ST. PAUL – State Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, said House Democrat legislation would effectively end electronic pull tabs as we know them, dramatically reducing revenue generated for local charities and other organizations.
Language in the majority’s omnibus tax bill (H.F. 1938) eliminates the “open all” feature that has been in use in electronic pull-tab games for years. This move, Anderson said, would diminish charitable gaming funds these popular games produce, compromising a critical revenue source for local charities ranging from veteran organizations to youth sports teams, Main Street business partners and beyond.
"Charitable gaming is a mainstay in many of our local communities,” Anderson said. “We need to allow more of those profits to stay at home where they help fund many worthwhile projects. Local charities, businesses and other civic organizations provide incredibly valuable roles in our communities we should not be compromising this significant source of revenue for them.”
Anderson said, in 2022 alone, electronic pull tabs generated almost $2 billion in revenue that was then invested into communities. Without this critical revenue stream, Anderson said much of the charitable efforts Minnesotans currently benefit from would not be possible.
"Electronic pull tabs have become quite popular in many local establishments and should be kept in their present form,” Anderson said. “They are a draw for paying customers at a time local businesses are still trying to get on track after setbacks suffered during the pandemic and now, during economic challenges. We should be doing all we can to help this recovery instead of taking away tools to generate revenue.”
Anderson said he continues working with House Democrats to remove this provision from the tax bill, but it's critical that legislators hear directly from charities, bars, restaurants, VFWs, and other community organizations so they understand just how serious the consequences would be if this provision is passed.
More information regarding this bill and contact information for legislators can be found at www.house.mn.gov.
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