By Rick Green
KEENE SENTINEL
A conference committee of the N.H. Legislature approved a bill Wednesday to allow lottery retailers to offer keno in communities where the game is allowed.
Keno is now permitted only in establishments with a liquor license.
The state legalized the game in 2017 but left it up to individual municipalities to decide whether or not to allow it.
Keene voters rejected it that year, but it is allowed in some other Monadnock Region towns such as Swanzey, Winchester, Jaffrey and Hinsdale.
Keene Mayor George Hansel said in an interview Wednesday that there hasn’t been much demand for keno in the Elm City, but if there were interest, the City Council could revisit the issue. There are about two dozen retailers, such as markets and convenience stores, that sell lottery tickets in Keene alone.
House Bill 355 went to a conference committee to work out a difference between the version approved by the Senate, which would allow screens to display keno numbers at lottery retailers, and the House version, which would not.
In the end, senators on the committee decided against the screens. The House and Senate will now schedule one more vote on the proposal. If it passes, it would go on to Gov. Chris Sununu for his signature.
Keno players bet a number on one to 12 spots on a keno slip. They place the slip and money in a machine that then issues their keno card. Anywhere from $1 to $25 can be spent on a single card.
Players win if their numbers match those generated randomly. The numbers are typically displayed on a screen at the establishment offering the game. New number displays are provided every five minutes by the N.H. Lottery between 11:05 a.m. and 1 a.m.
Without a screen to view the numbers, a person could find out if they won by checking their card at a scan device where they made their bet, or by going to NHLottery.com.
Sen. Bob Giuda, R-Warren, said in the committee hearing it makes sense to allow the screens at new locations where keno tickets would be sold.
“In the interest of preserving the bill, the Senate will accede to the House’s position with the commentary that you’ve yet to provide a principle on which to refuse a store owner to show a screen in his or her store,” he said.
Earlier in the hearing, he said he had not received a single email, letter or phone call against keno screens at new places the game would be offered.
“It’s not offensive,” Giuda said. “It’s not harmful. I think the principle we live under here is ‘Live Free or Die.’ ”
He said limits could be placed on the size and number of screens as a compromise.
But Rep. Patrick Abrami, R-Stratham, the committee chairman, wouldn’t budge on the issue.
“I just think most people don’t want to walk into their grocery store and see these screens there as if it’s a little mini casino,” he said.
The law would go into effect July 1.
A fiscal note on the legislation said it could eventually lead to $5.7 million in new lottery revenue. All net lottery revenue is transferred to the state education trust fund.
Rick Green can be reached at [email protected] or 603-355-8567.
These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.