Keno is on track to bring in less than half the revenue projected by lottery officials and Gov. Ted Strickland's office. After an early burst of interest, bar and restaurant owners aren't stampeding to wire their establishments for the game.

And nearly a quarter of businesses that once had Keno have decided to drop it.

Among Keno watchers, the bad economy seems to be the prime culprit, followed by staffing issues at some of the host businesses and the relative complexity of the game.

Strickland ordered the game a year ago to raise a projected $73 million a year for education. Six months in, Keno has yielded $13.1 million for schools, according to Ohio Lottery figures.

"We're not panicked," said lottery spokeswoman Jeannie Roberts. "Considering the state of the economy, we're delighted to have $13.1 million in new profits for the education fund."

For that, the lottery can thank proprietors like Susan Gall, whose employees sell Keno tickets at the Hey Hey Bar & Grill in Merion Village.

Gall, whom the state lottery honored as a top Keno retailer last year, doesn't regret adding the game, but she doesn't credit it with much more than covering her electricity bill. Only about one-tenth of her customers regularly play Keno, Gall said.

"I thought it would be a lot better than what it is, but all in all, six months, I think we've done pretty well," she said.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Hey Hey was doing a brisk, though hardly overwhelming, Keno business. Customers described themselves as occasional players, noting that they have to dig a little deeper to find discretionary cash for such diversions. Keno bets range from $1 to $20, while prizes go from a buck to $2 million.

As of Monday, the state lottery had awarded $33.9 million on 7.9 million winning tickets, making the average prize $4.27.

Joe Zralik, 54, of Centerburg, said he pocketed $65 in winnings Monday night, but he doesn't play expecting to get rich.

"It gives you something to do while you're managing your stress, which is why I do it," he said at the Hey Hey.

As for Keno's lackluster numbers: "It's the recession. I don't think it's the game at all."

Gambling revenues are down throughout the country. Greektown Casino in Detroit is in bankruptcy proceedings. Companies such as Penn National Gaming Inc., which is floating ideas for Ohio casinos, have sustained sharp declines in their stock value.

Several miles to the east of the Hey Hey, Doug Vance's experiences with Keno were a lesson in bad luck. The owner of Gatsby's in Gahanna, Vance might have thought he was cursed when his lottery sales agent died while installing Keno. Vance forged ahead, but after four months of disappointing sales, he pulled the plug on Keno late last year.

"Invariably, someone would walk up to the bar and want a ticket when you had a table (waiting for service)," Vance said. "It just wasn't worth upsetting the customers over."

Although the current contingent of 1,088 Keno retailers is only about half what lottery officials had projected last summer, the lottery continues to recruit vendors and court new players through targeted marketing, Roberts said.

A new advertising campaign titled "Road Trip," featuring men in their 20s playing Keno across the state, has nudged sales upward, she said. The actors will crisscross the state for lottery-sponsored Keno parties. Twelve are planned at central Ohio Roosters restaurants this month.

The parties aren't likely to leave an impression on Dick Hilsheimer, a 71-year-old German Village retiree, Hey Hey regular and $5-a-ticket Keno player. While reaching out to younger demographics, lottery officials are trying to hold onto people like Hilsheimer who have developed an affection -- some might say addiction -- for the game.

"I spend too much money on it, that's for sure," he said. "If it would lower my taxes, I might feel better about it."

jnash@dispatch.com