Electronic Pull Tabs Approved for Charities

In an almost unanimous vote the North Dakota Gaming Commission chose to approve electronic pull tab machines, even though many in the state say that they are nothing more than glorified slot machines. The Commission says that they are not slot machines – that they are something entirely different, but still opponents disagree.

Commissioner Sandi Frenzel was the only member to vote against the machines, saying that they were too much like slot machines for her taste. She said that she thought the commission was “overstepping their bounds” and that it was a “legislative issue.”

With the commission still needing to hold public meetings and write the rules associated with them, they are sure to hear a lot more on the slot machine similarity issue. The other commissioners voted for the machines, saying that it was current technology and that they should basically embrace it.

The opposition disagrees saying that voters have voted down slot machines twice already, and that the commission’s approving this was going against the voters wishes. Other members of the commission’s advisory board say that they should have simply legalized slot machines, as these are basically the same thing.

Those that are on the panel that are against slot machines argue that the commission has stepped up to the plate to help the charities without stepping over the line. They say that they have to find ways to assist charities without stepping on residents' toes, and they feel that they did that in this case.

 

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