WARREN - Let the games begin!
When the Ohio Lottery Commission begins Keno wagering at 11:04 a.m. today, Shana Fleming says somebody where she works could become a lucky winner.
After all, Fleming tends bar at a place called the Lucky Inn near the Center of the World in Braceville.
''Hey, I'm hoping it brings in more customers, especially our older customers. They come in all the time for breakfast. You can have a coffee or a beer with something to eat. We open at 7,'' Fleming said.
The Lucky Inn is one of 25 businesses serving liquor and registered with the commission to operate the game with new computer monitors and wide screens that display winning numbers to the tune of 15 rounds each hour.
The online game is estimated to bring in $73 million for Ohio.
''There are 1,100 places in the state, including bars, clubs, restaurants and bowling alleys. Employees have already been trained at sites across the state,'' said Marie Kilbane, a spokeswoman for the lottery commission. ''It's up to the bar whether they want to sell at the counter or have servers going to the tables.''
''I'm looking forward to it and see if it increases business,'' said John Vencel Jr. who operates Faces Lounge in Newton Falls.
''We took a hit when they banned smoking in the bars. Maybe this will help a little,'' he said.
Vencel said with thousands of liquor licenses being turned back in to the state, Ohio was taking a revenue hit. ''They're (state officials) trying to stop the bleeding. The state makes the money, we're getting between five and six percent of the proceeds,'' Vencel said.
He said he'll play it by ear at first before determining if he needs to hire an extra employee to service Keno customers.
''I understand we have to sell regular lottery tickets too. It might get busy," said Sally Stout at Stark's Holiday Bar in Warren.
Meanwhile, Steve Lardis of the Horseshoe Bar in downtown Warren is ready to maintain the status quo.
''I don't need the machine in here. It would simply take away from the bartender serving customers. Besides, why should I sell lottery tickets for everyone downtown who wants to stop in for that?'' said Lardis, who didn't mind the Tic Tac Fruit machine he had in his bar when it was legal.
''I didn't have to do anything. For Keno, you have to be bonded and run to Akron to be fingerprinted. I was fingerprinted 11 years ago when I opened up, and I haven't had a problem since then,'' he said.
