An Introduction to Sweden’s Popular Game: Keno

Most players are familiar with keno, a popular lottery style game that is offered at the majority of online casinos. It is quite a simple game, and therefore most platforms will only have 1 or 2 keno titles, usually tucked away in the Instant Win or Other gaming categories. But in Sweden, this is far from just another casual instant win game. No, Keno has found its way into the mainstream lottery games.. There are national keno games with daily draws, and prizes that range in the millions of SEK.

Keno has actually become quite the pastime in Sweden, and popular for players of any age, background, and budget. Sweden has quite a fascinating gambling model too, it is not seen as a taboo subject at all, and there are safer gambling and educational programs to protect anyone who may be vulnerable to gambling addiction. Keno has thrived in the country, and for any passing tourists or local enthusiasts, it is highly worth testing out.

How Keno Came To Sweden

According to the legend, a keno-style game called Baige Piao was invented around 200 BC, in China during the Western Han Dynasty, as a means for the Empire to raise money and defend itself. This lottery game was even used to build the Great Wall of China. Baige Piao, a game involving pigeons and Quanziwen script characters, was the template from which keno and bingo were created.

Keno type games were quite prominent in Europe at the start of the Renaissance, and they evolved heavily over the years. The game spread to America in the 19th century, but it never really had much of a history in the Nordic countries. That is, until 1990 when Svenska Spel added Keno to its list of lotto games. The National Lottery was already experimenting with new games in the 1980s, but by 1990, it found a new game that would take Sweden by storm.

Swedish Keno

The traditional, or let’s call it “mainstream” version of keno that you will find generally uses 36 number grids and lets you pick up to 10 numbers. Swedish keno is slightly different from this widely accepted modern standard version. In Swedish Keno, you have to pick how many numbers you want to bet on, from 1 to 11. These are called your Kenoniva. You choose how many you want to select, and then pick from a grid of 1 to 70. You basically are hoping that the daily draw will pull out your numbers, and the more you match, the bigger the prize you win.

The payouts range depending on your level (Kenoniva), and how many numbers you matched from the 20 drawn. Selecting 11 Kenoniva, you can win prizes if you match 5 numbers or more. And the max prize for getting all 11 correct is a payout worth up to 1,000,000x. Picking just 1 number and getting it right will see you get paid out at 2x. Now there are already loads of strategies that players can employ, and not just picking their favorite numbers. You can buy multiple entries, spread out the coverage, overlap some numbers, or bet multiple times on the same combination of numbers. You are given free rein here to stake your bets.

King Keno and Draw Time

It doesn’t stop there. You can take your lotto ticket to the next level through the King Keno add on. This is a side bet that adds a multiplier on your winnings. For instance, instead of winning 1,000,000x for matching 11 numbers, with the King Keno add on you can take those winnings up to 20,000,000x. It also adds a few additional wins for partial matches.

On weekdays, Keno draws take place at 18:50 local time, and on weekends they take place at 17:55. Buy your tickets nice and early – the windows close 30 minutes before the draw.

Svenka Spel, National Lottery and Keno Games

The Swedish Keno and National Lottery are run by Svenska Spel, the country’s official gambling provider and state-regulated lottery. Svenska Spel was launched in 1997, the merger of two state companies: Penninglotteriet and Tipstjänst. Both were nationalized and ran government sanctioned gambling products. Penninglotteriet was founded in 1897 and was the official state lottery. Tipstjänst was Sweden’s official betting service, founded in 1934.

The Swedish Lotto was launched on the 6th of September, 1980. Just over a month later, the first millionaire was made. This game involves players picking 7 numbers, from a grid of 1 to 35. And players can decide whether they want to pay for one single draw or multiple draws using the same ticket. In 1984, the Joker feature was added to Lotto 1. This is basically a secondary bet in which players must pick 7 numbers from 0 to 9, and can pick the same number. The order counts here, and players who can match all 7 can win tremendous prizes, though matching just the first 2 or last 2 can also win a small return.

Keno and Modern Swedish Gambling Industry

Keno was launched in 1990, and since then Svenska Spel has also added a second Lotto game (Lotto 2), the Viking Lotto draw, Drömvinsten, and Sweden also joined the EuroJackpot. The Svenska Spel is quite a respected institution in Sweden. It represents the gold standard for gamblers, providing games that are provably fair to play.

The government-run agency is also transparent about its revenues and expenditures, much of which is allocated to public initiatives. So when Swedes gamble on the lottery, they could also see it as giving a little back to fund new public infrastructure, go into healthcare services, or just generally benefit the country.

Svenska Spel held the monopoly on gambling in Sweden until 2019, when new laws were brought in to open the market. The Swedish gambling authority is extremely strict when it comes to issuing gambling licenses, and only permits online casinos that meet its high integrity and player safety requirements. Plus, it has gambling safety protocols and responsible gambling initiatives to protect the public from the dangers of gambling.

Where to Play Keno in Sweden

It is quite easy to get your hands on a Keno ticket, as they are sold practically everywhere in Sweden. You can buy them in retail stores, food stores, petrol stations, supermarkets, practically anywhere. Alternatively, you can head to the Svenska Spel site and purchase your Keno tickets online.

The only thing to note is that you have to be of legal age to gamble in Sweden, 18 years old. You can buy your ticket, enter the numbers, and then validate it at the chosen retailer. Or, if doing it online, you can set up your tickets and buy them directly at the Svenska Spel site. Opt in to the King Keno if you want to crank up those wins. You will have to pay double for the King Keno feature though.

Pick your numbers, or have them randomly assigned. Then, choose a stake. The stakes start from 5 Kroner and go all the way up to 100 SEK. And for each day that you want to play for, you need to buy an extra ticket. Then, all you have to do is kick back and wait until 7pm (or 6pm on a weekend), and see if you got lucky.

Are There Strategies to Win at Keno?

Keno, like any lottery game, is based on pure chance. The results are completely random and it is virtually impossible to predict which numbers will pop up. The odds of matching all 11 numbers (70 number grid), are approximately 1 in 62 million. But still some players may develop their own systems or look for lucky numbers. There are many superstitions that players adopt when it comes to lottery games, including some of the following:

• Picking new numbers every draw
• Lucky numbers – anniversaries, birth dates, etc
• Choosing only low/high numbers
• Looking for numbers that “win more often“

These can add an enjoyment factor to the gaming, but none of the “strategies” should be taken too seriously. There is no way of predicting lottery games. So when playing the Swedish Keno, always make sure you don’t overspend or get carried away buying tickets. Sure, you can buy as many entries as you like and try to make a betting system to cover numerous possible outcomes. But don’t go overboard with your betting.

Practise responsibility, and enjoy the thrill of participating in Sweden’s favorite gambling pastime. You can also rest assured that the money you spend will be put to good use at Svenska Spel.