Keno rules: how many numbers to pick, and what it costs

Try keno on play money

Pick up to ten numbers out of forty and see how many land in the draw of ten. The stake is play money — nothing can be won, but the paytable is the one broken down below.

Pick up to 10 of 40 numbers, hit the draw for up to 100×.Theoretical return 99% · up to 100×

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Keno in short

Keno is a lottery-shaped casino game: you pick a set of numbers, the machine draws its own, and the payout depends on how many matched. In Estonia keno is best known as Eesti Loto's daily draw, but the online casino version is faster — every round settles immediately.

The rules fit in a sentence, yet behind them sits one surprisingly sharp choice: how many numbers you pick. That decision barely moves the return, but it completely changes the shape of the game — whether wins arrive constantly and small, or almost never and large.

This demo uses a pool of 40, draws 10, and lets you pick up to 10. Every table below is for that exact configuration.

How a round works

Pick numbers. One to ten, from 1–40. Quick pick chooses randomly for you.
Place the bet. Stake size affects neither the odds nor the multipliers.
The draw. The machine pulls 10 numbers out of the 40.
Payout. Only the count of matches matters — the order is irrelevant.

Paytable: what each hit count pays

The multiplier depends on two things at once — how many you picked and how many you hit. Blanks mean that hit count pays nothing.

Picked	1 hit	2 hits	3 hits	4 hits	5 hits	6+ hits	All hit
1	3.96×						3.96×
2	1.9×	4.5×					4.5×
3	1×	3.1×	10.4×				10.4×
4	0.8×	1.8×	5×	22.5×			22.5×
5	0.25×	1.4×	4.1×	16.5×	36×		36×
6	—	1×	3.68×	7×	16.5×	40×	40×
7	—	0.47×	3×	4.5×	14×	31× / 60×	60×
8	—	—	2.2×	4×	13×	22× / 55× / 70×	70×
9	—	—	1.55×	3×	8×	15× / 44× / 60× / 85×	85×
10	—	—	1.4×	2.25×	4.5×	8× / 17× / 50× / 80× / 100×	100×

The return barely cares what you pick

The table is balanced so that every pick count returns close to 99% over the long run. What changes is the chance the top payout ever arrives:

Numbers picked	Return	All-hit pays	Odds of all hitting
1	99.00%	3.96×	1 in 4
2	99.04%	4.5×	1 in 17
3	99.02%	10.4×	1 in 82
4	98.96%	22.5×	1 in 435
5	98.99%	36×	1 in 2,611
6	98.97%	40×	1 in 18,278
7	98.98%	60×	1 in 155,363
8	99.02%	70×	1 in 1.7 million
9	98.98%	85×	1 in 27 million
10	99.04%	100×	1 in 848 million

Read that last row again. Sweeping ten numbers pays 100× and happens once in 848 million rounds. It is not a prize to play towards — it is decoration on the table. The return on a ten-number ticket comes almost entirely from three, four and five hits.

So how many should you pick?

What you want	Pick	Why
Something to happen often	1–3	A single number hits a quarter of the time
Balance	4–6	Payouts arrive regularly and the top end still exists
A big multiplier	8–10	Most rounds are blank, but the ceiling reaches 100×

None of these is mathematically better — the house edge stays around one percent either way. The choice is purely about the volatility you can sit through.

Is there any keno strategy?

Which numbers you choose does not matter: 1–40 are equally likely and the draw does not remember the last round. "Hot" and "cold" numbers are the gambler's fallacy.

The only decision with a consequence is how many numbers to mark — and even that changes shape, not expected value. Anyone chasing the lowest house edge in the casino plays blackjack or roulette, not keno; anyone who wants the feel of a lottery that settles instantly is in the right place.

Where to play keno for real money

Most Estonian-licensed casinos offer keno. Before you start, read the responsible gambling guide and set your limits.

Other demos

The same play money runs slots, roulette, the wheel and Plinko — all collected in the games hub.

How many numbers is it best to pick in keno?

For the return it makes no difference — every pick count lands near 99%. Fewer numbers give frequent small payouts; more numbers give rarer but bigger ones.

Do some numbers come up more often?

No. Each draw is independent of the last and all 40 numbers are equally likely. Statistics on previous rounds say nothing about the next one.

What is the house edge in keno?

About 1% in this demo — every pick count returns between 98.96% and 99.04%. In real casinos the keno edge is often far higher, up to 20–30%, so check the paytable before playing.

Is hitting all ten numbers realistic?

No. The odds are roughly one in 848 million rounds. In practice a ten-number ticket earns its return from three, four and five hits.

Can anything be won in this demo?

No. It plays with play money only and the balance resets on reload. Real-money play in Estonia is permitted from age 21.