The Chaplain Lyman Rollins Post 2005 VFW is going “legit” — or at least trying to.
The post, which for years was home to unauthorized poker machines, has submitted an application to the state Lottery Commission, which if approved would lead to the installation of machines and screens that will allow patrons to play the Lottery game Keno on the premises.
Bringing in the lottery game is just another piece of the VFW’s efforts to get people through the doors, said Ron Knight, the post’s commander.
“We talked to the staff and the customer base, and this was one of the things they said they would like to see,” Knight said.
Currently, there are three places in town to play Keno: the 7-Eleven on Pleasant Street, E Market Convenience & Deli on Washington Street and Marblehead Village Market on Pleasant Street, according to the Lottery’s website.
Though at any given time, you might see a handful of Keno players lingering among the canned goods at boxes of pasta in the convenience store aisles, the idea would be to allow people to enjoy trying their luck in a more comfortable environment, perhaps while enjoying some of the most reasonably priced beer in town, according to Knight.
At least in theory, Keno could be available whenever the VFW itself is open, given that the state starts new games approximately every three minutes between 5:04 a.m. and 1:01 a.m., according to the Lottery’s website.
After betting closes on a particular game, the state’s computer draws 20 numbers between one and 80. Keno players hope those numbers match their numbers — up to 12 of them — to win prizes ranging from $1 to $1 million, based on a $1 bet. Players may wager between $1 and $20 on each game and have their winnings multiplied accordingly.
The VFW has ruminated about bringing in Keno in the past but has gotten deeper into the process this time around thanks to the help of state Rep. Jenny Armini, Knight said. He credited quartermaster Jim Full with completing the VFW’s application and said that Tom Mathers was also a “big help.”
Knight said the VFW has yet to be given a timetable for when the Keno equipment might arrive, but he said that the state indicated that once the application is approved, things will begin happening quickly, with the Lottery sending a team to do a “site survey” to assess the best locations for the ticket selling machine and winning number screens.
Knight said the VFW is still battling to get the word out that, yes, everyone is welcome at the post. He said he stopped counting “at about 77” the number of people who asked whether the post was open to the public during a recent vintage car event. That event was so successful that the VFW plans to do it again in August, according to Knight.
The Keno machines would generate an “estimated net income” of $6,000, according to a legal advertisement placed in the July 24 edition of the Marblehead Current.
But more than creating revenue, the idea behind installing the Keno machines is to generate some “buzz” for the VFW, in a day and age when many posts are shuttering.“VFWs need to change; they need to be more open to the public,” Knight said. “We’re not competing with anyone except ourselves.”
