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More than 100 places in five-county Akron area to offer game
By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Aug 03, 2008
Ohio's big gamble with keno starts Monday.
More than 1,000 bars and restaurants throughout the state have signed on to offer the new electronic game that state leaders predict will turn a $73 million profit in its first full year.
The first drawing is set for 11:04 a.m.
Lottery officials hope Ohioans — who have repeatedly rejected casino gambling at the ballot box — flock to the fast-paced, state-run numbers game.
Judging from the initial feedback from the public, predictions from gambling experts and the keno history in neighboring Michigan, they will.
''Keno can be a successful niche game in bar environments, and has been successfully offered in a number of jurisdictions in the world,'' said Bill Eadington, professor of economics and director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno.
The lottery has received a strong response so far not only from retailers
wanting to provide the game, but also from the general public wondering how and where they can play.
''That's unusual for a game launch,'' especially one that hasn't been backed by an advertising campaign, said Dan Metelsky, lottery deputy director of sales.
The lottery will launch an advertising push to support the game later this fall, he said. For now, it's word of mouth, media coverage and advertising by individual retailers.
Michigan experience
Michigan started Club Keno — the same game being offered in Ohio — in late 2003.
Lottery officials there predicted that sales from the first week would be $186,000. Instead, it was more than $225,000. Less than three months later, weekly sales surpassed $3 million.
''We expected that the sales would go up but they went up way more than we projected,'' Michigan Lottery spokeswoman Andi Brancato said.
Last year, Club Keno sales hit $491 million for the entire year.
Just as in Ohio, Michigan earmarks lottery profits for education.
Many Ohio business owners hope the video game fills their wallets and recaptures some of the customers they lost because of the state's strict smoking law.
''I'm hoping to get rich,'' laughed Brad Harris, who owns the Bier Haus in Canal Fulton with his wife, Denise. ''Basically, the smoking ban hit a lot of places about my size pretty hard. With keno, it's a new way to draw customers in and give people a reason to stick around.
''It's going to be a wait-and-see thing,'' he added. ''It's going to add a level of paperwork and stress behind the bar. But if it brings in more customers who spend more and tip my staff more, it'll be worth it.''
More than 100 bars, restaurants and bowling alleys in the five-county Akron area will offer keno, according to a database provided by the state lottery. Stark County leads the region with 39, followed by Summit with 35.
Not all rosy
People who visit bars now may play the game, but business owners shouldn't expect it to attract a whole new crowd, said William Thompson, a professor of public administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a gambling expert.
He questioned why Ohio would start keno in bars, since it's targeting people already prone to addiction and ''you're going to throw another one in their face.'' It's also targeted at the poor, he added.
''It's not aimed at the affluent population because the affluent population doesn't hang around bars,'' Thompson said. ''It'll be a regressive tax.''
He also described keno as a casino game.
''It's funny that the voters in Ohio have said no to casino gambling, but the lottery is going to give it to you anyway,'' he said.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
Ohio's big gamble with keno starts Monday.
Get the full article here.
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