Keno Bonus: How Does It Work and Should I Play?

How It Works

The KENO BONUS gives you a chance to increase your KENO winnings by 3, 4, 5 or 10 times. To play KENO BONUS, mark the “Y” box on your bet slip. The cost of your wager will double. If you purchase the additional BONUS play for a drawing and win, you may multiply your winnings if a multiplier number (3, 4, 5 or 10) is drawn. The overall odds of having a multiplier number (3, 4, 5 or 10) are 1 in 2.3.

Sounds easy, right? But let's delve a little deeper into the real odds and if it is truly worth the extra bet.

The Difference Between TO and FOR

Huh? What the difference between TO and FOR, what does that have to do with the KENO BONUS?

OK, so here's the skinny. You bet a dollar. The odds when you win is 2 TO 1. When you win, you would get the dollar you bet, plus two more dollars (2 to 1). So now you would have your original dollar, plus two more.

Now let's see the other way. You bet a dollar. The odds when you win is 2 FOR 1. When you win, you would get the dollar you bet, plus one more dollars (2 for 1). So now you would have your original dollar, plus one more.

So as you can see, at the end of the bet, the 2 TO 1 bet nets you an additional dollar versus the 2 FOR 1 bet.

Understanding The KENO BONUS

Now that you know the difference between TO and FOR, you will see how this comes into play with the bonus.

Let's give an example: You play one keno game for $1, playing two numbers (01-02) and you play the bonus. OK, that bet costs you two dollars. Now, let's say one out of two numbers come up and the bonus is a 3x bonus. One out of two, pays $1, multiplied by 3x bonus for a total "win" of $3.

But, wait a minute! You actually bet $2 and only got $3 back. Shouldn't you get the $2 you bet multiplied by 3x, for a total of $6? Well, welcome to FOR versus TO!

Running the Numbers

OK, hold on tight we are now going to get into a little math.

Let's say you bet every single game in a day (300 games). Hypothetically, let's also say we played 2 numbers each game. We played each game for $1 with the bonus. This costs us $2/game multiplied by 300 games for a total of $600 for the day.

Now let's say we won every single game 1 out of 2. That pays $1 per game. Now we have to figure out the bonus payout. In 300 games, based upon averages, you would hit the following:

• No Bonus: 171 Games (so $1 + $0) * 171 = $171.00
• 3x Bonus: 100 Games (so $1 + $2) * 100 = $300.00
• 4x Bonus: 20 Games (so $1 + $3) * 20 = $80.00
• 5x Bonus: 8 Games (so $1 + $4) * 8 = $40.00
• 10x Bonus: 1 Game (so $1 + $9) * 1 = $10.00

This would give us a total return of $601.00 on a $600.00 bet.

Alternatively, we could have simply done the same bet playing $2 per game. In our scenario, we would have won our $600 back.

Play or Not To Play?

Well, as you can see from above - all things being equal, the Bonus play is almost the same as simply doubling your bet to $2.

Using our bonus statistics page, you can see if one of the bonus' are due to appear and then bet it appropriately when the time is right. The numbers that are green are performing below their averages, so are more likely to appear to keep the percentages in line.

The numbers don't lie, the bonus can be as good as it is bad and the amount you win or when the bonus hit can be pure luck or a gut feeling. You need to figure that one out for yourself.