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Hoosier leaders for the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and other veteran organizations are advocating for the legalization of electronic pull-tabs to generate more charity gambling revenue for their chapters.
The “Big Four” veteran organizations, which also include Disabled American Veterans and the National Guard Association of Indiana, are forming the PlayIN for Charity alliance, which will be a vehicle for educating citizens and advocating for the enabling legislation in the 2025 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
Though state lawmakers recently have been reluctant to expand gambling in Indiana, veteran groups say their proposal is merely a modernization of what’s currently available.
Paper pull-tabs are already sold at several posts, and veterans’ groups say the introduction of electronic pull-tabs will boost attendance and attract new, younger members.
Pull-tabs are a form of gambling, akin to a blend of bingo and scratch-off tickets, where players win by pulling a winning combination of symbols. While electronic pull-tabs have the same gameplay as paper, the games are instead offered through a video display on tablets and cabinet machines (similar to what’s seen in casinos) and have flashy, colorful branding. The alliance’s website calls pull-tabs a “responsible form of entertainment.”
“This will generate funds for smaller posts a larger post that they normally don’t have the opportunity to make money,” said Mark Gullion, Department of Indiana Commander for the American Legion. “The more money they make as a profit, we can donate to charitable organizations.”
The alliance seeks to alter the definition of a pull-tab to allow these games. However, they are open to legislators defining regulations for how the broader definition will look in practice, such as the number of machines allowed in a post and the amount of money that can be wagered.
The alliance said it is focused on allowing electronic pull-tabs for charity gambling. It did not specifically express a view on allowing electronic pull-tabs at for-profit taverns and bars, which also are currently allowed to offer paper pull-tabs.
Several other states have legalized electronic pull-tab games more broadly, including Midwest neighbors Minnesota, Ohio and Kentucky.
To pass this legislation, Gullion said they will need to educate lawmakers on the potential benefits.
Ohio-based gaming distributor Arrow International, which sells electronic and paper pull tabs, attended at Monday’s news conference, offering support for support for veteran alliance’s efforts and a look at what electronic pull tab machines look like.
In-house gambling at veterans’ posts typically falls under a charity gaming license, which is overseen by the Indiana Gaming Commission’s Charity Gaming Division. Posts pocket a percentage of each wager, about 50 cents of every dollar, Gullion estimates.
Allowing the electronic games will provide “crucial funding,” Gullion said, that supports local community initiatives. VFW Past State Commander Richard Leirer listed off a number of charitable endeavors funded by posts, including Christmas gifts for 48 needy families, scholarships and donations to veteran support funds.
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When the legislature sold out to the casinos, they gave away placement of slots at any patriotic club. Were Cherry Masters that bad? The casinos thought so. E-pull tabs are so like slots, this dream will not have a chance. If Indiana had allowed slots in patriotic clubs, the clubs would still be able to make the charity donations they made on Cherry Masters and Indiana would have far more money flowing in.
Yes, but how many big checks have patriotic clubs written to the right legislators?