A longtime pulltabs holdout, Edina may finally legalize the popular Minnesota bar game

Pulltabs have become a staple of bar culture in Minnesota, a popular temptation at dives and VFW halls with large, plastic bins full of colorful tickets with perforated tabs and winnings posted on the wall.

They’re available almost everywhere in the Twin Cities — except Edina. And not just for lack of dive bars in the tony western suburb.

But now, Edina city leaders finally look ready to get in the game. Forty-five years after Minnesota legalized pulltabs, the City Council in March will consider allowing them.

Proceeds from pulltabs benefit charities, and the game has raked in millions for youth sports associations, veterans groups and other organizations. That’s been the main selling point in Edina, where nonprofits have asked city leaders to allow charitable gambling.

“This is a stream of revenue that would allow us to bring more to our kids and our staff members,” said Kathy Rendleman, executive director of Edina Education Fund. “And I do think our businesses are craving this. I’ve spoken with business owners in Edina who say customers walk out at 6 p.m. and head across the border to play pulltabs.”

City officials in Edina, which doesn’t have a VFW or American Legion hall or plentiful hole-in-the-wall bars like some other suburbs, said that residents often cross city lines to buy pulltabs in St. Louis Park, Hopkins or elsewhere.

City Council Member Carolyn Jackson said at a recent meeting that Edina is “an island.”

A Minnesota Star Tribune review of state data showed the overwhelming majority of suburbs in the Twin Cities have an establishment offering charitable gambling. More than a dozen smaller cities did not, including Mendota Heights, which still prohibits the game.

Several suburbs have allowed pulltabs for decades. Minnetonka became one of the last major cities to legalize them in 2024.

The Edina City Council in early February gave initial approval to permit up to six local nonprofits to conduct charitable gambling at a bar or restaurant. Only one nonprofit would be allowed to offer the game per establishment. At least 70% of proceeds would need to be spent in Edina or contiguous cities.

Edina could impose a 3% tax on gross receipts from gambling, which would go toward the city’s administrative costs. Another 10% of net profits would be put in a city fund, which officials said could be used for community events such as the Fourth of July parade.

The council was scheduled to consider final approval for charitable gambling at its meeting on Feb. 17 but instead tabled the issue until March, so officials can further discuss the change with nonprofit leaders.

He said local organizations “can use more income to meet the needs of the people that they’re trying to serve.”

Rendleman said the Education Fund and Edina Athletic Booster Club have teamed up to advocate for the law change and also would partner on conducting charitable gambling if approved. The Edina Education Fund, she said, reports annual revenue between $400,000 and $800,000 each year.

She said even pulling in a low estimate of $24,000 in proceeds from charitable gambling per year would make a significant difference for her organization. She said that amount could pay for mental health services for 15 students or professional development training for 20 teachers.

Council members have debated how many permits the city should issue if it rolls out charitable gambling, trying to balance making the option available for as many nonprofits as possible without overburdening city staff.

It’s also unclear which bars or restaurants might be willing to work with the nonprofits selling pulltabs.

But she said her main concern is gambling becoming more common, including with sports betting.

“I just don’t want to signal to our children that gambling, with all of its well-documented downsides, becomes acceptable when it’s tied to something good,” Agnew said.

Council Member James Pierce argued that allowing charitable gambling could help nonprofits do more to serve the community.

“In Edina, so many people think this is a wealthy community, so what is the need?” Pierce said, adding that there are Edina students on free and reduced lunch or who cannot afford sports equipment.