The Gray Wolf Saloon would like to offer pull tabs and bingo at their establishment. Pull tabs are classified by the state of Minnesota as a charitable gambling. Only registered nonprofit organizations can conduct these games, which are heavily regulated by the state and are considered distinct from the Minnesota Lottery, horse racing, and tribal gaming. 

Raffles like those held by the Chandler Fire Department during their annual pork chop feed, or by the Edgerton Fire Department and Dutch Festival Committee are also considered charitable gambling. These types of events happen a few times year. In establishments like the Gray Wolf, the pull tab boxes and machines are owned by a third party 501(3)c. 

While Patty Van Essen owns and operates the Gray Wolf, her husband, Rod, owns and operates the Buffalo Ridge Bar in Lake Wilson. He has been offering pull tabs and bingo at his establishment for several years now. He uses Currie Town and Country Boosters for this service. State law requires that a certain percentage of all gambling proceeds be donated to charitable organizations. In compliance with that, the Currie Town and Country Boosters donate at a rate of 45 percent of their profits to charitable organizations like fire departments, ambulance services, scholarships, and the like. 

Edgerton City Clerk Joel Farrington consulted the city’s attorney on the matter and suggested that the city start by making their own gambling ordinance before moving forward with the matter. The council will entertain a public hearing at their July meeting towards that end. Farrington also asked the council to consider creating a new non-profit organization that could operate the charitable gambling so that they could have control over what charitable organizations would receive donations. 

Rod noted that there is a lot of organization involved with being the non-profit that runs the charitable gambling. “You need someone who is ‘Johnny on the Spot,’ It’s a lot of paperwork,” he said. 

No decision was made on that matter, but the council was prepared to move forward with allowing the pull tabs once the new ordinance is in place. 

The council is also working on an additional city ordinance. After a lengthy discussion last month and again this month regarding “transient’ businesses like food trucks, coffee carts, and pop-up vendors, the council decided to create a separate city ordinance governing these types of businesses. A public hearing regarding that matter will also be held at the next council meeting.

Farrington reminded the council that their first concern should always be the brick and mortar businesses that own property and pay taxes in the city.