The state of Ohio's newest lottery game fell short of revenue projects in its first full year of operation, another blow to Governor Ted Strickland's plan to solve the state budget deficit. Governor Strickland said that the game of keno would earn a total profit of $73 million as a way to prevent cut in state education funding.
Lottery figures show that keno earned a total of $30 million during the 1st 12 months preceding July 31st. Lottery spokesperson Jeannie Roberts said on August 14th, 2009 that the projections assumed that 2,000 retailers would offer keno, but only about 1,200 retailers have signed up so far. Roberts said that some retailers were reluctant to offer the game.
Other factors in the keno revenue shortfall included the time it took to educate players on how to play keno and the financial crisis. The announcement comes as Gov. Strickland is counting on another gaming plan to support Ohio's budget. The governor hopes to raise a total of $933 million by installing video slot machines at state horse racing tracks.
State Representative Jay Hottinger, a Newark Republican said that from the outset, Strickland aids have missed on their calculations with keno. Now, they are taking about a total of $933 million earnings from the slot machines. Hottinger added that at some point, it is inevitable that they are going to miss again.
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John Sullivan
