Suppose a Connecticut Lottery Keno ticket lists 7, 32 and 68. The draw includes 7 and 68. The ticket pays $2 under the lottery's three-spot schedule for a $1 base play. If 32 appears as well, the prize rises to $27. To find the chance of that larger prize, start with the 80 numbers in the game.
The three spots belong to the ticket
The Connecticut Lottery Corporation draws 20 distinct numbers from 1 through 80. A spot is one of the numbers selected on the ticket. The spot category records how many were selected, so this ticket stays in the three-spot category even if only two of its numbers appear. The example is a single retail drawing for $1 with the multiplier box left unmarked. Connecticut Lottery Corporation Official Keno Game Rules, Part IV
The match count comes from comparing the three selections with the complete set of 20 drawn numbers. Finding 7 on the results board tells you that one selection hit. Whether the ticket earns a prize depends on where the count ends.
What this $1 ticket pays
The Connecticut Lottery publishes two paying rows for a three-spot base play. Under Part V of its rules, a winning play earns the single prize for its match count within its own spot category. Connecticut Lottery Keno prizes and odds
| Numbers matched | Prize | Change after the $1 cost |
|---|---|---|
| 0 or 1 | $0 | −$1 |
| 2 | $2 | +$1 |
| 3 | $27 | +$26 |
When 32 is missing from the results, the $2 prize leaves $1 above the cost of the ticket. With all three numbers present, the $27 is the entire prize. The other row describes a separate outcome, so there is no second $2 payment.
The chance of all three appearing
Imagine shuffling all 80 numbers and taking the first 20 as the draw. Any set of 20 is equally likely in this model. The number 7 has 20 winning positions among 80. Once 7 occupies one of those positions, 32 has 19 winning positions among the remaining 79. With both included, 68 has 18 among the remaining 78. This counts the positions for each pick in turn. A match can appear anywhere in the draw.
Multiply 20/80 × 19/79 × 18/78. The result is about 1.39%, or one in 72.07, under that draw model. The lottery displays one in 73 for the three-match row. These figures describe the chance of the $27 outcome. The chance of receiving any prize also includes drawings with exactly two matches. Connecticut Lottery Corporation Official Keno Game Rules, Exhibit 1
Both the chance of an outcome and its prize enter a calculation of the average return across many tickets. For this example, the prize amounts come from the Connecticut Lottery schedule for a $1 base play, checked on 6 November 2026. Return to player explained
