Sheriff Fears Keno Will Be a Bad Bet

Doug Luzaich couldn’t lose.

In the high-stakes world of gambling, he was riding a hot streak. He was burning with the fever. He had caught the keno craze.

“I’ve won every game so far,” said the 31-year-old beer truck driver as he watched the keno numbers, his numbers, pop up on a blue television screen at McGinty’s Sports Bar & Restaurant in Ventura.

The California Lottery’s newest game was just hours old, unveiled at McGinty’s and other Ventura County locations early Monday morning, and Luzaich was the first to try it at the bar and eatery.

The former semi-pro football player chose seven numbers--including the number 9 for the day he got married and the number 50, which was stamped on his old football jersey--and plunked $6 down on the bar.

And then he looked on as the money rolled in.

“If it keeps going like this,” he said, “this game is going to be huge.”

Keno made its debut at 6 a.m. Monday at dozens of outlets throughout Ventura County and thousands across the state, despite concerns from Ventura County Sheriff John V. Gillespie and others that the new game would increase the potential for loitering and robberies.

In a letter to Gov. Pete Wilson on behalf of the California State Sheriff’s Assn., Gillespie wrote that lottery officials had not considered the potential drain on police resources and urged that keno games be discontinued at outlets that pose significant problems to law enforcement.

The sheriff’s association “is deeply concerned with the implementation of the forthcoming keno games,” wrote Gillespie, who is head of the association. “Law enforcement input could have been a valuable resource for the Lottery Commission.”

Lottery officials counter that keno has posed no problems in other states where it has been established.

“Keno is a great addition to our lottery games,” said lottery spokeswoman Linda Barton. “Anyplace where people go to have fun, we want keno to be.”

Players select one to 10 numbers from a field ranging between 1 and 80, and the lottery draws 20 numbers for each game, one of which occurs every five minutes. Each play costs a minimum of $1, but players can bet as much as $20.

If you choose 10 numbers and put down a buck, you could win $2 if half of your numbers are chosen. Guess all 10 right and claim a top prize of $250,000.

Some outlets, such as McGinty’s, were lured to the lottery family because of the new keno game. Other outlets added keno to their stock of lottery games. While most gamblers at McGinty’s on Monday stayed to get quick results, the numbers are also available over a 900 number, at a cost of 50 cents a minute.

The new game, which will be on line between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., is expected to be available in 8,000 outlets statewide by the end of the year.

“So far nobody has won at keno,” said Manny Virk, manager of a 7-Eleven store in Simi Valley where about 100 people had played by midafternoon. “Some of the people don’t know how to play, but once they learn they are excited about it.”

In Oxnard, Bob Holmes was less than excited.

He had gone into Pat Holden’s Liquor and Gift Shop to pick up his paycheck and ended up leaving some of his money behind.

“I never knew how to play keno and when I leave here I can still say I never learned how to play keno, and a year from now I’m going to wish I never heard of keno,” said Holmes, who never got more than two correct numbers Monday afternoon.

“Where did you get those numbers?” he asked of the taunting blue screen. “Did you get them from the same machine I got my numbers from?”

He laid more money down and turned his eyes back up at the screen. He shook his head as again the lottery chose numbers he didn’t have.

“I can see a lot of people losing their homes with this,” he said, turning around to place another bet. “We’re going to turn it to a different channel tomorrow.”

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