Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

The Web site for the Hamilton-based Riverbank Cafe announces: "Keno coming soon."

The local restaurant and bar, and others, will have to update their advertising soon because keno is here today, Aug. 4.

Butler County has 25 businesses among the nearly 800 establishments statewide that will start featuring the Ohio Lottery's new keno game today. Another 2,000 are expected to offer the numbers game by the end of December, lottery officials have said.

The Lottery Commission said it hopes to generate $73 million in new revenue by July 2009. Gov. Ted Strickland proposed the game as part of his plan to fill a projected $733 million deficit in the state budget during the next year.

Locally, applicants include bars, fraternal organizations and grocery stores. Dennis Kurlas, owner of Riverbank Cafe in downtown Hamilton, said he's excited about the kick-off today.

"We're ready to rock and roll," Kurlas said, adding that in addition to keno, Riverbank Cafe also will offer various other numbers games featured by the Ohio Lottery.

Other local applicants include the Hamilton Moose Lodge and Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield, which isn't expected to flip the keno switch until later this month because they've been busy planning other events.

Keno numbers will be drawn every four minutes between the hours of 11:04 a.m. and 1:44 a.m. Players choose between one and 10 numbers out of 80 and then win jackpots based on how many numbers match among 20 selected by a statewide computer system. The maximum jackpot could be $2 million for a $20 bet that places all 10 of its numbers among the 20 displayed on the monitor.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2112 or dgreber@coxohio.com.