» When Appeared Keno

Keno, a game similar to the big state or provincial lotteries, is easy to play and one of the most popular games in any casino. This game originates from China where it was first introduced by Cheung Leung in 187 BC. Still the origins of the game are really a bit of a mystery. There can be found several different opinions.
The generally accepted theory is that the game was invented during some war in China when the army needed money badly. The head of state had no money support of his subjects. So Cheung was left scratching his head as to how to generate the necessary finances to continue his brutal battles. After some considerations he created the game of keno, which immediately got very popular and thus profitable for the state. Keno helped Cheung win that war. The Great Wall was also built with the help of the money that gave keno! The game soon became known as the White Pigeon game, since carrier pigeons were used to inform surrounding towns and villages of the winning numbers.
At first Chinese classic characters instead of numbers were printed on the keno boards. Originally, as many as 120 characters were used in the game, and only after it left China would the number drop to a more familiar 80.
The game arrived in the US in the mid 1800's when thousands of Chinese immigrants came to work in the mines and on the railroad. At the beginning keno was out of law. But it wasn't a real obstacle for the immigrants. It continued to use Chinese characters and thus obviously didn't enter popular mainstream American culture until it was modified to include the numerical system.