electronic pulltabs

Minnesota took a gamble and lost in 2012 when it launched electronic pulltabs as a novel way to pay for the $1.1 billion Minnesota Vikings stadium — the promised stream of millions in revenue that one lawmaker repeatedly derided as "fairies and foo-foo dust" was indeed more of a trickle.

Bar owners and charitable gambling organizations in the St. Cloud area will have a chance to learn more about electronic gambling games later this month.

Gov. Mark Dayton says Minnesota's Gambling Control Board should have disclosed from the beginning that gambling companies helped estimate the amount of tax revenue that would be raised by new electronic pulltab games tapped to fund a new Minnesota Vikings stadium.

Minnesota's budget chief says he will likely wait until summer before deciding whether to activate so-called blink-on revenue options for the new Vikings football stadium. Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Jim Schowalter encountered sharp questions Monday from lawmakers who are worried that general tax dollars will be needed to compensate for poor results from expanded gambling.

Tax money from electronic gambling in bars is falling way short of the state's original projections as the primary funding source to build the new Minnesota Vikings stadium. State budget officials released the latest stadium revenue numbers Thursday as part of a larger budget forecast.

Minnesota lawmakers who approved new forms of gambling in bars to help pay for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium are getting their first chance to scrutinize lagging revenues from that plan.

Air travelers will soon be able to play electronic pulltabs at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Electronic pulltab games are being considered for the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport as state officials seek to boost revenue for its share of a new Minnesota Vikings stadium.

Earlier this week state officials revenue from e-pulltabs have not been meeting expectations. One of the first organizations in the state to offer the electronic version was Howie's in downtown St. Cloud, benefitting St. Cloud Youth Hockey.

Minnesota's electronic pulltab games are off to a strong start. The number of bars and restaurants offering video pulltab gambling jumped from five to 40 over the past month.