One of the most popular games at any casino is Keno. It is a game similar to the big state or provincial lotteries. 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 exist several opinions.
One theory is that Cheung Leung of the Han Dynasty introduced the game when his city was at war for several years and was beginning to run out of money and supplies. The city residents didn't want to give their money to support the unworthy aim of the emperor. Cheung had nothing else to do but to develop some new way of taking money out of the people. Cheung found an excellent solution to this problem: he created a very popular game - keno. Keno was so successful that it can be said to be the reason for Cheung's victory. The Great Wall was also built with the help of the money that gave keno! Keno was later given a different name - the White Pigeon game. That was not for nothing: carrier pigeons informed the surrounding towns and villages of the winning numbers.
The keno board didn't always look the same way. The Chinese classic characters were used instead of numbers. 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.
Keno appeared in the US in the 19th century as a lot of Chinese people came there to work on the railroads. Although initially outlawed, Keno continued to be played in secrecy by these new 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.

 

Voted "Top Progressive Slots" site by the readers of Gambling Online Magazine. You can still enjoy playing at Lucky Nugget by accessing the Flash Casino (no download required) from anywhere in the world. Lucky Nugget Casino is powered by the latest Microgaming Viper Software offering you more the 100 casino games to choose from.

Since the birth of online gambling, English Harbour has built a strong reputation as a leader due to its high level of customer service, abundance of exciting promotions and sound security measures. Featuring a great 100% match bonus up to $275 and over 70 games, even the most serious casino player will find something of interest here.