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Council to send Keno prohibition question to voters after statute change
Summary
Following a change in state law that makes Keno default-authorized statewide in 2027 unless a municipality prohibits it, Concord’s council voted to place the prescribed prohibition question on the November ballot to let voters decide whether to bar Keno locally.
The Concord City Council voted Sept. 8 to place the statutorily prescribed question on the Nov. ballot asking whether to prohibit operation of Keno games within the city, after staff outlined a recent legislative change reversing the prior local-option framework.
City Deputy Solicitor explained the 2017 statute that originally required municipal authorization and recent amendments (House Bill 737) that flip the default: “Keno is default authorized unless a municipality votes to prohibit it,” staff said. The change becomes effective June 1, 2027; councilors said placing the prohibition question on the ballot now gives voters a chance to act before statewide availability.
Councilors asked whether the city would receive revenue from Keno; staff said the proceeds flow to the state education trust fund and that the municipality would not have a direct municipal revenue stream. Several councilors also asked about whether the city’s prior ballot question satisfied the new requirement; staff said the previous authorization question is not equivalent to the required prohibitory language.
After discussion the council approved placing the statutory prohibition question on the November ballot and scheduled a public hearing in October on the ballot question and voter education.
