Maine Governor Paul LePage and state legislators are at odds over who has the authority to approve bringing keno to the state. A LePage administration spokesman said he has the authority to approve keno, which is considered to be similar to draw games the lottery already offers.
However, a measure before the Maine legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee would stop the lottery commission’s plans to join 15 states that offer keno. Bill sponsor, state Rep. Louie Luchini, said keno’s fast-paced action makes it different from Pick 3 and Pick 4 games, which select winners twice a day. Luchini and a bipartisan group of lawmakers said they also want to keep keno out of restaurants, where children are present, and are concerned the game could lead to more compulsive gambling. “Perhaps these are warranted, perhaps not. At the very least, such an expansion of gambling should be subject to the legislative process,” Luchini said.
State Senator Scott Cyrway said not giving the public a chance to weigh in before introducing keno would amount to “blindsiding the state.”
The state plans to initially introduce keno at up to 135 retailers, with 300 locations by 2021. Forecasts indicate the game could generate $5.5 million in gross sales in the second full year, with 62 percent of those revenues paid back to players in prizes. Currently the lottery brings in $225 million in gross sales, with $50 million directed to the state’s general fund.
Richard Rosen, commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, said keno sales in other states, such as Massachusetts and Rhode Island, prove keno is “good for players, for retailers playing keno and the state.” He added he does not believe keno would take revenue from existing gambling facilities. However, Linwood Higgins, a lobbyist for the Maine Harness Horsemen’s Association, said keno would be another blow to the industry, which experiences revenue losses whenever a new form of gambling is introduced in Maine.
