Charitable Gambling Takes A Hit

A new report from the Minnesota Gambling Control Board said that income from pull-tabs and other charitable gambling activities dropped nearly 8% last year after the introduction of the smoking ban. The total decline in gambling receipts for the 1400 nonprofit groups was nearly 13% last year, roughly $40-Million. It was the largest drop in nonprofit gambling income since state regulation began in 1985. Charitable gambling officials expect revenue to continue to drop this year, by another 16 to 18%. Charitable gambling generates $1.2-Billion a year and pays for youth sports, veterans groups and volunteer firefighting, among other activities.