On February 27, 2007, Gov. Jennifer Granholm plans to expand gambling by offering private clubs the choice of holding keno clubs, which are duly sanctioned by the state. This move is expected to produce about $15 million annually for Michigan's public schools.
The lottery game, which has been in existence in Michigan for about 3 years now, is enjoyed and played at about 2,000 bars and restaurants, would now be permissible at Elks lodges, VFW Halls and even private yacht clubs. Lottery Commissioner, Gary Peters, said that many clubs have already expressed interest in the matter.
The planned gambling expansion does not need any approval from legislation. The game of Keno has already given around $105 million to the School Aid fund just last year with their total ticket sales of about $424 million. Back in 2005, the ticket sales in Keno were around $332 million.
This year, keno sales have improved by about 10%. Overall, keno has contributed $688 million to the school aid fund on their total sales of $2.2 billion. The Club Keno has drawings every 4 minutes.
A wide array of cash prizes are offered to the customers with a jackpot prize that can reach as high as $2 million for every $20 bet. Keno players are allowed to wager minimal amounts, starting from $1. Players win the draw by being able to match the numbers that have been drawn.
The numbers can range from 1 to 80 and are posted on the monitors as they are drawn. Customers can also play the Club Keno's kicker for $1 which gives them the chance to win bigger prizes because "kicker" keno multiplies the winnings by 2.
Sunday, March 25 , 2007
John Sullivan
