Complete guide to MA Lottery's Keno To Go — paytables, draw schedule, odds for each spot count, house edge, and tips for smarter play.
Massachusetts Keno To Go is run by the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission and is one of the most popular lottery keno games in the United States. It's available at over 5,000 licensed lottery retailers throughout the state — convenience stores, gas stations, bars, restaurants, and more.
The game runs continuously from 5:05 AM to 2:00 AM, seven days a week, with a new draw happening every 4 minutes. That's up to 345 draws per day. Players pick between 1 and 12 spots from the numbers 1–80, and 20 numbers are drawn each game.
Pick 1–12 numbers from 1–80. Place a $1, $2, $5, or $10 bet. A new draw happens every 4 minutes — 20 numbers are drawn from 80. You win based on how many of your numbers match the drawn numbers, according to the paytable for your spot count.
You can play Massachusetts Keno To Go at any licensed lottery retailer displaying the Massachusetts Lottery logo. This includes:
Many bars and restaurants across Massachusetts have dedicated keno monitors where draws are displayed live. You buy a ticket, watch the draw on the monitor, and redeem winnings at the same location if you win.
All payouts below are for a $1 bet. For a $2 bet, double all payouts. For a $5 bet, multiply by 5, and so on.
| Catches | Payout ($1 bet) | Probability | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 catches | — | 30.83% | 1 in 3.2 |
| 1 catch | — | 43.27% | 1 in 2.3 |
| 2 catches | $1 | 21.26% | 1 in 4.7 |
| 3 catches | $5 | 4.32% | 1 in 23 |
| 4 catches | $100 | 0.31% | 1 in 326 |
| Catches | Payout ($1 bet) | Probability | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 catches | — | 83.82% | — |
| 3 catches | $1 | 12.98% | 1 in 7.7 |
| 4 catches | $4 | 2.85% | 1 in 35 |
| 5 catches | $87 | 0.31% | 1 in 323 |
| 6 catches | $1,500 | 0.013% | 1 in 7,753 |
| Catches | Payout ($1 bet) | Probability | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 catches | — | 97.45% | — |
| 5 catches | $10 | 1.83% | 1 in 55 |
| 6 catches | $65 | 0.24% | 1 in 423 |
| 7 catches | $1,500 | 0.017% | 1 in 6,232 |
| 8 catches | $15,000 | 0.00043% | 1 in 230,115 |
| Catches | Payout ($1 bet) | Probability | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 catches | — | 94.79% | — |
| 5 catches | $4 | 6.70% | 1 in 15 |
| 6 catches | $15 | 1.60% | 1 in 63 |
| 7 catches | $100 | 0.23% | 1 in 621 |
| 8 catches | $500 | 0.023% | 1 in 7,384 |
| 9 catches | $4,000 | 0.0012% | 1 in 163,381 |
| 10 catches | $100,000 | 0.0000112% | 1 in 8,911,711 |
Massachusetts Keno To Go has an approximate house edge of 28%, meaning the lottery keeps about 28 cents of every dollar wagered on average over many games. This translates to a return to player (RTP) of about 72%.
This is consistent with other state lottery keno games. The house edge varies slightly by spot count — some spot counts have marginally better or worse RTPs due to paytable rounding.
A 28% house edge is higher than casino table games (blackjack ~0.5%, roulette ~5.3%) and slot machines (typically 4–8% house edge), but lower than most state lottery jackpot games (scratch tickets, Powerball) which often have 40–50% house edges. Keno occupies a middle ground.
The Massachusetts State Lottery offers a Keno To Go mobile app for iOS and Android that lets you:
Important: The MA Lottery app is for checking results only — you cannot purchase tickets or place bets through the app. Wagering must be done in person at a licensed retailer. This is a requirement of Massachusetts lottery law.
MA Keno has a ~28% house edge. For every $100 you wager over time, expect to get back about $72 on average. Set your expectations accordingly and treat it as entertainment spending, not an investment.
Decide how much you're willing to spend before you buy your first ticket. The 4-minute draw cycle makes it easy to play far more games than intended. Setting a firm budget prevents chasing losses.
4-spot and 5-spot games have more frequent winning outcomes than 8 or 10-spot games. If you want to play for a long session without going broke quickly, fewer spots keeps you in the game longer.
Hitting all 10 spots pays $100,000 for a $1 bet (or $200,000 for a $2 bet). The odds are roughly 1 in 8.9 million — rare, but MA Keno players do hit it. If jackpot chasing is your goal, 10-spot is the play.
Enter your spot count and see exact probabilities for every match count — works with MA Keno paytables.
Calculate OddsCompare Massachusetts Keno payouts against Generic Casino and Ohio — see which gives better expected returns.
Compare PayoutsSee which other states offer lottery keno and compare draw frequencies, spot options, and game structures.
View All StatesCalculate exact probability for any spot count — works for Massachusetts keno and any keno game.
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