KENO Voters in 29 Towns to Vote on KENO 603 Beginning in March

CONCORD — Voters in 29 towns are expected to vote on KENO 603 during town meetings across New Hampshire starting next month. There are more than 200 establishments within those 29 towns that could potentially offer KENO 603, pending approval through the New Hampshire Lottery’s application process.

The legislation establishing KENO 603 as a revenue source for full-day kindergarten was crafted to give individual municipalities the option to allow KENO 603 by placing it on city election ballots or on the warrants of annual town meetings. Between city elections and town meetings over the past year and a half, 66 communities approved keno.

“The New Hampshire Lottery is pleased to have 29 more communities set to vote on KENO 603, which continues to pick up momentum across the state,” said Charlie McIntyre, executive director, New Hampshire Lottery. “Currently more than 160 establishments offer the game and weekly sales average more than half-a-million dollars. As more communities approve the sale of the game allowing more establishments to offer the game, revenue will continue to grow in support of full-day kindergarten. The New Hampshire Lottery looks forward to continue working with municipal leaders and establishment owners on the KENO 603 implementation process.”

The communities voting on keno during annual town meetings this spring include Gilford, Plymouth, Bristol, Loudon, Wolfeboro and Moultonborough. Local communities that already approved the game include Alton, Ossipee, Barnstead, Laconia, Center Harbor, Tilton and Franklin.

Since KENO 603 launched in December 2017, sales have totaled $23.8 million and profits have totaled nearly $4.5 million. Thus far this fiscal year, sales have surpassed $15 million and profits have totaled nearly $3 million. At optimal levels, the New Hampshire Lottery anticipates KENO 603 could generate as much as $9 million in annual net profits.

Driven in part by KENO 603 sales, the New Hampshire Lottery set all-time sales and revenue records last fiscal year with total sales exceeding $371.8 million and net profits to education surpassing $87.5 million. Overall sales increased by more than 11-percent last year and net profits to education jumped by nearly 20-percent.

Beginning this year, the state is utilizing revenue generated from KENO 603 to increase funding for full-day kindergarten from $1,800 per student to $2,900 per student. There is no connection between a municipality’s allowance of KENO 603 and its receipt of kindergarten funding. If the school district provides full-day kindergarten, it will receive funding, regardless of whether the municipality allows KENO 603.

During each KENO 603 game, players choose from one to 12 numbers, and every five minutes (11:05 a.m. to 1 a.m.) a computer randomly generates and displays 20 winning numbers from 1 to 80 on a television monitor. A player may place a wager from $1 to $25 per game. The more numbers players match, the more they win.

To learn more about KENO 603 and to apply to become a retailer, visit http://www.nhlottery.com/keno.