| Term |
Description |
| Aggregate Limit | Total payout liability of a casino during any one game. |
| All or Nothing | A keno ticket that only pays if all picked numbers are drawn, or no picked numbers are drawn. |
| Ball Game | A keno game that uses plastic balls to represent the numbers. This is the most common type of keno game today. |
| Balls | Keno balls. Similar to bingo balls or ping pong balls. Numbered 1-80. |
| Bank | The casino's money available for keno operations. |
| Bankroll | A common term used by gamblers to describe the amount of money they are prepared to wager, and possibly loose. |
| Bet | The amount of money subject to loss in any one game by a player. |
| Bingo | The original name for keno. Although keno and bingo are very different today, both use similar balls to represent numbers drawn. |
| Blank | A keno ticket that has not been used. |
| Blower | Part of the machine used to dispense keno balls. The blower uses air to force the balls into a tube where they can be viewed and/or removed by the keno operator. |
| Bowl | The part of the ball machine that holds the balls when the blower is not on. |
| Buy-In Tournament | A keno tournament where players pay a set fee up front, and play a predetermined number of games and/or tickets. Players get to keep any winnings. |
| Cage | An old type of wire cage that held keno balls. Most cages have been replaced by plastic hoppers. Also used to refer to the employees-only area where keno workers operate. |
| Call | The actual act of calling the keno numbers, usually over an intercom. Performed by a casino employee. |
| Caller | The casino employee who calls out the numbers during the keno game. |
| Catch | A number marked on a ticket is said to be a catch when it is called during the keno game. |
| Catch-All | A keno game that requires you to catch all of the numbers you have marked on your ticket. |
| Catch-Zero | A keno game that requires you to catch none of the numbers you have marked on your ticket. |
| Close | The time when no keno tickets will be written by the casino. Normally just before the draw until just after the draw. |
| Combination Ticket | A single ticket with several different keno wagers on it. |
| Computer Ticket | A keno ticket generated by a computer. |
| Conditioning | The "terms" of the wager. Normally written on the ticket. Generally refers to wagers other than straight ticket plays. |
| Crayon | Used by a keno player to mark numbers on a ticket. Similar to a child's crayon, but usually black. |
| Deuce | Two keno spots grouped together. |
| Draw | The 20 numbers drawn for each keno game are collectively called "the draw". |
| Draw Sheet | A sheet available from the keno counter which shows the numbers drawn from the previous game. Has holes punched in it to facilitate checking your tickets. |
| Edge Ticket | A ticket with the 32 numbers marked that make up the outer edge of the ticket. |
| Enhanced Payoff | A greater payoff received by playing a combination of games on a single ticket. Pays more than would have been received if the games had been played on individual tickets. |
| Entry Fee Tournament | Players pay a fee up front and compete with each other for cash or prizes. Players do not keep winnings from individual games in the tournament. |
| Exacta | A ticket played for two games, with a special payoff rate. |
| Expected Value | The rate at which an outcome is expected to occur. |
| Field | A group of marked spots that is not circled. |
| Flashboard | The electronic signs that display the numbers drawn for a keno draw. Most are now LED, but older boards using light bulbs are still around. |
| Fractional Rate Ticket | A ticket played for some fraction of the normal rate. Normally only used on a way ticket. |
| Free Play | A keno win that pays no money, but lets you play your bet again. |
| Goose | A term used for the machine that blows the keno balls up into two long tubes. |
| Group | Spots that are circled or separated from the other spots marked on a keno ticket. |
| Handle | The total of all money taken in for a game, shift, day or some other period of time. |
| High End Ticket | A keno ticket that pays more for catching a high number of spots, but less (or nothing) for catching fewer spots (as compared to a regular ticket). |
| High Roller Ticket | A ticket that has a high minimum ticket price. |
| Hit | When a drawn number matches the spot on your ticket. |
| Hold | Handle minus payoffs, or the gross receipts after paying out all winning tickets. |
| House | The casino. |
| House Edge | Also known as PC (percent casino). The percent of all wagers the house can expect to win, over a period of time. Can vary widely, but normally is about 30%. |
| House Percentage | Also known as PC (percent to casino). The percent of all wagers the house can expect to win, over a period of time. Can vary widely, but normally is about 30%. |
| Inside Ticket | A keno ticket that is completed and turned in to the casino. |
| Jackpot | The prize paid in a progressive. Technically, the jackpot is the amount above the regular payoff for the game. For instance, if the progressive payoff is $25,453 but the regular payoff is $10,000, the jackpot is $15,453. However the term is regularly misused to indicate the total payoff amount. |
| Jackpot Meter | An electronic display of some type that displays the current jackpot mount. |
| Keno | The modern version of an old Chinese lottery. Twenty numbers out of eighty are drawn, and players win by guessing which numbers will be drawn. Keno is a lottery; state lotteries are variations of keno. |
| Keno Board | The electronic signs that display the numbers drawn for a keno draw. Most are now LED, but older boards using light bulbs are still around. |
| Keno Balls | Similar to bingo balls or ping pong balls. Numbered 1-80. |
| Keno Computer | Used by casinos to enter wages, determine winners, print keno tickets, prepare management reports, etc. |
| Keno Counter | The counter where players place their wagers and collect their winnings. |
| Keno Crayon | Used by a keno player to mark numbers on a ticket. Similar to a child's crayon, but usually black. |
| Keno Lounge | The area where keno players can sit to mark their tickets and watch the game. Normally rows of connected seats with a small desk top with a cup holder. Always stocked with blanks, crayons, instructions, etc. |
| Keno Manager | The person responsible for the entire keno operation. |
| Keno Punch | The machine that punches holes in a draw sheet. |
| Keno Writer | The employee at the counter who takes your bet, produces the computer generated ticket, and pays the winners. |
| King | A single circled number. Works with other numbers to make a bet or way. |
| King Ticket | A way ticket that contains one or more kings. |
| Left-Right Ticket | A ticket marked vertically down the center. The object is to catch only numbers on one half of the ticket (or no numbers on one half of the ticket). |
| Limit | Total payout liability of a casino during any one game. Same as aggregate limit. |
| Live Keno | Regular keno played on tickets, NOT video keno. |
| Lounge | The area where keno players can sit to mark their tickets and watch the game. Normally rows of connected seats with a small desk top with a cup holder. Always stocked with blanks, crayons, instructions, etc. |
| Mark | A mark made on a keno ticket number, either my hand or by the keno computer. |
| Multi Game Keno Ticket | A ticket played for multiple keno games. |
| Net Win | The actual player winnings, after deducting the cost of the ticket. |
| Nevada Gaming Commission | The body governing gambling in the state of Nevada. |
| Odds | The mathematical probability of an outcome. Expressed as a ratio. |
| Open | Any time the counter is open for taking wagers. |
| Outside Ticket | The official game ticket returned to the player in exchange for his hand marked ticket and the appropriate wager. |
| Pattern | The shape made by the collective marks on a keno ticket or lights on a keno flashboard. |
| Pay Any Catch Ticket | A keno ticket that pays something, no matter how many spots are caught or not caught. |
| Paybook | The literature that details the casino's pay tables, instructions, rates, etc. |
| Payoff | The amount paid to a player for his played ticket. Not necessarily a net profit. |
| Pay Table | The chart that shows what each win pays. |
| PC | Also known as PC (percent casino). The percent of all wagers the house can expect to win, over a period of time. Can vary widely, but normally is about 30%. |
| Percentage | Also known as PC (percent casino). The percent of all wagers the house can expect to win, over a period of time. Can vary widely, but normally is about 30%. |
| Prize | The amount paid to a player for his winning ticket. May not be a net profit. |
| Probability | The mathematical probability of an outcome. Expressed as a percent. |
| Progressive | A keno game where the top prize increases until it is won. The prize may increase by a percent of wagers, a set amount per time period (hour, day, etc.) or any other method determined by the casino. |
| Punch Outs | A sheet available from the keno counter which shows the numbers drawn from the previous game. Has holes punched in it to facilitate checking your tickets. |
| Push | A win equal to the amount wagered. |
| Quick Pick | A ticket with numbers chosen by the keno computer for the player, at the players request. |
| Quit Race | Cashing in a multi game ticket before all games have been played. |
| Race | A single keno game. A term held over from when the game was called Horse |
| Race Keno | Also may be a reference to the "race" to the keno counter to cash in a winning ticket before the next game starts (which normally voids all previous tickets). |
| Rack | The tray that holds the keno balls when they are not in play. |
| Random Number Generator | A computer program used to randomly select numbers for a keno game. |
| Rate | The price for a ticket or way. |
| Rate Card | Provided by the casino. Shows payoffs for various bets. |
| Regular Ticket | The standard or basic ticket sold by a casino. |
| Replayed Ticket | Giving a played ticket to the counter to replay the numbers. |
| RNG Game | When a computer program is used to randomly select numbers for a keno game. |
| Runner | A casino employee who goes through the casino restaurants and seating areas collecting keno wagers, and paying winners. Almost always women. |
| Sleeper | A winning ticket that is not presented for payoff. |
| Special Rate | A rate different than the regular ticket rate. Does not necessarily indicate a better deal for the player. |
| Split Ticket | Two or more groups of numbers played separately on the same ticket. |
| Spot | The numbers marked on a keno ticket. |
| Straight Ticket | The standard or basic ticket sold by a casino. |
| Ticket | The keno ticket. Marked with 80 numbers, used by a player to mark her spots. Generally made from low quality paper. |
| Top-Bottom Ticket | A ticket marked horizontally in the center. The object is to catch only numbers on one half of the ticket (or no numbers on one half of the ticket). |
| Tournament | A series of keno games organized by the casino into a contest between players. |
| Video Keno | Keno played on a computerized machine similar to video poker. Uses a random number generator to pick the numbers. |
| Wager | The amount of money at risk on a keno ticket. |
| Way | A separate bet on a ticket with more than one bet. |
| Way Ticket | A ticket with two or more bets. |
| Win | Catching enough numbers to collect more than the amount wagered. |
| Winning Numbers | The 20 numbers drawn in the keno game. |
| Wire Cage | A cage used to mix keno balls. Older type game. |
| Writer | The employee at the counter who takes your bet, produces the computer generated ticket, and pays the winners. |