symbols in a section. The game proved so popular it saved the city and lasted for 3,000 years.
A more recent version of keno was wildly popular in China in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Legend has it that pigeons carried the results of these keno games from the big cities to the surrounding villages. Keno tickets became known as the Game of the White Pigeon, and keno tickets were called “white pigeon tickets” as a result.
Modern keno isn’t delivered in such a romantic manner, but you can still win fantastic prizes! To have a look at the game simulator, click here.
