Another thought on keno, which will be offered in parlors all over Arkansas before long if legislators like Speaker Robbie Wills have their way.

It’s a sucker game — addictive some think — that tends to favor the house more than many other forms of gambling. You bet on whether randomly generated numbers — either from a machine with blowing numbered balls or from a computer — will be drawn. The more you hit, the more you win.

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Today’s D-G article today noted that keno already has been approved by the state Racing Commission for Southland Park in West Memphis. This, nominally, means that it is considered an “electronic game of skill,”  the only type of gambling allowed at the dog and horse racinos. A pure lottery play in which winners are based on random drawings is a game of skill? If that’s so, bring on the craps, roulette and slots. These are distinctions with no discernible difference, except that craps involves a bit more skill with numbers.

In Nevada, keno games often include the use of mini-skirted “runners” who pick up gamblers’ wagering cards and deliver drinks. Just saying. Coffee and Slurpees only in Faulkner County, of course, unless the game is in one of Conway’s private clubs.

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