Minnesota House Republicans want to repeal restrictions placed on e-pull tabs in the 2023 legislation session.

Those restrictions were put in place after a 2023 Minnesota Court of Appeals decision that said the electronic games had become too much like slot machines that are only allowed at Native American casinos.

“Those game restrictions that were put in the law were incredibly important and they were ignored,” Minnesota Indian Gaming Association Executive Director Andy Platto testified. “Clearly, the law says you can’t, you have to open each row, line and column. Every e-tab on the market six months ago you could punch one button and open it all. The court looked at that and said the games have been improperly regulated.”

Opponents of those restrictions say they’re significantly reducing revenue for charitable organizations because the single-play games aren’t nearly as popular. “What we are seeing is a significant reduction in revenue from our charities,” said Rep. Bjorn Olson, R-Fairmont, the author of a bill to eliminate the restrictions.

The executive director of Allied Charities of Minnesota, Rachel Jenner, says the early numbers since the new restrictions went into effect in January are not encouraging. “I’ve heard from many organizations that are down 20 or more percent in their revenue from December to January,” she told lawmakers.

Many of the organizations that rely on e-pull tabs are veteran groups. “Drive around the community and there’s all these little things here and there that we support,” testified Tim Engstrom of the Bloomington American Legion Post 550. “Food shelf, art center, youth sports, youth programs, Closet of Hope, Fourth of July fireworks, medical care.”

Opponents of gambling expansion side with the tribes in their opposition of the features that allow multiple games at once. “Features that we believe would turn neighborhood bars and restaurants into over 2,000 new casinos with slot machines,” said Jack Meeks of the Citizens Against Gambling Expansion.

The bill passed the House Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on a 6 to 5 vote with Republicans voting in favor and Democrats against.