Advocates vow to continue fighting Minnesota’s new e-pull tab laws

MOORHEAD MINN. (KVRR) – An advocacy group is speaking out against Minnesota’s new e-pull tab laws, claiming it could result in the loss of millions of dollars in funding.

Democratic Minnesota State Senator Rob Kupec said, “There was a court decision that basically said the way E pull tabs work right now can no longer happen. This open all feature of the e pull tabs so that has to be taken away and go back to the way E pull tabs used to be.”

According to “Protect Our Charities, politicians continue to falsely claim that electronic games played on iPads in veterans’ clubs and small businesses too closely resemble slot machines in casinos.

Executive Director Keith Franke said, “I think when this bill goes through it’s going to be devastating. It’s going to be very harmful to charities, small businesses and communities. I don’t think the general public or even our local politicians have an idea. How this has become such a revenue source for over 11 hundred charities and 33 hundred small businesses across the state .”

Funds for charities are expected to be reduced by an estimated $33 million annually.

Franke also said, “With the significant drop in revenue we’re going to see a loss of services, we’re going to see a loss of funding, we’re going to see a loss of jobs and we’re going to see the loss of the ability for people to have things provided for them that government doesn’t do right.”

There’s still a way to go, but the group says it plans to keep fighting.