Nebraska senators kill bill to allow debit cards for keno

Posted By: Channel 8 Eyewitness News

8@klkntv.com

       LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska lawmakers have killed a bill that would have let bar patrons play more games of keno per hour and allowed them to pay with debit and prepaid cards.
    Senators voted 24-9 on Friday to indefinitely postpone the measure for the year. Gambling opponents argued that it would feed gambling addictions and the resulting social problems.
    Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill pitched his bill as a way to generate additional revenue for cities without raising taxes. Local governments have used keno revenue for a variety of projects, such as baseball diamonds, tennis courts and zoos.
    The bill would have reduced the mandatory wait time between keno games from 5 minutes to 4. It also would have allowed keno operators to provide electronic tickets instead of paper tickets.