ST. PAUL – State Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, 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, Niska 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.
“This proposal would do a great disservice to organizations that help our local communities so much,” Niska said. “I’m hearing directly from local groups that are expressing major concerns over what this ill-advised proposal would mean for them. One such letter I received indicates this change ‘will limit their ability to invest in the community through initiatives like buying new equipment to help keep our first responders safe and able to respond to our community needs.’ It’s hard to fathom why House Democrats would want to throttle down revenue for groups that do so much good.’”
Niska said, in 2022 alone, electronic pull tabs generated almost $2 billion in revenue that was then invested into communities. Without this critical revenue stream, Niska said much of the charitable efforts Minnesotans currently benefit from would not be possible.
“House Democrats either don’t realize, or don’t care, they are taking important funding away from organizations that provide so many healthy outlets for our children at a time families need all they can get,” Niska said. “Not only that, but electronic pull tabs have been a good draw for local establishments, attracting customers at a time when they are working to recover from revenue lost during the pandemic and amid higher prices in today’s economy. This would be just another setback, caused by Democrats in St. Paul.”
Niska 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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