HF 733

Introduction - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Posted on 02/20/2025 03:42 p.m.

A bill for an act
relating to lawful gambling; removing certain restrictions on electronic devices
and games; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 349.12, subdivisions 12a,
12b, 12c; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 349.12, subdivision 25e.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 349.12, subdivision 12a, is amended to read:

Subd. 12a.

Electronic bingo device.

"Electronic bingo device" means a handheld and
portable electronic device that:

(1) is used by a bingo player to:

(i) monitor bingo paper sheets or a facsimile of a bingo paper sheet purchased and played
at the time and place of an organization's bingo occasion, or to play an electronic bingo
game that is linked with other permitted premises;

(ii) activate numbers announced or displayed, and to compare the numbers to the bingo
faces previously stored in the memory of the device;

(iii) identify a winning bingo pattern or game requirement; and

(iv) play against other bingo players;

(2) limits the play of bingo faces to 36 faces per game;

(3) requires coded entry to activate play but does not allow the use of a coin, currency,
or tokens to be inserted to activate play;

(4) may only be used for play against other bingo players in a bingo game;

(5) has no additional function as an amusement or gambling device other than as an
electronic pull-tab game defined under section 349.12, subdivision 12c;

(6) has the capability to ensure adequate levels of security internal controls;

(7) has the capability to permit the board to electronically monitor the operation of the
device and the internal accounting systems; new text begin and
new text end

(8) has the capability to allow use by a player who is visually impaired deleted text begin ; and deleted text end new text begin .
new text end

deleted text begin (9) contains no spinning reels or other representations that mimic a video slot machine,
including but not limited to free plays, bonus games, screens, or game features that are
triggered after the initial symbols are revealed that display the results of the game.
deleted text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 349.12, subdivision 12b, is amended to read:

Subd. 12b.

Electronic pull-tab device.

deleted text begin (a) deleted text end "Electronic pull-tab device" means a handheld
and portable electronic device that:

(1) is used to play one or more electronic pull-tab games;

(2) requires coded entry to activate play but does not allow the use of coin, currency, or
tokens to be inserted to activate play;

(3) requires that a player must deleted text begin individually deleted text end activate or deleted text begin individually deleted text end open each electronic
pull-tab ticket and each individual line, row, or column of each electronic pull-tab ticket;

(4) maintains information pertaining to accumulated win credits that may be applied to
games in play or redeemed upon termination of play;

(5) has no spinning reels or other representations that mimic a video slot machine;

(6) has no additional function as a gambling device other than as an electronic-linked
bingo game played on a device defined under section 349.12, subdivision 12a;

(7) may incorporate an amusement game feature as part of the pull-tab game but may
not require additional consideration for that feature or award any prize, or other benefit for
that feature;

(8) may have auditory or visual enhancements to promote or provide information about
the game being played, provided the component does not affect the outcome of a game or
display the results of a game;

(9) maintains, on nonresettable meters, a printable, permanent record of all transactions
involving each device and electronic pull-tab games played on the device;

(10) is not a pull-tab dispensing device as defined under subdivision 32a; and

(11) has the capability to allow use by a player who is visually impaired.

deleted text begin (b) An electronic pull-tab device must not include representations that mimic the display
or user interface of a video slot machine by requiring a player to manually activate the reveal
or result of each single row of symbols with a separate and distinct action for each electronic
pull-tab ticket.
deleted text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 349.12, subdivision 12c, is amended to read:

Subd. 12c.

Electronic pull-tab game.

(a) "Electronic pull-tab game" means a pull-tab
game containing:

(1) facsimiles of pull-tab tickets that are played on an electronic pull-tab device;

(2) a predetermined, finite number of winning and losing tickets, not to exceed 7,500
tickets;

(3) the same price for each ticket in the game;

(4) a price paid by the player of not less than 25 cents per ticket;

(5) tickets that are in conformance with applicable board rules for pull-tabs;

(6) winning tickets that comply with prize limits under section 349.211;

(7) a unique serial number that may not be regenerated;

(8) an electronic flare that displays the game name; form number; predetermined, finite
number of tickets in the game; and prize tier; new text begin and
new text end

(9) no spinning reels or other representations that mimic a video slot machine deleted text begin , including
but not limited to free plays, bonus games, screens, or game features that are triggered after
the initial symbols are revealed that display the results of the game; deleted text end new text begin .
new text end

deleted text begin (10) a mechanism requiring a player to manually activate each electronic pull-tab ticket
to be opened; and
deleted text end

deleted text begin (11) a mechanism requiring a player to manually activate the reveal of each single row
of symbols with a separate and distinct action.
deleted text end

(b) Each electronic pull-tab game shall include a certification from a board-approved
testing laboratory that the game and device meets the standards and requirements established
in Minnesota Statutes and Minnesota Rules and is in conformance with game procedures
provided by the manufacturer.

Sec. 4. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 349.12, subdivision 25e, new text end new text begin is repealed.
new text end

APPENDIX

Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 25-03454

349.12 DEFINITIONS.

Subd. 25e.

Manually activate.

For purposes of this section, "manually activate" means that a person must either touch an icon on the electronic pull-tab device screen or press a button located elsewhere on the electronic pull-tab device, or, exclusively for purposes of accommodating use by a player who is visually impaired, perform some other action that initiates activity on an electronic pull-tab device.