Keno was removed from the roster of official games at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) starting April 2022, according to the agency's Year-End Report CY 2023, published on March 22, 20241. The report states the discontinuation directly and records the effect on the agency's books.
The report shows Keno generated no retail receipts in 2023, against Php 54,466,787.90 in 20221. The line appears in the agency's comparison of retail receipts between the two years, where Keno is marked with a footnote reading:
"*Keno was removed from the roster of official PCSO games starting April 2022"
The same report says total sales rose 7% in 2023 to Php 61,456,027,455.88 from Php 57,467,795,449.95 in 2022, growth it says was achieved "despite the discontinuation of Keno"1. The games listed as generating that revenue are Lotto, Digit Games, Small Town Lottery and the National Instant Sweepstakes Program (NISP)1.
| PCSO game | CY 2023 receipts (Php) | CY 2022 receipts (Php) |
|---|---|---|
| Lotto and Digit | 31,377,413,790.00 | 27,916,438,190.00 |
| Small Town Lottery | 29,734,364,169.24 | 28,428,040,573.00 |
| Keno | 0 | 54,466,787.90 |
| National Instant Sweepstakes Program | 344,249,496.64 | 1,068,849,899.05 |
| Total | 61,456,027,455.88 | 57,467,795,449.95 |
Source: PCSO Year-End Report CY 20231
The report does not state why Keno was discontinued, and no reason has been reported in the document1. It also does not say whether the removal is permanent or whether the game could return. The report notes that gross retail receipts for Lotto, Digit Games and Small Town Lottery were higher in 2023 than in 2022, while Instant Sweepstakes and Keno were lower1.
What it means for players
Keno is no longer among the games PCSO lists as official, so it is not part of the agency's current product line as described in its 2023 report1. Players in the Philippines who previously bought Keno tickets through PCSO outlets have had no PCSO Keno product to buy since April 2022, based on the report's own dating of the removal1. The report gives no figure for Keno sales in any period after that date, and lists no replacement game under the Keno name1. The other PCSO games named in the report, Lotto, Digit Games, Small Town Lottery and NISP, continued to operate and generate receipts through 20231. For background on how Keno works and where it is played, see Asian Gambling Games: Mahjong, Pachinko, Fan-Tan, Teen Patti, Rummy, Sabong, Keno and Where Each Is Legal, and for the wider market see Can I Gamble in the Philippines?.
What happens next
The report records later PCSO developments but none concerning Keno. It says PCSO announced the test run of its web-based E-Lotto betting platform on December 15, 2023, and launched the Philippine Lottery System on October 1, 20241. It also says PCSO set minimum jackpot prizes for all jackpot-bearing games at Php 89 million on October 30, 2023, opened its 72nd branch office in Abra on October 18, 2023 and its 73rd in Sarangani on December 14, 20231. No date or plan for any Keno return has been reported1.
Sources1 sources
- 16 - Year-End Report CY 2023 as of March 22, 2024, pcso.gov.ph
