NEWMARKET — Todd Rideman, a Newmarket convenience store owner is bullish on Keno.

Rideman, owner of Jay’s Newmarket Convenience and Turkish Kebabs, is pushing for Newmarket voters to authorize the playing of Keno in town. The vote on New Hampshire’s newest gambling game is scheduled for the March 13 town election.

Rideman has a sign in front of the store urging town voters to say yes to Keno on the Town Meeting ballot. The sign reads: "Support all-day kindergarten. Vote yes on Keno."

Newmarket voters are not alone in deciding the Keno question during Town Meeting. Besides Newmarket, the towns of Barrington, Greenland, and Milton recently voted to allow the Keno question on the ballot for upcoming town meetings.

Some local towns voted not to put Keno on the ballot, including Madbury, Durham, Farmington, New Durham, Exeter, and Newington.

City voters, including those in Manchester, Rochester and Somersworth, got the chance to vote on the Keno question during November elections. Manchester and Somersworth voted yes, and Rochester said no to the gambling game.

The game was introduced in New Hampshire in 2017 as part of the Keno 603 campaign to fund full-day kindergarten programs across the state and is currently approved to be sold in “pouring establishments” in New Hampshire, if passed by local municipalities, according to Keno 603 documents.

For local businesses, Keno is expected to drive more foot traffic and increase sales in addition to earning an eight percent commission on every dollar sold, providing businesses like Rideman’s with the revenue boost they are seeking.

Rideman claims his business has been at least 45 percent below projections in the year and half he has owned the store due to road construction on Route 108, which passes right in front of his store.

“The construction has been going on for three years and they won’t be finished until next year,” said Rideman. “It’s been crushing my business.”

Through his research on Keno in other parts of New Hampshire as well as other states, Rideman found that the game has been a “big boom” for business.

“From what I’ve seen, it’s led to bigger commissions and more wine and beer sales,” said Rideman.

Rideman recently added 20 seats where customers can dine on the kebabs and other luncheon fare. He also serves breakfast and has a pouring establishment license from the state to serve beer and wine to customers seated at the tables, he added. Rideman thinks that if keno is passed in Newmarket, it will encourage customers to stay, have a drink and play the game.

Rideman is not a resident of Newmarket, but has been ardently pushing to get residents to vote yes at the polls during the second week of March. Rideman has been talking to every customer who comes into his establishment about the need to vote yes on Keno on town election day. In addition, he said he's going to be "all over Facebook" convincing people to vote yes and will be putting up additional signs at his business.

It is estimated that Keno will produce more than $8 million in net revenue to education across the state. The Department of Education will then calculate and distribute grants of $1,100 per pupil, enrolled in approved kindergarten programs.

According to a press release by the New Hampshire Lottery, in just six weeks KENO 603 has exceeded the $1 million sales mark and is continuing to outpace sales projections in the few cities where it is already available.

“We are extremely pleased to see the initial success of KENO 603, as players have been drawn to establishments offering the new game,” said Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery. “We are hearing from licensed establishments that KENO 603 is a significant business driver that adds fun, excitement, entertainment and plenty of winning to the overall experience.”

Sherri Spencer, owner of 2 Doors Down in Somersworth, one of the top selling KENO 603 establishments in the state, said guests are staying longer due to the game and are coming back more frequently.

Newmarket will discuss the game during a deliberative session on Feb. 3. From there it will go to the Town Council for a public hearing on Feb. 21 and then to voters on the March 13 election, according to Newmarket Town Administrator Steve Fournier.

The Town Council initially voted for Keno to be taken off the ballot, but former town councilman Phil Nazzaro petitioned to put it back on the ballot. Nazzaro argued that people in Newmarket should be able to play a part in making the decision.

Nazzaro, who says he is indifferent to the game itself, believes that doing something for local businesses while also funding all-day kindergarten is a good idea, despite potential opposition to funding school programs via gambling.

“This is something that’s been allowed since the New Hampshire lottery was established over 50 years ago,” said Nazzaro. “I think it’s something we should take advantage of.”

Other local communities in Strafford and Rockingham counties said there hasn’t been much talk about Keno in their communities, despite the fact that it’s on Town Meeting ballots.

According to Milton Selectman Andrew, he hasn’t heard of any opposition to Keno in his town.

“I think people expect it to have a large impact on our local economy,” said Rawson. “There are only two pouring establishments in Milton, so I think it will help promote those businesses.”