Ohio launches Keno
New game designed to plug hole in state budgetBy Sam Shawver, sshawver@mariettatimes.com
Article Photos
Fact Box
Where to play locally
River City Tavern and Grill, Pike Street, Marietta.
North Hills Lanes, Colegate Drive, Marietta.
Norwood Tavern, Greene Street, Marietta.
River City Boathouse, Virginia Street, Marietta.
American Legion Post 64, Wooster Street, Marietta.
Edgewater Cafe, Muskingum River Road, near Lowell.
Lawnsdale Carryout and Bar Inc., Briggs Hill Road, Belpre.
Station Carryout, Joe Skinner Road, Belpre.
How to play
Players can wager $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10 and $20.
Choose from 1 to 10 numbers (depending on spots) out of a pool of 80 numbers. You may use a bet card or the Auto Pick feature.
Win by matching number(s) to the 20 numbers selected by the Ohio Lottery.
Tickets can be purchased every day during normal gaming hours.
Drawings occur every four minutes beginning at 11:04 a.m.
Source: Ohio Lottery Commission.
Keno officially went online in 700 establishments across Ohio at 11:04 a.m. Monday.
The popular game of chance, operated by the Ohio Lottery Commission, is being offered by at least eight bars and restaurants in Washington County.
"We already had four or five players here at 11 a.m., but we'll have more this evening with our Monday pool tournaments. Some people will play Keno in between the pool games," said Mary Eddy, owner of the Norwood Tavern on Greene Street.
She said the tavern, like other businesses carrying the new game, will only realize about 5 percent profit from Keno, but Eddy hopes it will help bring back some of the customers she lost after the state banned smoking in bars last year.
Ohio's Keno game pays up to $20 million for a $20 bet that matches 10 of 20 randomly selected numbers. The maximum payout on a $1 bet is $100,000.
A new 20-number drawing runs every four minutes starting at 11:04 a.m. and ending at 1:44 a.m. daily, giving players a total of 221 chances to win every day.
In Belpre, Rhonda Funk, manager of the Station Lounge on Joe Skinner Road, said the Keno game brought some new faces into the bar.
"We're doing fine and have had a few players in and no big winners, but it's only Monday," she said. "And we've actually seen some new customers come in to play."
At Marietta's River City Tavern and Grill on Pike Street, manager Matt Ware said there wasn't a big crowd waiting to play the new Keno game at noon, but more people were showing an interest as dinner time approached.
"It's going pretty well. The biggest problem is explaining to customers how to play the game," Ware said. "But once they play a game they see how easy it is.
"I think it's going to increase our business, too, once people realize they can play Keno here as well as in West Virginia," he added.
Julie Brookover was a little apprehensive about offering the game at her Edgewater Cafe on Muskingum River Road between Marietta and Lowell.
"I was nervous at first, but I've got it down now," she said. "We've probably had 15 to 20 players today, but Mondays are usually slow for us. It will pick up."
Several players on Monday declined to be interviewed for this story.
Gov. Ted Strickland is banking on Keno to bring at least $73 million into the state's education coffers by July 2009. Ohio's constitution requires that all lottery earnings be funneled into education. But the governor says that money will still help offset the state's projected deficit of $733 million in fiscal 2009.
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Johanna
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08-06-08 6:01 PM
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Gambling? Hmmm.I suppose that if you can afford it and do it responsibly...go for it. Personally I was involved with someone who had a major gambling problem that I knew nothing about. He turned it into a theft and forgery problem. He was relaesed from jail today, after spending three months hopefully realizing just how many lives he hurt. He claimed it was a "sickness". He committed felonies to feed his illness. He hurt so many people so many times. Gamble wisely.
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Indian
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08-05-08 10:55 PM
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If peopel want to gamble, they will. Why not do it in our state or local?
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Indian
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08-05-08 10:54 PM
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For years they hated gambling being associated with bars; now Keno in bars????? Whats next in our bars?
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XXOOXX
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08-05-08 9:25 PM
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I think the bars have alot more business to offset the smoking ban if they have strippers and lap dances. What the heck if we gonna legalize gambling let's have it all. They have plenty of tax money if they let er all rip!
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cupcake
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08-05-08 8:41 PM
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Lets just see what happens
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1968native
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08-05-08 7:43 PM
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Horrible. The poor get poorer - maybe they'll eventually get smarter with the revenue rasied in education in Ohio and they'll know better than to play these NO WINNER games. Brighten up people! Ted Strickland doesn't care about the small communities such as Marietta where people will try this and get hooked. Disgusting! Ted's disgusting!
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hmmmmm
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08-05-08 6:47 PM
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Amen cutlerkid, parrothead and riverqueen...if you don't like Keno, don't play it. But don't judge others who do because I know some well-off people who enjoy beating the odds, feeling the rush and a little jingle in the pocket every once in a while. If you work hard to earn your money, then you have the right to do with it what you wish. As for the people who have an addiction, I don't deny it is a legitimate problem and there should be more resources to help those folks. But we're not going to close down all the bars just because there are alcoholics in the world...at least not yet.
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XXOOXX
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08-05-08 5:54 PM
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I want legalized prostitution!
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OneAmongThem
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08-05-08 5:15 PM
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Yea, a great way to get people back into the bars!* *Sarcasm noted.
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Parrothead
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08-05-08 4:53 PM
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Why does everyone assume that only poor people gamble? I personally know many individuals who gamble regularly and they are far from being poor. To me gambling is a form of entertainment. I can go to the movies, buy popcorn and a drink and have $25 -$30 dollars in 2 hour of entertainment or I can place a $1 bet every 4 minutes and have 2 hours of entertainment with the same $30. What’s the problem with that? Hey HarleyRider, I am glad to see that you didn’t miss this chance to rally for lower corporate taxes and take part in a little Democrat bashing! Some things never change! LOL
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Contrarian
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08-05-08 4:02 PM
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Government believes that gambling is so bad for you that it needs a monopoly on it! Gambling is, if you think about it, a tax on stupidity. If you examine the odds, you realize that it's just handing your money over for "entertainment." It's called "gaming" because gambling has bad pr connotations, but it's a way to extract money from willing, but unwise consumers. I'd rather not see Ohio go down this road. I think WV's slogan should be "Wild, Wonderful, and CITY PERK!"
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RiverQueen
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08-05-08 3:35 PM
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Not sure why everyone is looking for something to complain about. You frequent any establishment because they offer what you enjoy. You choose to endulge or not. That is our right. As far as targeting Gov Strickland, he has protocol to follow before something is voted in. This isn't something he did alone. If the general public in Ohio significantly play the KENO, it'll stay, if not, it will be removed. While it's here, I'm glad it will go to public schools. It may not please everyone, but it is something. Moderation, my friends never killed anyone.
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thecutlerkid
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08-05-08 2:35 PM
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To OrchardFarmer and the rest of the hypocrites that say they will not frequent an establishment because of a Keno Game. Ask yourself have you ever bought a lottery ticket, scratch off, played bingo, football pool, or even a church raffle ? It is all Gambling and to say you will not sit in a restaraunt because it hurts families let me remind you that you probably ordered some alcohol and a nice fatty meal or deasert. How about you put down the fat burger and ask yourself if you are setting an example for your children by being a hypocritte. This town is full of it. Gambling can hurt but just like anything else you have to be responsible about it, and by the way most of this area looks I'd say they are irresponsible about what they consume. Opinion Only Love from Cutler
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Harleyrider
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08-05-08 2:14 PM
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What amazes me in this is that it is Democrats that are bringing gambling here. I thought that the Democrats were for the lowly. It seems to me that the lowly will suffer the most from this. I personally do not have a problem with gambling. I do have a problem with the expoitation of the ppor. Why not just tax them Gov. Strickland? I am sure that the tax would be cheaper on may in the long run. The solution to our woes is lower corporate taxes. Make Ohio more buisiness friendly and our troubles will be eased.
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rennee
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08-05-08 1:12 PM
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It all comes down to our rights as american citizens. We should have the right to spend some of our money on gambling. There are alot worse issues we should be setting our sights on.
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tlh331
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08-05-08 12:43 PM
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There's good things about gambling and there's bad things about gambling. All of our local schools are in fininacial trouble. When gambling was voted in in WV the slogan was higher education. Look at Wood County, last year they got 60 Million in school renovation. What schools in WV are in Fininacial Trouble?
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troyinohio
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08-05-08 12:38 PM
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I agree with Orchardfarmer.
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DebbieOH
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08-05-08 12:00 PM
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Gambling is not the way to fix the problems. Never has been and never will be. I'm sorry but we're paying our political leaders way too much if this is their best plan of action....maybe we should just cut their salaries and put that money to better use.
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unknown
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08-05-08 11:51 AM
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Orchardfarmer- Gambling is a lame excuse to stop going to River City. I'm sure that alcohol destroys far more families than gambling and you obviously don't have any problems with eating at a bar.
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oneness1
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08-05-08 11:50 AM
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"Ohio's Keno game pays up to $20 million for a $20 bet that matches 10 of 20 randomly selected numbers. The maximum payout on a $1 bet is $100,000. A new 20-number drawing runs every four minutes starting at 11:04 a.m. and ending at 1:44 a.m. daily, giving players a total of 221 chances to win every day.........." Let see 221 chances @ $1, that would be $221 that could be use for: gas for your car clothes for your kids milk bread electric heating mortgage......Hmmmm!! SMART MOVE OHIO!!!! I spoke with a lottery commission employee, last Saturday. He told me that OH lottery gave $1. so many millions to education. Split that between how many schools in OH?! "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil!!!" I am with you, Orchardfarmer,...no establishments that has these will get my business. I care about my family and what I am teaching my kid.
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glider
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08-05-08 11:34 AM
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Just another way to bleed money to the state from people. The poor and elderly will pay the dearest. I also heard the vehicle registration fees will raise significantly next year. The reason to pay for the extra cost of gas for the State Highway Patrol. Hmmm. Just read an article the other day, how many less miles the public is drivig now. If the public is driving less than so can't the Patrol!
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Morris
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08-05-08 9:57 AM
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The article "Suing Our Way to Prosperity" written by Samuel Staley can be found at the Buckeye Institute website - ****buckeyeinstitute****
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Morris
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08-05-08 9:54 AM
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...More of the same desperate, short-sighted fixes for our state which is bleeding jobs. (Good jobs=Strong Economy=Good schools)Our current administration is too busy tripping over themselves and looking for more ways to chase business away- read about their plans to sue DHL for moving in this article: ***********buckeyeinstitute****/article/1146 This will garner some attention from any business considering a move to Ohio...and hasten a decision to choose another state that fosters economic development instead of ignoring it completely.
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Orchardfarmer
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08-05-08 9:04 AM
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We used to enjoy the food at River City Tavern and Grill, and to watch football games. Now we WON'T go there - gambling destroys families, and we won't support such establishments.
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newsnut
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08-05-08 8:56 AM
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this is Ted's big education plan.
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