Veterans groups in Indiana have formed a political action committee (PAC) to encourage state lawmakers in Indianapolis to pass legislation authorizing electronic charitable gaming.
PlayIN for Charity is backed by The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the National Guard Association of Indiana. The veterans service organizations are calling on the Indiana General Assembly to “modernize” charitable gaming in the Hoosier state.
Under Indiana’s present charitable gaming statute, games of chance are limited to paper raffles, pull tabs, punchboards, and tipboards. Special casino and bingo nights are also allowed, but are limited to three days per week.
PlayIN for Charity wants Indiana to permit electronic pull tabs, or e-tabs. The PAC claims the electronic gaming devices would bolster critical funding for veterans groups and increase the amount of money those organizations could donate to charities and nonprofits each year.
Most veterans groups are primarily funded by a combination of federal grants, state funding, private donations, and their facility’s operations.
Present Gaming Regulations
Veterans groups pay the state $50 a year for a charitable gaming license. The permit allows groups like the VFW to conduct raffles and sell paper pull tabs, punchboards, and tip boards 24 hours a day from its licensed facility.
For paper pull tabs, each board game must not exceed $15K in prizes. Single prizes per ticket are limited to $599 or less.
Winners of $250 or more must verify their identity with their printed name, signature, and date of birth. That information must be included in the charitable gaming facility’s annual report of monies received from each charitable game and its associated payouts. Those reports are submitted annually to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s Charity Gaming Division.
Electronic pull tabs are digitalized versions of traditional paper pull tabs that are a cornerstone of charitable gaming.
The gameplay remains similar, as e-tabs digitally replicate the revealing of symbols or numbers a player would pull to determine if the bet won a prize. E-tabs come in a variety of devices, from handheld tablets to slot-like cabinets with touchscreen displays.
PlayIN is focused on expanding charitable gaming to permit e-tabs, but such authorization could also lend electronic gaming to for-profit taverns and other small businesses that house pull tabs.
Revenue Boost
PlayIN argues that as the world continues to evolve toward a digital environment, its veterans organizations should be allowed to “explore innovative avenues to grow.” Electronic charitable gaming in other states where it’s allowed — Ohio and Kentucky, for example — has been credited for significant revenue boosts for veterans groups and nonprofits.
Electronic pull tabs have been incredibly beneficial for the American Legion in Kentucky. The additional money raised from e-tabs has allowed us to invest in our posts and engage in our communities,” said Rhonda Fields-Hayes, American Legion Past State Commander. “Our posts are now more sustainable and ready to meet the needs of our veterans long into the future.”
Jerry Wilson of American Legion Post 199 in Ohio said his post struggled to generate $15K a year in charitable receipts before e-tabs. Since the Buckeye State permitted electronic charitable gaming, Wilson says the post now donates $100K a year to local charities.
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