Keno game rules OK’d

The governor said the new games are not the same as video gambling machines outlawed last year.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Proposed rules for the Ohio Lottery’s video Keno game won approval Friday, although some lottery commissioners were reluctant to be supportive.

The lottery hopes the new game will be ready by July 1 at certain restaurants and taverns with appropriate liquor licenses.

Unlike other online video games, Keno will occur every four minutes. Players will be able to wager on up to 10 numbers and try to match them to a random 20 numbers a computer selects from a field of 1 to 80.

Plans call for the Keno matrix to be displayed on a flat-panel monitor at each participating lottery location. Wagers can be as little as $1. A $10 play that matches 10 numbers can win $100,000.

The Ohio Lottery Commission voted 5-3 to approve the proposed rules, which now go to a legislative committee for review. Gov. Ted Strickland and lottery officials hope Keno eventually will improve lottery profit by $73 million a year.

Lottery commission member Jerry Seaman, of Delaware County, voted no and expressed concern about the game’s intent.

“I’m not saying it is a casino game, but it seems heading in that direction,” he said.

Strickland in January announced the plan to expand the lottery’s scope with the online video Keno in bars and other venues statewide.

The governor said he distinguishes the proposed new games from video gambling machines outlawed last year because they will be “state-monitored, state-controlled and state-regulated.”

Ohioans have voted against non-lottery gambling proposals three times.

Lottery commission member Erskine Cade of Cleveland, who voted for the Keno rules, said he and others on the commission were caught unaware by Strickland’s Keno announcement. Cade was critical of Ohio Lottery Executive Director Michael Dolan for not communicating those plans.

Dolan apologized and said he informed the commission once he found out Strickland wanted to promptly go public with the concept.

“I wasn’t surprised by that,” Dolan said about the criticism. “I’m actually heartened by the amount of interest the commissioners showed.”

He also discounted any concern that Keno might be viewed as a casino game.

“We do these games everyday. The only real difference here is the nature of the draw. We want to be sure it is a system with integrity and reliability.”

He said its development is modeled after lottery Keno in place in other states. He said Ohio’s research has mostly focused on Keno in Michigan.

He said players will be able to pick up printed game instructions and betting odds at Keno locations.

Lottery profit goes to Ohio education. The Ohio Department of Education is required to submit budget cuts, which has motivated starting up Keno.