Keno and the lottery are two different games in one sense, but they're the exact same game in another sense. Both games are based on blind luck, and both games offer some of the absolute worst odds a gambler could have. Keno generally has better odds and more options about how you can play than the lottery does.
The house edge for keno usually runs between 25% and 40%. The house edge for a state-run lottery is usually about 50%. I've never understood why it's illegal for someone to gamble in certain states on certain games, but it's legal to play the lottery. And the arguments people use to defend anti-gambling laws (It's hard on the economic lower class, it's a waste of money, and it's going to have a bad effect on society as a whole.) don't seem to apply to the one game with the worst odds of any--state sponsored lotteries.
The only advantage keno has over other casino games is that it's one of the slowest games you can play in terms of bets per hour. So your hourly cost for playing keno probably isn't too different from playing slots or blackjack, even though there is a tremendous difference in the house advantage. A roulette wheel generally gets spun about 30 times in an hour, but you'll usually only make 5 or 6 keno bets in any given hour. So again, your hourly cost might make keno a reasonable game for you to play.
I don't recommend that anyone support the lottery though.
