Keno
WCLC Keno Odds and Payouts in Western Canada
How much WCLC keno pays back per dollar in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the territories, for every spot count and bet, and how the per-ticket prize cap changes it.
Each $1 play returns $0.60 on average. With 265 draws a day, playing every draw costs about $106.92 a day on average ($265 staked).
The $100,000 limit per ticket per draw does not touch this bet: no prize here is above it.
Paytable for 10 spots at $1
| Catch | Prize | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 10 of 10 | $100,0002% of the return | 1 in 8,911,711printed: 8,911,712 (rounded up) |
| 9 of 10 | $5,0005% of the return | 1 in 163,381printed: 163,382 (rounded up) |
| 8 of 10 | $50011% of the return | 1 in 7,384printed: 7,385 (rounded up) |
| 7 of 10 | $5014% of the return | 1 in 620.7printed: 621 |
| 6 of 10 | $1019% of the return | 1 in 87.1printed: 88 (rounded up) |
| 5 of 10 | $326% of the return | 1 in 19.4printed: 20 (rounded up) |
| 0 of 10 | $323% of the return | 1 in 21.8printed: 22 |
WCLC rounds its printed odds up, never down: 16 of 37 printed lines are above what rounding to the nearest would give. The real chance is slightly better than printed; the table shows the exact one.
How the return is counted
Return per $1 = sum over every catch of (chance of that catch times prize) / price.
Expected prize = $0.60; price = $1; 59.65%
Every chance is an exact fraction (whole-number counts of tickets), rounded only for display.
Show the formula
Chance of catching exactly 10 of your 10 spots when 20 numbers are drawn from 80:
P(10) = C(20,10) × C(60,0) / C(80,10)
= 184,756 × 1 / 1,646,492,110,120 = 1 in 8,911,711
C(n,k) is the number of ways to choose k numbers out of n. The first factor picks which drawn numbers are yours, the second picks your other spots among the numbers not drawn.
Source: WCLC – KENO Game Conditions and Prize Structure Statement (2016), WCLC – KENO page · checked 2026-10-29
How a WCLC keno draw works
- Mark your spotsPick one to ten numbers from one to eighty. Each number you mark is a spot.
- Choose a betThere are four bet amounts. If you mark none, the smallest bet is used.
- Twenty numbers are drawnTwenty numbers are picked at random from the eighty.
- Count your matchesThe prize depends on how many spots you marked and how many matched. Only one prize per selection.
Return by spots and bet
| Spots marked | Return, smallest bet | Return, largest bet |
|---|---|---|
| One | 50.0% | 50.0% |
| Two | 60.1% | 60.1% |
| Three | 55.5% | 55.5% |
| Four | 58.2% | 58.2% |
| Five | 60.7% | 60.7% |
| Six | 62.1% | 62.1% |
| Seven | 60.4% | 60.4% |
| Eight | 57.2% | 57.2% |
| Nine | 60.5% | 59.5% |
| Ten | 59.7% | 58.6% |
Return = average amount paid back per dollar bet. Nine and ten spots drop at bigger bets because of the ticket cap. Compare provinces: keno payouts.
How the prize cap works
Most per ticket
$100,000The most one ticket can win in one draw, whatever the bet. A ten-spot top prize at a bigger bet is cut to this amount.
Shared ten of ten
$200,000If two or more tickets match ten of ten in the same draw, they share this total, split by the amount wagered on each ticket.
Ten spots, largest bet
58.6%Return with the cap. Without the cap it would be 59.7%.
Expected loss per ticket
Expected loss = amount bet − amount bet × return per dollar
Example: For example, with six spots the return is 62.1%: each dollar bet pays back that share on average, and the rest is lost.
A draw every few minutes
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Time between draws | Five minutes |
| Draws per hour | 12 |
| Draws per day | 265 |
Each draw is a separate bet. See what keno costs per hour at a given bet.
Keno words
- Spot
- A number you mark on the slip.
- Return per dollar
- The average amount paid back for each dollar bet over many draws. The rest is the expected loss.
Sources
- WCLC – KENO page · checked Oct 29, 2026
- WCLC – KENO Game Conditions and Prize Structure Statement (2016) · checked Oct 29, 2026
Questions
How often is WCLC keno drawn?
Every five minutes: 12 draws per hour and 265 per day, on a daily schedule set in Eastern time.
What is the maximum keno payout in Western Canada?
One ticket can win at most $100,000 in one draw, whatever the bet. If two or more tickets match ten of ten in the same draw, they share $200,000 by amount wagered.
Where is WCLC keno sold?
WCLC says keno is available at lottery retailers in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the territories. For Alberta games and age rules, see lotteries in Alberta.
Can past keno winning numbers predict the next draw?
No. Each draw picks twenty numbers at random from eighty. Earlier results do not change the chance of any number in the next draw.