By Colin McEwen

Record-Courier staff writer

The odds of winning in the 10 Spot Game is one in 9.05, but how Portage County residents will respond to Keno is anyone's bet.

The Ohio Lottery Commission-sponsored game began Monday at 13 establishments in the county and all across the state.

Ohio scheduled the bingo-like game to begin at 11:04 a.m. and planned it to repeat four minutes apart, 221 times a day, seven days a week.

How fast the game will draw the interest of those in the bars, restaurants and liquor stores where the game is played may not be known for weeks.

Jim Palmer, owner of Kent Lanes said Monday about 10 people stopped into the bar to play the game -- most of them new customers.

"So far, it's going pretty well," he said. "But it's too early to tell."

Palmer said he may staff another employee to handle what he expects to be an increased interest in the game.

Cuyahoga Falls resident Aden Miller said he hasn't played the game in 10 years, but wanted to try it since he was in the bowling alley waiting for a league meeting.

He won $12 on a $5 bet.

"This is probably the only time I'll play for a month," said Miller. "I'm not a big gambler. It's nothing to get caught up in."

Just down the road on S.R. 43, The Outpost in Brimfield also offers the game to its patrons.

Manager Joe Casamento said he expects more people to play the game as it becomes more familiar to people.

"I'd say it will take a few weeks to see how it will play out," he said. "People seem really enthusiastic."

Lottery officials said they hope to have 2,000 vendors by the end of the year, enabling the state to reach its goal of reaching an annual revenue of $292 million -- $73 million would go toward plugging the budget deficit. It is a central part of Strickland's plan to insulate the state budget from an economic slowdown that is generating less tax revenue.