Keno in Australia: The Short Answer
In keno, 20 numbers are drawn at random from 80, about every three minutes, and you win according to how many of your chosen numbers come up. In NSW, the rules put 75% of Regular Keno stakes into the prize fund, so on average about A$25 of every A$100 played stays with the operator — and no system or “lucky number” changes the odds.
Keno is legal in Australian pubs, clubs and casinos, licensed by each state and territory. Online keno, today available under licences from Victoria, the ACT and the Northern Territory, is being banned from 1 January 2027 under the Gambling Reform Act 2026, and the largest operator has said it will close its online keno then. This guide explains how keno works, the prize table and the real odds of each bet, what keno pays back, the change coming in 2027, and the myths about numbers and patterns.
How Keno Works
In each game, 20 numbers are drawn at random from 1 to 80. Before the draw, you choose how many numbers to play — 1 to 10, 15, 20 or 40 in Regular Keno — and mark them on a game card or a Keno Touch machine. Prizes depend on how many of your numbers match (NSW Keno Rules). Keno is played approximately every three minutes (keno.com.au).
Spots
Each number you choose is a “spot”. Playing 4 spots means choosing four numbers; the Keno Classic 10-spot jackpot requires matching all 10 numbers played.
Stakes and age
The minimum ticket is A$1 (A$2 for Keno Mega Millions), and you must be 18 or over. You can play the same numbers for several consecutive games: the NSW game guide gives the example of A$5 a game for three games, which costs A$15.
Other keno games
Heads or Tails is a separate keno bet on the draw itself: “Heads” wins when 11 or more of the 20 numbers drawn are 1 to 40, “Tails” when 11 or more are 41 to 80, and “Evens” when it is 10 each. Heads or Tails pay A$2 per A$1 and Evens pays A$4.
The Keno Classic Prize Table
This is the A$1 Keno Classic prize table from the 2025–26 game guides for Victoria and NSW. The amounts are the total paid per A$1 — your stake is not returned separately. Jackpots start from the value shown and grow until won; prizes of A$1,000 or more in a single game can be pro-rated or shared.
| Numbers played | Matches and prize (per A$1) |
|---|---|
| 1 spot | 1 match: A$3 |
| 2 spot | 2 matches: A$12 |
| 3 spot | 3: A$44 · 2: A$1 |
| 4 spot | 4: A$130 · 3: A$3 · 2: A$1 |
| 5 spot | 5: A$675 · 4: A$12 · 3: A$2 |
| 6 spot | 6: A$2,000 · 5: A$70 · 4: A$5 · 3: A$1 |
| 7 spot | 7: jackpot from A$5,000 · 6: A$120 · 5: A$12 · 4: A$3 · 3: A$1 |
| 8 spot | 8: jackpot from A$25,000 · 7: A$700 · 6: A$60 · 5: A$6 · 4: A$2 |
| 9 spot | 9: jackpot from A$100,000 · 8: A$2,000 · 7: A$200 · 6: A$20 · 5: A$5 · 4: A$1 |
| 10 spot | 10: jackpot from A$1 million · 9: A$10,000 · 8: A$580 · 7: A$50 · 6: A$5 · 5: A$2 · 4: A$1 |
Source: Keno Game Guide (Victoria) and Keno Game Guide (NSW). The prize table published in the NSW Keno Rules in the Government Gazette of July 2024 differs slightly, so the current game guide is the one to rely on.
The Real Odds of Each Bet
Every set of numbers has exactly the same chance of being drawn. Using the hypergeometric distribution — the maths of drawing 20 numbers from 80 — we calculated the chance of each outcome. Our figures for the top prizes match those published by Keno and the Tasmanian regulator.
| Numbers played | Chance of any prize | Chance of matching every number |
|---|---|---|
| 1 spot | 1 in 4 | 1 in 4 |
| 2 spot | 1 in 16.63 | 1 in 16 |
| 3 spot | 1 in 6.55 | 1 in 72 |
| 4 spot | 1 in 3.86 | 1 in 326 |
| 5 spot | 1 in 10.34 | 1 in 1,550 |
| 6 spot | 1 in 6.19 | 1 in 7,752 |
| 7 spot | 1 in 4.23 | 1 in 40,979 |
| 8 spot | 1 in 9.77 | 1 in 230,115 |
| 9 spot | 1 in 6.53 | 1 in 1,380,688 |
| 10 spot | 1 in 4.72 | 1 in 8,911,711 |
What the odds look like on a 10-spot ticket
On a 10-spot ticket, matching none of your numbers happens about once in 22 games, matching 2 about once in 3.4 and matching 3 about once in 3.7. Matching 6 — a A$5 prize per A$1 — happens about once in 87 games; matching all 10 about once in 8.9 million.
A Keno Game Played Out
You play 4 spots for A$5 a game, on one game. You choose 7, 21, 45 and 72.
The draw
Twenty numbers come up. Three of yours are among them — 7, 21 and 72 — and 45 is not. With 3 matches on a 4-spot ticket, the prize table pays A$3 per A$1, so your A$5 ticket returns A$15.
How often that happens
By our calculation, 3 matches on 4 spot comes up about once in 23 games, and any prize on 4 spot about once in 3.86. Matching all four — A$130 per A$1, or A$650 on this ticket — comes up about once in 326 games.
Over a session
Play the same A$5 ticket 20 times in an hour and you stake A$100. On average about A$74 comes back, but the spread is wide: many sessions end well below that, and an occasional 4-match lifts one far above it. The prize table is the same in every game, whatever happened in the last one.
How Much Keno Pays Back
Keno has a fixed prize fund. NSW Keno Rules set the prize fund contribution at 75% of stakes for Regular Keno, 80% for Heads or Tails and 76.5% for the A$2 Mega Millions game. Tasmania requires keno to return 75% of the amounts wagered.
| Numbers played | Average return per A$1 (our calculation) | What stays with the operator |
|---|---|---|
| 1 spot | 75.0% | 25.0% |
| 2 spot | 72.2% | 27.8% |
| 3 spot | 74.9% | 25.1% |
| 4 spot | 74.1% | 25.9% |
| 5 spot | 74.8% | 25.2% |
| 6 spot | 74.7% | 25.3% |
| 7 spot | 64.5% | 35.5% |
| 8 spot | 63.6% | 36.4% |
| 9 spot | 64.8% | 35.2% |
| 10 spot | 64.0% | 36.0% |
| 15 spot | 75.0% | 25.0% |
| 20 spot | 75.1% | 24.9% |
The 7 to 10 spot figures leave out jackpot growth, which comes from the prize fund — that is why they sit near 64% to 65% rather than 75%. Heads or Tails returns about 80% by our calculation. Whichever way you play, about A$75 or less of every A$100 comes back on average, which makes keno far more expensive than table games: compare the 1.06% house edge on baccarat’s Banker bet or 2.70% on single-zero roulette.
What a Session Costs
With a game about every three minutes, keno runs at about 20 games an hour. At A$5 a game, that is A$100 an hour wagered and, at a 75% return, an average cost of about A$25 an hour. At A$20 a game, about A$100 an hour. These are averages; jackpots make keno results very uneven.
| Stake per game | Games per hour | Amount played per hour | Average cost per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| A$1 | 20 | A$20 | about A$5 |
| A$5 | 20 | A$100 | about A$25 |
| A$20 | 20 | A$400 | about A$100 |
| A$50 | 20 | A$1,000 | about A$250 |
Submissions to the federal review of online keno argued that online keno let people spend up to A$1,000 every three minutes — up to A$20,000 an hour (Department of Infrastructure).
Where Keno Is Legal in Australia
Keno has traditionally been an in-venue game in clubs, pubs, hotels and casinos, licensed by state and territory governments. The Lottery Corporation runs keno in 3,263 venues across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT; in South Australia keno is sold through lottery retail outlets (The Lottery Corporation, ASX, 19 August 2026).
| State or territory | Where keno is played | Operator or rules |
|---|---|---|
| NSW · Victoria · Queensland · ACT | Clubs, pubs and hotels | The Lottery Corporation (keno.com.au) |
| South Australia | Lottery retail outlets | SA Lotteries |
| Tasmania | Clubs, hotels and casinos; TASkeno at Wrest Point | Rules approved by the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission |
| Northern Territory | Lasseters (Alice Springs) and others | Licensed in the NT |
| Western Australia | Crown Perth retired keno; last day of play 28 June 2026 | Winning tickets can be claimed until August 2027 |
Keno in casinos
Several casinos offer keno in their TAB or sports areas, including Lasseters in Alice Springs and The Ville in Townsville. Crown Perth, the only keno venue we found in Western Australia, retired the game in June 2026 (Crown Perth).
Online Keno and the 2027 Ban
Online keno is licensed in only three places today, according to the federal review: The Lottery Corporation (Keno Online, under Victorian and ACT approvals), Lottoland’s KenoGo (Victorian licence) and Annexio’s LottoGo (Northern Territory licence); LottoGo and KenoGo are offered Australia-wide. Victoria allowed keno online for the first time when it granted 20-year licences to Tabcorp and Lottoland from 15 April 2022.
What the Gambling Reform Act 2026 changes
The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 commences on 1 January 2027. Its Schedule 4 defines a “keno-type lottery” and removes it from the lottery exemption in the Interactive Gambling Act, except where it is provided at a place, on equipment made available there, by a provider licensed for that place. The Communications Minister described the reforms as “banning online keno ‘pocket pokies’” (Minister for Communications).
What operators have said
The Lottery Corporation told the ASX on 19 August 2026 that, if the law was enacted as introduced, it would cease all online Keno operations from 1 January 2027; its online keno earned about A$25 million EBITDA in the 2026 financial year. Until then, online keno is an “excluded lottery service” and is exempt from the credit card ban and from BetStop, the national self-exclusion register.
What it means for players
- From 1 January 2027, keno is legal only in venues — pubs, clubs and casinos — with a state or territory licence.
- Any online keno offered to Australians after that date is an illegal service.
- Winning tickets and account balances with licensed operators are handled under their own terms; check with your operator before the change.
The Keno Games in the Rules
Keno operators run several games on the same draw. The NSW Keno Rules set a different prize fund for each.
Keno Classic
The standard game: choose your spots and win by matches, with jackpots on 7 to 10 spot. Regular Keno has a 75% prize fund in NSW.
Keno Bonus
An optional extra on a keno game, with its own rules and prize table. The NSW rules give Keno Bonus the same 75% prize fund as Regular Keno, so the extra stake carries the same cost.
Heads or Tails and Keno Roulette
Heads or Tails is a bet on the pattern of the draw rather than on your own numbers. The NSW rules give Heads or Tails and Keno Roulette an 80% prize fund, and by our calculation Heads or Tails returns about 80%.
Mega Millions
A A$2 game with a 76.5% prize fund in NSW. The NSW rules allow the operator to move each prize fund by up to 5% into promotional pools, so check the current game guide for the exact prizes.
Keno Strategy: What Works and What Doesn’t
Regulators are clear that no strategy or “lucky number” improves keno odds: any set of numbers has exactly the same chance (Keno — information about the odds).
Choosing numbers
Birthdays, patterns on the card, numbers that have “come up a lot” and numbers that are “due” all have the same chance in every game. The draw has no memory, and a results screen showing recent numbers says nothing about the next game.
How many spots to play
The number of spots changes the shape of your results, not the cost. Fewer spots give frequent small wins; more spots give rare big ones and, for 7 to 10 spots, a lower return before jackpots. If you want your money to last, 1 to 6 spots return about 72% to 75%; if you are playing for the jackpot, accept that it comes about once in 8.9 million games on 10 spot.
What actually helps
- Set a budget per session, not per game — 20 games an hour add up.
- Play fewer games, not more numbers: the cost depends on the amount staked.
- Avoid playing many consecutive games on one ticket unless you have budgeted for all of them.
- Stop at your limit, win or lose.
Keno Compared With Other Games
| Game | Average return to the player | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Keno (Regular) | about 75% | NSW Keno Rules; our calculation |
| Heads or Tails | about 80% | NSW Keno Rules; our calculation |
| Pokies in clubs and hotels | at least 85% to 90% by law | State minimums |
| Roulette, single zero | 97.3% | The Star |
| Baccarat, Banker | 98.9% | The Star (QLD) |
Keno gives back less than the legal minimum for a poker machine and far less than casino table games. Our guide to how pokies work explains the state minimums; our baccarat and roulette guides cover the table games.
Before You Play: A Short Checklist
- Know the stake per game and the number of games. A ticket for 10 consecutive games at A$5 costs A$50.
- Choose spots for the result you want. Fewer spots for frequent small prizes; more spots for rare large ones.
- Check the prize table for your game. Classic, Bonus, Heads or Tails and Mega Millions pay differently.
- Keep your ticket. It is your proof of play and the way to claim a prize.
- Set a limit for the session. At 20 games an hour, small stakes add up quickly.
If you find yourself playing more games to win back money, take a break. That pattern is one of the clearest signs that gambling is costing more than you intended.
Myths About Keno
| Myth | What is true |
|---|---|
| “Some numbers come up more often” | Every number has the same chance in every game |
| “Numbers that haven’t come up are due” | The draw has no memory of previous games |
| “Playing more spots improves your odds” | More spots change the prizes, not the return; 7–10 spots return less before jackpots |
| “A system can beat keno” | Regulators say no strategy or lucky number improves the odds |
| “Online keno will stay legal” | From 1 January 2027, online keno is banned; keno stays legal in licensed venues |
| “Keno is safer than pokies” | Keno returns about 75%, less than the legal minimum for a pokie |
Keno at a Glance
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers drawn | 20 from 80 | NSW Keno Rules |
| How often | About every 3 minutes | keno.com.au |
| Minimum ticket | A$1 (A$2 Mega Millions) | Keno game guide |
| Prize fund, Regular Keno | 75% of stakes | NSW Keno Rules |
| 10-spot jackpot odds | 1 in 8,911,711 | Keno game guide |
| Venues (NSW, Vic, Qld, ACT) | 3,263 | The Lottery Corporation |
| Online keno ban | From 1 January 2027 | Gambling Reform Act 2026 |
A Short Keno Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Spot | A number you choose to play |
| Draw | The 20 numbers picked at random in each game |
| Match | One of your numbers that is drawn |
| Jackpot | A growing top prize for matching all numbers on 7 to 10 spot |
| Consecutive games | Playing the same ticket for several games in a row |
| Heads or Tails | A bet on whether more drawn numbers are 1–40 or 41–80 |
| Prize fund | The share of stakes set aside for prizes (75% for Regular Keno in NSW) |
Keeping Keno a Game
Keno’s low stakes and frequent draws make it easy to spend more than planned without noticing. Decide your session budget before you start, keep consecutive games to what you have budgeted, and stop at your limit. Free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day on 1800 858 858; our responsible gambling guide covers limits and self-exclusion.
The Bottom Line on Keno in Australia
Keno is a lottery-style game: 20 numbers from 80, about every three minutes, with a prize fund of about 75% of stakes. The odds are the same for every set of numbers, so no system helps, and the jackpot on 10 spot comes about once in 8.9 million games. From 1 January 2027, online keno is banned and keno stays legal only in licensed venues. Our guide to whether online gambling is legal in Australia covers the wider reforms.
How We Put This Guide Together
Game rules come from the NSW Keno Rules (Government Gazette, July 2024) and the 2025–26 Keno game guides for NSW and Victoria; odds from Keno and the Tasmanian regulator; the law from the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026, the federal review of online keno and the Minister for Communications; operator plans from The Lottery Corporation’s ASX announcement of 19 August 2026. All were read on 10 November 2026. The probabilities, returns and cost per hour are our own calculations from the published prize table. Written by Michael Jones — see how we review. 18+ only. If gambling stops being fun, call 1800 858 858.
Sources
- NSW Keno Rules (Government Gazette, July 2024)
- Keno Game Guide — NSW
- Keno Game Guide — Victoria
- Keno — information about the odds
- Tasmanian keno odds and return
- Review into the regulation of online keno
- Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026
- The Lottery Corporation — ASX announcement, 19 August 2026
- Crown Perth — Keno
