KENO NEWS - Page 2

"This is the one gambling proposal that has had the least controversy around it," Conway said. Under keno, players pay $1 and choose 10 numbers between one and 80. They win cash based on how many of their choices match computer-generated drawings which is very controversial. The state constitution requires a 60 percent approval margin in the Legislature to expand gambling.
Increasing the number of keno drawings would require only a simple majority of more than 50 percent, Becky Bogard, GTech's lobbyist in Olympia, said at a Senate commerce committee hearing last month.
Last year, the Legislature needed only a simple majority to allow the lottery to adopt the multistage jackpot game Mega Millions. GTech, which renewed its state contract soon afterward, has netted more than $500,000 in commissions from MegaMillions in the first seven months the lottery has offered the game.
Conway said he plans to use a committee hearing next week to explore what margin would be required to pass HB 2213, as well as contracting, regulatory, competitive and quality-of-life issues he said surround the bill. He added he didn't expect as much opposition to the keno plan as to other forms of gambling.
"It is state-run, and the tribes don't have the same concerns about state-run gambling," Conway said.
But Stephen Wehrly, a lobbyist for the Muckleshoot Tribe, told a Senate committee last month that the tribe "very strongly feels" that frequent keno drawings could hurt its gambling operation that features 1,960 pseudo-slot machines.
The keno bills haven't generated nearly as much attention as a broader proposal to allow more than 18,000 electronic slot machines - like those at tribal casinos - in no tribal businesses across the state. It's a high-stakes debate, worth an estimated $83 million in revenues to the state, while the tribes fight to preserve more than $500 million in annual revenue.
 
Visit Our Recommended Keno Site for More Detailed Info on Online Keno