Keno can be traced back to an ancient Chinese game known as "The game of the white dove", it is a bingo like gambling game made popular in 19th century USA during the influx of chinese during the gold rush.

In its modern form, as an online game, keno is like a lottery or bingo in that it is a numbers game. Unlike bingo, the players pick the numbers for his or her ticket. Keno cards have 80 numbers; the keno player can pick as many (or as few) numbers as desired. This is done by circling or otherwise marking them with a pencil.

Once the player has picked their numbers, he must bring his or her card back to the clerk at the Keno booth.

The clerk will then issue a receipt after recording the player's numbers.The player will then watch either a board on which winning keno numbers will light up or on a video screen showing the selected numbers.

As the winning numbers come up, the player marks them on his or her card with a marker. The amount of numbers the player originally picked that match winning numbers of a particular drawing will determine if any money is won and, if so, how much.

Lottery versions of Keno are now used in many National Lotteries or state licensed Lotteries around the world. The games have different formulas depending on the wanted price structure and whether the game is slow (i.e weekly), or if it is a fast game with just minutes between the draws.