Sizing up "Is RNG gambling?" takes one look at the draw. Keno, bingo and scratch cards are the number games that sit closest to a lottery. Each one draws or reveals numbers at random, pays by a fixed table and asks nothing of the player beyond a choice of numbers or a ticket. What they pay, whether they can be rigged and how they work online explains why they are popular and why they cost more than they appear to.
Online scratch cards work differently from printed ones: each card is generated at the moment it is bought, from a random number generator with a published return. Anyone can play scratch cards online where the site is licensed, and winnings go straight to the account. Printed winning cards can usually be cashed at any retailer that sells that lottery's tickets up to a set amount, but not anywhere else, and larger prizes are claimed from the lottery itself.
Keno can be played online as well as in venues, with a draw of twenty numbers from eighty repeated every few minutes or instantly on demand. Licensed keno cannot be rigged by the operator, because the draw comes from a certified generator or a ball machine on camera. Whether keno is worth playing depends on accepting its price: its house edge is among the highest in any casino, often twenty percent or more, so it suits small stakes and a patient player.
Bingo is gambling wherever cards are bought for money and prizes are paid in money, even when it is played as a social game. A bingo game does pay, but prizes come from the pool of card sales minus the operator's share, so the more players join a session the larger the prizes and the longer the odds. Online bingo games cannot be rigged where the draw is certified, although unlicensed rooms offer no such check.
Which numbers are chosen makes no difference; how many spots are picked changes the pay table and the odds, and birthdays are as good as any.
Keno draws twenty numbers out of eighty, repeated every few minutes in venues or instantly on demand online.
No keno number hits more over time, because every draw is independent and a number that appeared often lately has the same chance next draw.
Keno keeps among the highest edges in any casino, often twenty percent or more, which makes it better suited to small stakes and patience.
An online card is generated at the moment of purchase by a random number generator with a published return, and winnings go straight to the account.