Senate Bill 1312 was introduced by Arizona State Senator Sonny Borrelli to allow for the legalization of gambling in bars and clubs. The legislation was instantly opposed by Indian tribes in the state as they said the activities would be in violation of their tribal/state gaming compact. After introducing the measure, Borrelli made a few changes and limited the bill to allow only electronic keno games instead of bingo. The Senator is calling keno a lottery-style game which the state is already allowed to provide without conflicting with the tribal gaming compact.
The revised version of the bill will see the creation of a State Electronic Keno Commission which would regulate as well as oversee the keno games as they take place statewide. Revenues would be divided within the state g…