It’s not a secret that many of our everyday items are made in China. It is hard to walk into a store these days without finding clothing, furniture, electronics, and toys that aren’t made in that great country across the sea. Hopefully, this doesn’t bother you. If it does, you might be disappointed to learn about one more thing that comes from China. It’s a gambling game. That’s right! The popular gambling game called Keno stems from an ancient Chinese gambling game. This gambling game is supposedly linked to a famous landmark as well!
If you didn’t know, keno is played as a type of lottery. A cage contains 80 numbered balls. 20 of the balls are randomly selected. People try to guess what balls will appear in the selected 20. Payouts at casinos differ, but people can certainly win big! Keno can be played with real balls in a cage or with a computerized program. People grow to love the game of keno because it is a lot like a state lottery. However, Keno happens all day with a larger selection of numbers to select.
It is well known that keno comes from China. However, the exact origin of the game in China is still a bit of a mystery. This hasn’t stopped colorful legends from trying to explain how keno came to be. One of the most popular legends involves the Great Wall of China. It is said that the government sponsored keno games to help raise funds to build the historic landmark thousands of years ago. Think about this the next time you sit down to play a game of keno. As you place your bets on the 20 random balls, you may be not unlike ancient Chinese merchants doing their part to help secure their borders long ago!