Keno operators in Nebraska who want to offer video keno machines in addition to live keno raised about $160,000 by the end of May, according to a spokesman. Their committee is called Nebraskans for Video Keno.
This money was the video keno operators group's contribution to help finance the campaign drive for the authorization of a proposal that would allow a casino in each of Nebraska's three congressional districts.
Nebraskans for Video Keno is a group that is pushing for the inclusion of video keno in the ballot for the November vote.
Three cooperating Nebraska American Indian tribes are lobbying for the authorization of an off reservation casino - the Omaha, Winnebago and Santee Sioux tribes. This group raised $291,000, most of it coming from an Arizona tribe, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. This tribe has been successful in gambling. The three tribes have formed a group supporting this plan called the Committee For Better Schools and More Jobs in Nebraska.
This effort comes in two years after a previous simliar petition effort, financed largely by Coast Casinos of Las Vegas who spent $1 million on the signature-gathering process. This effort was to authorize casinos, slot machines and video keno in the state. The employed circulators raked in more than double the required voter signatures. The plan successfully made it to the November ballot but was defeated at the polls.
In 2004 Coast Casinos also joined efforts with Boyd Gaming Corp., the group behind this year's three-casino plan.
This year, the bulk of the financing also came from Boyd Gaming Corp, their contribution amounting to $755,000.
This initiative however has met with opposition from anti-gambling groups.
Pat Loontjer, a leader of an antigambling coalition says, "This is not a grassroots effort� Nebraska is just another notch in Nevada's belt buckle."
"Do we change the constitution to allow Class III gambling? That question has not changed," she also noted.
There has been a strong question regarding constitutional violations, as the constitution prohibits submitting similar ballot proposals more than once in three years.
All the pro-gambling groups including Nebraskans for Video Keno argue that this is substantially different from the 2004 proposal, which would have authorized slot machines statewide.
Video keno operators, in addition to supporting the three-casino plan have also been busy with their own campaign efforts to include video keno in the November ballot. Since March 2006 they have been on a petition circulating drive, gathering signatures to back-up the initiative.
Nebraskans for Video Keno is a group sponsored by local video keno operators. According to them, their organization is a purely grassroots effort, without any backing from casinos.
Wednesday, July 19 , 2006
John M. Thorpe
