Nebraska drops mobile Keno from casino bill

As Nebraska debates how to regulate the casino industry, lawmakers have voted to remove mobile keno from the proposed bill.

US.- Voters in Nebraska approved legalisation to allow casinos in the state back in November, but lawmakers are still working on the details of how the state’s gaming industry will be regulated.

Lawmakers have now voted 27-11 to remove the possibility of mobile Keno from the legislation. The option would have allowed Nebraskans to play keno on their mobile phones in bars and keno parlours.

Keno wasn’t mentioned on the ballot put to voters in November, when voters approved a constitutional amendment to allow casinos in spite of opposition from the state’s governor Pete Ricketts. However, some have forecast that the future casino industry would hurt the keno segment, which is a major tax contributor in the state.

With mobile keno off the cards, the game will remain under its traditional paper format, leaving it without the full range of tools to battle the newly regulated casino segment.