The Story
The state of Minnesota appears poised to bungle the success of electronic pulltabs, and it is a mess entirely of its own making. Nearly a decade ago the state threw its support behind e-pulltabs as a painless way to fund a new Vikings football stadium and modernize the old-fashioned paper pulltabs that for decades were a vital source of funding for local charities. Now the state wants to change the deal. American Indian tribes, given exclusivity over casino gambling decades ago, have decided that e-pulltabs are too popular, a little too fun and a little too much like slot machines. Having failed to persuade an administrative law judge on that point, they now want the state to ban e-pulltabs in their current form. Walz should send this poorly vetted legislation back for the broader, deeper consideration it deserves. Too much is at stake for small bars, restaurants and local charities that have come to depend on this revenue.
