The patron, who as of yet remains unnamed, hit all ten numbers on Game King Single Card Keno, winning the progressive jackpot at Boulder Station. Boulder Station is a favorite spot among locals and budget-conscious visitors to Nevada.
On social media, some people joked that, given the astronomical odds of hitting the ten-spot Keno progressive jackpot, the gambler deserved a much larger payout. Interestingly, the patron was eight times more likely to be struck by lightning than to win such a jackpot with just a $1 bet.
To understand this, we must first explain what normal keno is. This is a lottery-style gambling game commonly found in modern casinos and also offered by some lotteries. Players place bets by selecting numbers from a pool that typically ranges from 1 to 80. Once all wagers are placed, 20 numbers (fewer in some variations) are randomly drawn, either using a ball machine similar to those used in lottery and bingo games or via a random number generator. Each casino determines its own payout structure, known as a paytable, with winnings based on how many of the selected numbers are matched.
Game King Single Card Keno, the version of keno that the unnamed Las Vegas local played, is somewhat similar to traditional Keno – 20 numbers are drawn one at a time from a pool of 80. However, here players place a wager by selecting up to eight numbers, not 20, aiming to match as many as possible in the upcoming draw. New rounds take place every 2.5 minutes.
In randomly chosen rounds, two additional bonus numbers are drawn, bringing the total to 22. This increases players’ chances of winning. There is also a continuously running, optional jackpot feature that further boosts the game’s appeal.
As with many other casino games, keno has also been increasingly digitized over the past few years as more and more jurisdictions are allowing for online keno games. For example, recently, Colombia approved blockchain-based keno. It’s expected that the new offerings would create a new tax revenue stream for the government.
