In Mississippi, pull tabs are treated as a part of charitable bingo rather than as a stand-alone game. State law lets a licensed nonprofit offer pull tabs, including electronic pull-tab machines, but only as a companion game alongside a bingo session it is licensed to run. The activity is overseen by the Mississippi Gaming Commission under the state's Charitable Bingo Law. Outside of that licensed bingo setting, pull tabs are not authorized.
Who can run pull tabs
Only a licensed charitable organization may offer pull tabs in Mississippi, and it must first qualify for a charitable bingo license from the Mississippi Gaming Commission. Eligible groups are nonprofits domiciled in Mississippi that are tax exempt under Section 501(c) or 501(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. That includes veterans and military posts, civic, educational, wildlife conservation and religious organizations, and senior citizen recreation clubs whose members are 60 or older. A qualifying organization generally needs a three year history of charitable activity before it can be licensed.
Groups that operate under an exemption or under a special limited fund-raising license are specifically barred from offering pull tabs. Ordinary bars, clubs, and businesses that are not licensed charities cannot run pull tabs at all.
How pull tabs work and where you find them
Under Mississippi rules, the word bingo is defined to include pull-tabs made available as a companion game to bingo and played on the premises. In practice that means pull tabs are sold during a licensed organization's bingo sessions, at the same hall, and are not offered as an independent product. A pull tab is a paper or banded ticket with a covered face that hides numbers or symbols, and certain tickets in each set are pre-designated as winners.
Because pull tabs are tied to bingo, you tend to find them wherever a licensed nonprofit runs regular bingo, such as veterans posts and fraternal or civic halls that hold a charitable bingo license. There is no free-standing pull-tab counter at a typical bar or convenience store the way there is in some other states.
Electronic pull tabs and other key rules
Mississippi does authorize electronic pull-tab devices, but they must be approved by the Gaming Commission and are only allowed in connection with a licensed bingo operation. These machines cannot dispense cash or coins, they pay out by printed ticket only, and they must keep tamper-proof records. Organizations that use them pay a license fee equal to 2.5 percent of the net proceeds from pull-tab play.
The minimum age to play is 18. A licensee may not let anyone under 18 play unless that person is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and a licensee may choose to bar everyone under 18 from the premises by posting a written notice. Prize limits, detailed record keeping, and how proceeds may be spent are all governed by the Charitable Bingo Law and the Commission's regulations.
Where can I play pull tabs in Mississippi?
In Mississippi you find pull tabs inside licensed charitable bingo halls run by nonprofits, such as VFW and American Legion posts and fraternal or civic clubs that hold a bingo license, rather than at ordinary bars or stores.
Find a spot256 places to play pull tabs in Mississippi