Forty-eight of Staplehurst’s 240 registered voters decided the Keno question in the May 12 election, with 38 voting in its favor and 10 opposing.
The ballot issue asked whether the community would allow a lottery for the purpose of community betterment as defined in the state’s City Lottery Act.
The village board voted in January to ask village voters the question based on a proposal from DS Frank LLC, which would contract with Craig Blake of Waverly to offer Keno at the Good Ol Days restaurant on the village’s main street.
Debbie S. Frank is sole owner of the DS Frank LLC and owns Good Ol Days restaurant. She is also the chair of the Staplehurst village board, but abstained from voting on the motion to put the lottery question to voters.
As listed in the Nebraska Department of Revenue’s gaming regulations, community betterment can include an array of purposes including opportunities for educational advancement, improving health and community opportunities, public works projects, supplementing support for public services, or providing tax relief for the community.
