Minnesota budget officials say electronic pull tabs are generating only about half as much money as the state projected. Revenue from the games will help cover the $350 million the state has agreed to contribute to a new football stadium for the Vikings.
A projected $34 million in revenue for the current fiscal year has now been trimmed to $16 million. One reason is that getting the games into bars and restaurants is taking longer than expected. So far only one vendor has passed background checks and been approved to operate the games. But another reason is that Minnesotans are spending less per game than projected.
The games are an extension of the paper pull-tabs, sales of which have long raised money for local groups around the state. The electronic versions are played on an iPad and were first hit Minnesota bars in September.
