Keno Players’ Number Is Up : They’re Not Keen on Ruling, but Some Merchants Are Relieved

In the bars and markets where they plunk down their $1 bets, keno players across Los Angeles on Monday roundly criticized the state Supreme Court for outlawing a game they called a legitimate--and occasionally profitable--pastime.

“They should let it play,” said Harry Newson, 44, an avid keno player from South Los Angeles, while buying Lotto tickets at the 54th Van Ness Market. “It’s just a game.”

Newson and others questioned why keno has been singled out when the state allows many other types of gaming, including horse racing and the lottery’s own Super Lotto.

“Call an ace an ace,” said Michael Taylor, as he played keno at a 7-Eleven in Venice. “They’re running a numbers game. If you’re gonna outlaw this, then cut the rest of them down.”

In its ruling, the court concluded that keno is not a true lottery because players bet against the house, in this case the state. In Super Lotto and other lottery games, players compete for a pot determined by the total amount bet.

Several hours after the court’s decision, all keno operations were stopped by the state. Officials said winning tickets will be cashed for up to 180 days.

Bartenders and store clerks were anticipating angry customers, many of whom have spent their mornings or afternoons in front of the television sets, waiting for a winning hand that could bring them up to $250,000.

“A lot of people are going to be upset,” said Kipp Harrison, a bartender at Brandy’s in the Crown Plaza Hotel near USC. “People like to come in. It’s very relaxing. I think this is absolutely stupid.”

Many players said that keno fills a void in their lives. Others said they revel in the game’s immediacy: The results appear on a television screen within moments of buying a ticket.

“It’s my escape out of my house. I have four kids,” said Craig Meechan, 40, of Tarzana. “I play it all the time, even though I know it’s a rip-off.”

Most players say they wind up blowing their money--or if they are lucky, breaking even. But they keep returning to their corner markets or neighborhood bars or local bowling alleys to lay down their cash.

“I look at it pretty much as a low-skilled sucker’s game,” said Taylor of Venice. “But I’ll spend less money here than in Vegas.”

On his daily walk, Willie Anderson, 56, makes a point of stopping by the Holiday Bowl on Crenshaw Boulevard just to play keno. The television set above the counter where he buys the tickets flashes the words, “A new Keno drawing every five minutes. The action never stops!”

“I’m a retired person. It gives me something to do,” he said. “I’m not much of a gambler. But I assumed this helps the school district. That’s why I do it.” It had been projected that keno would generate $130 million for public education for fiscal year 1995-96.

Many players said they would continue to play Super Lotto, one of the lottery’s other popular games. Some said they will take their keno dollars elsewhere--to the horse races at Hollywood Park or to Las Vegas, where keno is as common as a gin and tonic.

“They will never be able to take the game away from that place,” said Rickey Epps, 35, of North Hollywood, who plays keno locally about three times a week.

Some store owners said they will be glad to lose the keno business because it has created problems with loitering. Players often hang out at front counters, their eyes glued to the television sets.

“The people want it, but I don’t want it,” said John Kwon, owner of Hubert’s Liquor Store in Leimert Park. “People stay and loiter.” Other store owners said they are glad to see keno end because they believe many families throw away money that could be spent on food.

“I think it would be a good idea if they stopped the entire lottery,” said Sy Hassan, manager of a 7-Eleven in North Hollywood. “Poor people can’t afford it.”

Even some stalwart keno players who have blown a bundle on the game say that its demise may offer a silver lining.

They say they have long wondered whether the funds raised by keno--which the state lottery directs for education--make their way to classrooms.

“I don’t see how the money is going to schools. They’re still in really bad shape,” said John Piar, a termite inspector who was playing keno at Bay Shore Bowl in Santa Monica. “I know there’s a lot of money going into Lotto and it seems like all the schools should at least have air-conditioning by now.”

Times staff writer Julie Tamaki and correspondent Michael Krikorian contributed to this story.