As Nebraskans prepare for casino gambling at racetracks, local keno operators are concerned they may lose revenue to the shiny new venues. The game has been a Nebraska classic for nearly 40 years.
Shirley Swift of Grand Isle has been running keno in local bars for nearly two decades. She said she’s glad casino gambling is coming at last. “I love it, I love the idea, just so they don’t take our keno business away,” she said.
Swift works for Michael Nevrivy, a keno operator for 25 years. He said he expects the new casinos to affect his business. He said, “We think that there will be a negative impact with keno, we just don’t know what that will be yet.” He noted municipalities could be hit since they receive nine cents out of every dollar of keno profits. “Cities rely on keno for a lot of funding. Keno has to be used by cities for community betterment projects and that can be anything from playground equipment to police cars, parks,” Nevrivy said.
Ben Rockey of Nebraska Charitable Gaming pointed out, “Those that like to play keno at lunch on their break, maybe they’ll continue to go to their favorite location and go there after work, before they go home. That might remain a part of their routine. Until we actually see numbers coming in from operators or the licensees, we won’t be able to say with any certainty, that’s something they would have to project.”
According to state figures, in 2020, nearly $250 million dollars was wagered in keno statewide, a decline of more than $18 million compared to 2019.
