A gaming corporation spokesperson said on September 22nd, 2009 that pub owners who have electronic keno will get to keep the video screens that came with the game after it stops next month.
Robyn MacIsaac stated that the keno machines will be pulled out after October 22nd, 2009 and they might be used elsewhere in the lottery system. But the television screens will stay for now rather than pay someone to remove out of the approximately one hundred eighty bars and restaurants that have electronic keno.
MacIsaac said that until they have decided on what they will do to those video screens, it is simpler to just leave them. Nova Scotia Finance Minister Graham Steele said on September 21st, 2009 that the province has lost money on electronic keno since the previous government launched it in March. He stated that the province will take a $3.4 million loss on the gaming venture.
The manager of Gus's Pub and Grill in Halifax, Dimo Georgakakos, said that he is very happy that the government is stopping the game. He said that he made almost nothing from electronic keno. He added that gamers just did not like playing it compared with other video lottery terminals. Georgakakos said that the players enjoy VLTs more and keno just is not a fun game for them.
The gaming corporation stated in a report on keno's performance that electronic keno's social responsibility features may be huge factor in its poor performance. Stopping the game also means that establishments in Nova Scotia would not be able to cash ProLine sports tickets because the ticket-reading machines will also be removed from the establishments.
Georgakakos said that there was not much business in ProLine sports tickets so he would not miss the machines. But he said that he would like to keep the television and is willing to pay for it and that would be more sensible than having Nova Scotia pay someone to remove them.
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John Sullivan
