News

Wanna bet? Nebraska senator proposes kiosks for gambling

March 14, 2011

If Nebraska Sen. Russ Karpisek gets his way, the state will offer faster wagering on keno and computerized kiosks to take bets.

Karpisek's Legislative Bill 490 is the latest attempt to help keep horse racing from dying, according to The Independent. The state's largest track, State Fair Park, will close after the 2012 season, and tracks at Columbus and South Sioux City are also struggling.

A portion of the anticipated increase in revenue would be used to boost purses for thoroughbred horse races. However, anti-gambling forces mobilized Monday to try to defeat the bill, the story reported.

"With the state running a huge deficit why would we give away needed revenue to the gambling industry?" asked Pat Loontjer, executive director of Omaha-based Gambling with the Good Life.

Omaha Sen. Bob Krist said that the proposed kiosks were "self-service" ways to place a keno bet, not video slot machines.

In 2006, Nebraska voters soundly defeated a ballot measure that would have legalized video versions of keno machines.

Loontjer, in prepared comments, said LB 490 was just an attempt to pass video keno again. Quicker wagers would be more addictive, and thus more harmful to families, he said.

Bill Harvey of Omaha-based Big Red Keno said video kiosks would allow people to place bets via a self-service computer, just as they can withdraw money from a bank and pay for gasoline at service stations.

Wagering on keno declined almost 9 percent in fiscal year 2009-2010, to $185.4 million, from what was wagered in 2005-2006.

Right now, keno outlets can conduct games every five minutes, but Karpisek wants to allow play every 3 minutes.

Allowing more games per hour would increase wagering and generate an estimated $1.1 million a year in new tax revenue for the state, according to the Legislature's Fiscal Office.

About 15 percent of that new money, about $156,000, would be funneled to horse-racing.

With about 1,000 horse races conducted each year at the state's five tracks, that would amount to approximately $156 more for purses per race.

Lawmakers adjourned for the day before taking a vote on whether to give first-round approval to LB 490. The bill is listed on Tuesday's agenda but after several other bills, so it is unclear if debate will resume.