There is a bill currently being brought before the house in New Hampshire which could allow the possibility for electronic keno games to be played as a real money gambling game, something which would be a baby step into the electronic gambling age for the state but would nonetheless be very significant indeed for voters. The house has previously rejected efforts to bring electronic video slot machines into the state, but this could be a way to approach the matter from a different angle: if electronic keno goes ahead and sees some success, then video slots might be seen in a bit more of a positive light.
“This would be the next logical small step for the Lottery to do,” said Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the Lottery Commission. The bill would allow the Lottery Commission to install the electronic keno machines in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol across the state, with around two hundred and fifty sites having been selected as potential places for the machines to be found. McIntyre estimates that if those two hundred and fifty were allowed to go ahead, the state might raise around $9 million on an annual basis, and he also mentioned that he is frequently contacted by bar owners who are keen to offer the game and would love to have it installed. There is much belief that installing these machines would have the effect of keeping some New Hampshire residents and their playing money at home, rather than forcing them to go across the border to Massachusetts in order to play. He also says that legalising the games would not be a huge stretch above and beyond what other states have done, as fifteen other states already offer the games, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and Connecticut.
The game of keno is played in a very simple manner, in case you happen to be from New Hampshire and have not come across it before. Players have to choose numbers for each game from a field of around eighty by marking a paper slip, and they can also choose to have random numbers chosen for them. They then hand this slip as well as their entry fee to the barman, and a computer will randomly select twenty numbers for each game – which can be run on a basis of one every six minutes. The numbers will be flashed up on a screen in the bar or restaurant so that winners can make their claims, and players can bet from as little as $1 right the way up to $30 if they wish. Those who choose fewer numbers can earn a higher payout for getting their guesses right, and no one has to sit in front of a computer terminal – they just buy their ticket and then enjoy the bar or restaurant as normal. The game would be offered between the hours of 11am and 11pm, and no one under the age of eighteen would play.