The Board of Aldermen has said no to keno expansion, a state lottery game. The board on June 1st, 2009 decided unanimously eleven to zero, to oppose keno gaming licenses proposed for Melrose Mobil on Main Street and RD's Delicatessen located on Franklin Street.
Each location now features Keno-to-go, an online version of keno, but not the standard game. In Keno, gamers pick numbers, then watch the wide screen to see if they chose the correct winning combination. Keno-to-go permits players to choose the numbers that they want at a specific location, then check them later on a personal computer.
The state Lottery Commission had proposed adding standard keno games at delis and gas stations. But the aldermen saw the move as a questionable proposition. Ward 6 Alderman Peter Mortimer, whose jurisdiction includes the Mobil station, said that he would like to have an all-day bingo.
Mortimer said that the Melrose Mobile is located near St. Mary and Lincoln elementary schools and a lot of children goes to the station's convenience store. Mortimer said that children buy their snacks at the station so he firmly believes that keno screens do not belong there.
One resident urged the board to block additional keno games. Joseph Arcadipane, a retiree that lives on Dexter Road said that Melrose should not become a place with this kind of gaming action going on.
[08-07]
John Sullivan
