SEARCH NEWS:

 

Las Vegas Casinos Introduce Progressive Keno-Lottery Game

"`Nevada Numbers’ is a statewide nightly drawing, which can be found in keno lounges at Bally's Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Hilton.

”A $2 ticket buys a chance to pick five numbers drawn from 80 spinning balls. Bettors who hit all five numbers win the jackpot that can climb above $30 million.

”…Developed by Las Vegas Gaming Inc., the new game offers a record jackpot for keno.

”…Las Vegas Gaming President Russ Roth said each ticket has about a 1 out of 24 million chance of picking all five numbers correctly and there are lesser payouts for matching fewer than five numbers.

”…Industry experts say it's another attempt at an end-run around Nevada's 1864 constitutional prohibition on lotteries. Legislative measures to launch a state lottery have been defeated 14 times since 1975.

”…To compete with the California state lottery, `Megabucks’, a progressive dollar slot game that begins at $5 million, was born, said Shannon Bybee, executive director of the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

”…Like `Megabucks,’ `Nevada Numbers’ can be linked to any casino in Nevada as a statewide progressive game.

”…Picking four out of the five numbers is a 1 out of 64,000 chance, and pays $2,000. Picking three winning numbers is a 1 out of 866 shot, and pays $20. Tickets with two winning numbers pay $2; about one out of 36 tickets should have two winning numbers.

”…Nevada gaming regulators approved the game for testing June 8 and Park Place launched it June 25. If `Nevada Numbers’ receives the green light from state regulators, expected within 90 days, the game will be available to any company with a nonrestricted gaming license…”

< Gaming News