Springfield – State Senator Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) is expressing serious reservations about Governor Blagojevich’s plan to finance part of a $500 million school construction program by installing keno machines in as many as 2,000 restaurants, bars and convenience stores throughout Illinois, as part of his larger $3.2 billion public works construction plan.

The Governor is heralding the proposal as a way to stimulate an estimated $40 million in new revenues in 2006, and as much as $80 million in future years, which would go to fund the state’s school construction grant program. The Blagojevich Administration has outlined plans to offer keno at 500 locations across Illinois, and gradually add another 100 locations a month until the game can be played at approximately 2,000 locations statewide.

Senator Rutherford is critical of the plan, expressing concerns that installing the keno machines is not a reliable source of revenue.

“How many new games does the state need to create? Illinois has the lottery, and that money has already been earmarked for the state’s public school system. I don’t believe that installing these machines will entice new gamblers, or that an additional gambling venue will bring more dollars in for education,” said Rutherford. “I will not be supporting the expansion of electronic gambling that the governor has proposed.”

Governor Blagojevich has expressed his intent to employ the plan despite the concerns and criticism expressed by a number of lawmakers. The governor has stated that he does not need legislative consent to implement the initiative, claiming that adding keno is not a gambling expansion, just a new addition to the state’s lottery game options.

“The governor has said he can initiate this proposal on his own, without the Legislature’s approval. If that is true, then more power to him. However, I’m afraid I cannot lend my support to his construction program if this is how he plans to fund it,” said Rutherford. 

Rutherford described keno as an electronic combination of bingo and a quick-pick lottery game where gamblers try and match a randomly selected set of numbers that flash on a screen every five to 15 minutes. Keno is different than lottery games which are played daily or weekly in that it can be played every five or 10 minutes, making the game particularly attractive to pathological gamblers as well as extremely addicting.

The Blagojevich Administration’s poor track record in fulfilling their commitments has caused Rutherford to be additionally wary of the proposal.

“I have some true concerns with regards to both the Blagojevich Administration and this plan. One concern I have is that this proposal is not in legislative format. Before I can commit to anything, I need to see an actual plan—not a press release,” said Rutherford. “Additionally, I have to have some faith and trust that the plan will be executed, and frankly that’s hard to come by with this Administration.”