If you are looking for charitable pull tabs in North Carolina, the short answer is that you will not find them offered legally. North Carolina keeps charitable gaming very narrow. Nonprofit and exempt organizations may run licensed bingo and a limited number of raffles, but the state's own definition of lawful bingo carves out "instant bingo," which is the family of games that includes pull tabs, break-opens, and similar prepackaged tickets. That exclusion is why pull tabs sit outside what the law allows here.
What North Carolina actually allows
North Carolina permits only two forms of charitable gaming for qualifying organizations: bingo and raffles. Licensed bingo may be run by exempt organizations such as 501(c) groups recognized as tax-exempt, along with veterans, fraternal, religious, civic, and patriotic organizations, volunteer fire departments, and rescue squads that have operated in the county for at least a year. These groups apply to the Alcohol Law Enforcement Division for a bingo license and pay an annual fee.
Raffles are also allowed for recognized nonprofit organizations, subject to strict limits, including a cap on how many a group may hold each year and a requirement that at least ninety percent of the net proceeds go to charitable or other nonprofit purposes. Neither the bingo license nor the raffle allowance extends to pull tabs.
Why pull tabs are excluded
The key language is in the state's bingo definition at G.S. 14-309.6. It defines a lawful bingo game but expressly states that it does not include "instant bingo," which it describes as a game of chance played by selecting one or more prepackaged cards, with winners determined by the appearance of a preselected designation on the card. That description matches pull tabs, break-opens, and jar tickets.
Because instant bingo is carved out of the definition of legal bingo, there is no license category under which a North Carolina nonprofit can sell pull tabs. Electronic pull tabs are not authorized either. North Carolina does not permit tablet games or e-tab machines that sell instant-win tickets under its charitable bingo framework.
Where this leaves players and recent activity
For players, this means pull-tab games are simply not part of the legal charitable-gaming landscape in North Carolina. The lawful options you will encounter are bingo nights hosted by licensed nonprofits and occasional charity raffles. Running or selling pull tabs outside these authorized activities can be treated as illegal gambling under Chapter 14.
Pull tabs remain outside the legal framework, and North Carolina has not added them to the short list of authorized nonprofit games. Anyone wanting current details should check directly with the Alcohol Law Enforcement bingo licensing staff, which administers and enforces the state's charitable bingo and raffle laws.
Where can I play pull tabs in North Carolina?
Pull tabs are not offered at any licensed venue in North Carolina; nonprofits here run bingo halls, church and club bingo nights, and charity raffles instead, but not pull-tab or break-open tickets.
Find a spot373 places to play pull tabs in North Carolina