Regulators monitor marketing of Nevada Numbers

Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002 | 11:08 a.m.

Nevada gaming regulators say an advertising campaign by a Las Vegas-based keno operator pitching a game similar to a lottery may have gone too far.

The state Gaming Control Board has monitored marketing efforts by Las Vegas Gaming Inc. on an ongoing basis since the company's keno game, called Nevada Numbers, was approved in Nevada more than six months ago.

Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander had requested that the company use the word "keno" in its advertising pitches to distinguish its game from lotteries, which are illegal in Nevada.

Some current ads do not mention keno, however, Control Board member Scott Scherer said.

Scherer said regulators may hold future meetings or other conversations with Las Vegas Gaming to discuss the ads. Regulators have not yet determined whether they will require the ads to be changed, he said.

Las Vegas Gaming Chief Executive Officer Russ Roth said Wednesday he has not had any recent contact with regulators. A previous promotion by an individual casino that referred to the California state lottery prompted earlier discussions with the board, however, he said.

Roth aims to capitalize on the popularity of lotteries and differentiate the game from regular keno, which is considered old-fashioned.

A decades-old Supreme Court case defined some differences between lottery and keno games, but the interpretation remains somewhat vague, Scherer said.

"I don't blame them from a business standpoint, but it's our responsibility to enforce the law," he said.

Nevada Numbers is similar to a lottery in that players can draw numbers at one of several casinos in Nevada, though a final drawing is held in one location, Scherer said. Traditional keno drawings are limited to players in a casino's keno lounge. Nevada Numbers players select five numbers, which also makes the game similar to a lottery, he said.

"It's a variation of keno ... that is very close to the line. We're trying to find where that line is."

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