Online Keno Odds

At first glance, keno odds look pretty simple. There are 80 balls, and 20 are picked, meaning the odds against any single number being picked is 3-1. In other words, if you play one spot you should expect to win one out of four times. When you start picking more numbers, though, the odds get harder to calculate.

Let’s say we pick five numbers. At many casinos, we’ll win if we hit three or more spots: maybe 2-1 for hitting three numbers, 10-1 for hitting four, and 250-1 for hitting all five. Those sound like generous odds, because how hard can it be to match just five numbers out of the 20 picked? It’s actually pretty tough. The odds against matching enough spots to win are:

3 spots: 11-1
4 spots: 82-1
5 spots 1550-1

Keno odds seem pretty steep, but remember, this is a game you’re playing for fun and the chance to win a big jackpot, not one you hope to come out ahead in over the long run. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the keno odds you’ll see if you play even more spots and try to win a bigger jackpot!

Some casinos max out at allowing you to play 10 spots. One possible payout chart will allow you to win 2-1 for hitting five spots, 20-1 for six, 100-1 for seven, 500-1 for eight, 1000-1 for nine, and 5000-1 for a perfect 10 out of 10. The odds of winning that jackpot are pretty daunting, though:

5 spots: 18-1
6 spots: 86-1
7 spots: 620-1
8 spots: 7383-1
9 spots: 163,380-1
10 spots: 8.9 million-1

As you can see, the odds of hitting the biggest jackpots are very long, but the prizes are also huge. If you’re playing with money you can afford to lose though, that’s okay – the thrill of getting lucky and winning one of the big prizes is enough to make keno one of the most exciting keno games around!

Finally, you might be most tempted by the huge jackpots offered in some places if you can hit 20 spots out of 20. You might dream about winning that prize, but dreaming is probably all you’ll ever do: the odds of hitting that jackpot are approximately 3.5 quintillion to one. Good luck, and may the keno odds swing in your favor!