Pull tabs are a legal form of charitable gaming in Colorado, sitting alongside bingo and raffles under the state's Bingo and Raffles Law. They are run only by qualified nonprofit organizations that hold a license from the Colorado Secretary of State's Bingo-Raffles Program, and the money raised must go to the group's charitable purposes. One detail sets Colorado apart from some other states: only paper pull tabs are permitted, and electronic pull-tab machines are not allowed. This is a nonprofit fundraising activity and is separate from the Colorado Lottery, tribal casinos, and commercial casino gaming.
Who can run pull tabs in Colorado
Only nonprofit organizations can offer pull tabs, and they must first obtain a bingo-raffle license from the Colorado Secretary of State. Eligible groups include religious, charitable, labor, fraternal, educational, volunteer firefighter, and veterans organizations, as well as chartered branches, lodges, or chapters of national or state organizations. To qualify, an organization generally must have been in continuous existence in Colorado for at least five years, and its net proceeds from the games must be used exclusively for the organization's lawful purposes.
Because a license is required, you will not find legal pull tabs sold in ordinary commercial bars or convenience stores the way you might in a few other states. In Colorado the activity is tied to licensed charitable gaming, so the seller is a qualified nonprofit or a licensed premises operating under that nonprofit's authority.
How pull tabs work and where you find them
A pull tab is a preprinted paper ticket, also known as a break-open, pickle, jar raffle, last sale ticket, or seal card. You pull back the perforated tabs or break the ticket open to reveal whether the concealed symbols match a winning combination, and prizes are paid on the spot from a fixed deal of tickets. Colorado law defines these as physical paper tickets whose status cannot be known until the ticket is broken or torn apart.
In practice, pull tabs turn up wherever licensed charitable bingo and raffle activity happens: bingo halls, veterans and fraternal club rooms, and similar nonprofit premises. They are often sold alongside bingo sessions as a companion game, with the proceeds supporting the sponsoring organization.
Notable rules and recent changes
The clearest restriction is that Colorado permits paper pull tabs only. Colorado law prohibits any computerized or electromechanical facsimile of a pull-tab game and will not license a pull tab game stored in or designed to be played on a device, so the tablet-style electronic pull tabs found in some states are not authorized here. Electronic devices are allowed only as aids in the separate game of bingo, not as pull-tab machines.
You must be at least 18 to purchase or play pull tabs, while a person 14 or older may assist in conducting the games. The framework rests on Article XVIII, Section 2 of the Colorado Constitution and the Bingo and Raffles Law in Title 24 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, which was relocated from the older Title 12 provisions in 2017 and has been updated periodically by the legislature. Licensing, quarterly reporting, and enforcement are all handled by the Secretary of State's Bingo-Raffles Program.
Where can I play pull tabs in Colorado?
In Colorado, pull tabs are found at licensed charitable bingo halls and on the premises of qualified nonprofit, veterans, and fraternal organizations such as VFW and American Legion posts and Elks or Eagles lodges, rather than in ordinary bars or stores.
Find a spot158 places to play pull tabs in Colorado