Bingo vs Keno – What’s the Difference?

Last Updated on , written by Amelia Cassiday

Both bingo and keno games are often listed within the same gaming categories on most online casino sites in the UK. Since they are both classified as ‘non-slots’ games, the practice seems to make quite a lot of sense. However, one has to wonder if there really are any differences in these two games beyond the obvious.

Bingo Vs Keno

For one thing, both bingo and keno revolve around numbers. However, the main difference lies in how these number are arrived at. In bingo, players wait for numbers to be drawn and then marked off on a bingo card. On the other hand, keno players need to select all of their lucky numbers ahead of the draw, hoping that their chosen numbers are picked by the machine. Let’s take a closer look at how each game works and how potential winnings in each can be achieved.

Bingo vs Keno Gameplay

To see the primary differences, it’s best to play the games as each offer their own features from the very beginning. Keno provides more options when it comes to betting as players can choose the betting total for each round. Bingo, on the other hand, offers different rooms and usually has a fixed price for each ticket. To change the ticket price in Bingo, players need to visit another room that better suits the wager value they desire.

While both games provide winning opportunities with numbers, balls, and tickets, they are actually very different. In keno, players get to choose their own numbers and have the opportunity to change the numbers after each round. Bingo includes fixed tickets but still allows the player to choose different tickets. However, each ticket is fixed with the possible winning numbers it provides.

Regarding gaming options, bingo has more variations to choose from, including various ball amounts, patterns, how many numbers win, and the challenging aspect as players all aim to win from the same results. Keno is mostly a single player game and is better related to lottery than anything else. Even though online developers provide various game styles, it still comes down to the amount of player selected numbers matching that of the winning numbers.

Bingo vs Keno Winnings

The gameplay of these games already indicates some major differences, and when it comes to winnings, even more differences apply. At most online bingo sites, the aim of the game is to complete the ticket before other players in the room by matching up the winning numbers the ticket requires. Some games require patterns of winning numbers while other simply include a card with numbers that need to match that of the draw.

The winnings depend on how many players hold tickets, the more players are in the room, the lower the odds of winning, meaning the higher the rewards. Therefore, players usually purchase multiple tickets for each game, increasing their odds of winning the round.

In keno, the game usually includes 80 possible winning numbers, of which players need to choose 10 on a single ticket. The game provides 20 winning numbers, and offers rewards when at least 5 numbers match the ticket from the draw. The winnings usually start from 5 times the betting value when 5 numbers match and range up to 10,000 times the bet when all 10 numbers match.

Keno does come with the option to play the same numbers multiple time, but doesn’t include multiple tickets as seen with bingo. The game is single player, meaning each round is the same and includes only 20 balls. If less than 5 balls match, the game won’t provide winnings, hence the higher payouts, whereas in Bingo, one of the room’s players have to win each round.

Editor-in-Chief

amelia cassiday profile pictureAmelia Cassiday is an online bingo writer and player for the past 5 years. Her expertise and knowledge of the online bingo industry are utilised when covering the latest news and trends. Amelia particularly enjoys reviewing new bingo sites as well as writing detailed game guides. When offline, she can be found maintaining her garden and reading a good book at her home in Newcastle, UK.