In Florida, the game most people call pull tabs goes by the legal name "instant bingo." State law lets charitable, nonprofit, and veterans' organizations sell these tickets as a fundraising tool, and the framework sits alongside the state's charitable bingo rules in Chapter 849 of the Florida Statutes. Florida does not run a statewide charitable-gaming license, so oversight and enforcement happen mostly at the county and local level. The paper tickets you buy at a veterans' post or fraternal lodge are the everyday form of this game.
Who can run pull tabs in Florida
Instant bingo is limited to qualifying organizations. Under Florida law, that means a group must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, be engaged in charitable, civic, community, benevolent, religious, or scholastic work, and have been in existence and active for at least three years. Veterans' organizations and fraternal groups are common examples, and certain condominium, cooperative, homeowner, and mobile-home associations also qualify.
The organization has to be local to where the game is played. The statute requires that the group be located in the same county as the game, or within a 15-mile radius of it. Games may only be held on property the organization owns, on property it leases under at least a one-year lease with no share-of-the-proceeds arrangement, or on qualifying municipal, county, or common-area property.
How the game works and where you find it
Instant bingo tickets are the classic paper pull-tab: a multi-layer ticket with hidden symbols behind perforated tabs that you peel or pull open to see whether you won. Florida law requires the tickets to be built from at least two-ply, opaque paper stock so a winner cannot be identified before opening, and to meet the pull-tab standards of the North American Gaming Regulators Association.
There are price limits. A ticket must be sold at the price printed on it or on the game flare by the manufacturer, and that price cannot exceed one dollar. Organizations may not discount tickets for buying several at once, and they cannot give tickets away for free.
You will typically see these games where charitable and veterans' groups gather, such as VFW and American Legion posts, Elks and Moose lodges, and similar nonprofit or association halls, rather than at commercial bars or casinos.
Notable rules and the electronic-tab question
The minimum age to play is 18. Florida law states that no one under 18 years of age may play instant bingo or be involved in conducting the game in any way.
Electronic or tablet-based pull-tabs are a different matter. The instant bingo statute describes only physical paper tickets and requires two-ply paper construction, and it does not authorize an electronic or digital version of the game. On that basis, tablet e-tabs are not an authorized form of charitable instant bingo in Florida. The state's broader gambling regulator, the Florida Gaming Control Commission, oversees pari-mutuel wagering, cardrooms, and slot facilities, but charitable instant bingo falls outside that agency and is handled through the Chapter 849 framework at the local level.
Where can I play pull tabs in Florida?
You will usually find instant bingo pull tabs at veterans' posts such as the VFW and American Legion, at fraternal lodges like the Elks and Moose, and at other nonprofit, religious, or association halls, rather than at commercial bars or casinos.
Find a spot323 places to play pull tabs in Florida