Generic Casino vs Massachusetts Keno To Go vs Ohio KENO!: payouts per $1 bet
Methodology: Payouts are per $1 wager. Estimated RTP is derived from the hypergeometric probability of each catch level multiplied by its payout:
RTP = Σ P(catch k) × Payout(k) / Wager
| Spots / Catch | Casino ($1) | MA Keno ($1) | OH KENO! ($1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Spot | |||
| Catch 2 | $1 | $1 | $1 |
| Catch 3 | $5 ★ | $4 | $4 |
| Catch 4 (all) | $120 ★ | $100 | $105 |
| Est. RTP | ~70% | ~67% | ~68% |
| 5-Spot | |||
| Catch 3 | $2 | $2 | $2 |
| Catch 4 | $18 ★ | $16 | $16 |
| Catch 5 (all) | $800 ★ | $620 | $660 |
| Est. RTP | ~68% | ~65% | ~66% |
| 6-Spot | |||
| Catch 3 | $1 | $1 | $1 |
| Catch 4 | $8 ★ | $7 | $7 |
| Catch 5 | $60 ★ | $50 | $55 |
| Catch 6 (all) | $1,500 ★ | $1,000 | $1,200 |
| Est. RTP | ~68% | ~64% | ~65% |
| 7-Spot | |||
| Catch 3 | $1 | $1 | $1 |
| Catch 4 | $3 ★ | $2 | $2 |
| Catch 5 | $20 ★ | $18 | $18 |
| Catch 6 | $100 ★ | $80 | $85 |
| Catch 7 (all) | $5,000 ★ | $4,000 | $4,500 |
| Est. RTP | ~66% | ~63% | ~64% |
| 8-Spot | |||
| Catch 4 | $2 | $2 | $2 |
| Catch 5 | $10 ★ | $8 | $9 |
| Catch 6 | $75 ★ | $60 | $65 |
| Catch 7 | $1,000 ★ | $750 | $800 |
| Catch 8 (all) | $15,000 ★ | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Est. RTP | ~65% | ~62% | ~63% |
| 10-Spot | |||
| Catch 5 | $2 | $2 | $2 |
| Catch 6 | $20 ★ | $16 | $17 |
| Catch 7 | $150 ★ | $120 | $130 |
| Catch 8 | $1,000 ★ | $800 | $850 |
| Catch 9 | $5,000 ★ | $4,000 | $4,500 |
| Catch 10 (all) | $100,000 | $250,000 ★ | $100,000 |
| Est. RTP | ~60% | ~66%* | ~60% |
The probability side of keno is fixed. Catching 5 of 5 happens once in 1,551 tickets whether you are in Boston, Cleveland, or a casino in Reno, and nothing you do at the terminal moves that number. The payout side is not fixed at all. That same 5-of-5 is worth $800 in one game and $620 in another, and the gap between those two figures is the entire difference between a game worth playing and one that is not.
This makes paytable comparison the one genuinely actionable decision in keno. Number selection systems, hot and cold tracking, and due-number theories all operate on a part of the game that cannot be influenced. Picking the venue with the better schedule for your spot count operates on the part that can.
A star marks the best payout on that row, and it is per catch level rather than per game. That distinction matters. A game can lose most of the individual rows in its section and still be the stronger choice overall if it wins the catch levels that actually occur often. The estimated RTP line at the foot of each spot count is what weighs those rows by how likely each one is, which is why it is the figure to trust when the stars are split.
The Massachusetts 10-spot row is the clearest illustration of that trap on the whole sheet. Its $250,000 top prize is far and away the largest number in the table, and it drags the calculated RTP for that section to roughly 66%. Almost none of that return reaches an ordinary player, because it is concentrated in an outcome that occurs once in 8.9 million tickets. The mid-tier catches, which are the ones you will realistically see, pay less than the alternatives.
Casino keno usually carries the better mid-tier payouts, and the reason is competitive rather than generous. A casino floor has slots, video poker, and table games all competing for the same visitor, and a keno lounge that pays visibly worse than the machine next to it loses that time. A state lottery has no such pressure. It is the only keno game in the state, its margin funds public programmes, and the schedule reflects that.
The practical consequence is on the sheet: at 4 to 8 spots, generic casino keno and Ohio KENO! stay competitive with each other, while the lottery games trail on most mid-tier rows. If a lottery game is your only option, the 4-spot and 5-spot sections are where the gap is narrowest and your practical return is best.
Payout schedules change, and a printed sheet cannot know when. Lotteries revise prize structures, casinos adjust individual machines, and bonus features such as multipliers and Bulls-Eye add-ons alter both the payouts and the cost per game without appearing in a base table at all. Treat this comparison as the shape of the market and confirm the specific numbers against the state guide or the machine glass before you commit a budget to a game.
For a version you can drive yourself, the interactive paytable comparison covers more states and lets you set your own bet size, and keno payouts explained shows how a schedule turns into an RTP figure.