Gambling Control Board: Receipts Slow; Board Approves Licensing, Fund-loss and Contribution Requests

The Gambling Control Board met Feb. 18 and approved a series of licensing and administrative items after hearing a director’s report that said industry receipts have slowed and that staff will continue monitoring how new electronic pull-tab standards affect sales.

Director Wade, the board’s executive director, opened the substantive portion of the meeting with an industry overview: “Receipts are slowing, so that's what I'll tell you right now. So if we look at the first 6 months of 23 to 24 and the first 6 months of 24 to 25, they're down about 10%,” Wade said. He added that the agency’s numbers are based on reports submitted by operators and therefore can change if filings are late or amended.

Wade also noted short-term movement in electronic pull-tab sales after standards changed earlier this year: “When we look at the first 16 days of February '25 versus January '25, they're up 10% February against January. So when we looked at January '25 versus January '24, they were down about 20%,” he said, emphasizing the small sample size and the…