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Fun Keno History |
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The Ancient Side of KenoWhen you sit down to enjoy a game of keno, you probably don't think about ancient China; but, believe it or not, keno goes back thousands of years to the Chinese emperor. It often adds to the enjoyment of a game to know its history, and keno is no exception.
According to ancient documents, a man names Cheung Leung first introduced the game we now know as keno. His city was at war for a long time, and supplies for his army were running low. The people refused to give any more money to help the war effort, so he created this game of chance to raise money for supplies. He supposedly also gave higher wages to soldiers who won rounds of keno.
Eventually, they won the war, and the keno game became a huge success. Lore has it that funds from keno games were even used to build the Great Wall of China.
White Pigeon Game Coming to a Casino near YouKeno eventually became known as the White Pigeon Game because they used carrier pigeons to send the results from the keno games in the big cities to the small towns. Can you just picture pigeons flying around Las Vegas, delivering results from one keno casino to another?!
Now, at this time, characters were used on the tickets and not the numbers 1 through 80 that we use on a keno card today. These characters actually make up the first eighty characters of an ancient poem known as "The Thousand Character Classic." This was a poem that was used to help children in China learn to read and write. And the first 80 characters came from the keno game!
Keno Immigrates to America
So, how did the game of keno get from Ancient China to America? During the 1800's, Chinese immigrants came to America to help build the railways and to look for a better life. They brought with them many of their traditions, including their game of keno. We know that keno was a popular game in the southern United States even before the Civil War. Keno was finally legalized in Nevada in 1931 under the guise that it was a horse racing game and not a casino game.
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Online Keno Comes to the Internet
As you can see, keno has had a rich history of helping people in many ways. It has always been a great way to bet small and win big — whether you are trying to win a war in China, teach children to read through rhymes, build a railroad in America, or enjoy some fun in Nevada. Now, in the 21st century, we can even play internet keno online. Keno is a great game for all to enjoy with a great history to share with others!
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