In South Dakota, pull tabs are treated as a charitable lottery and are legal when a qualified nonprofit or public-spirited group runs them. The authority comes from South Dakota Codified Laws chapter 22-25, which lets veterans, fraternal, religious, charitable, civic, and similar organizations conduct bingo, lotteries, and pull-tabs without it counting as unlawful gambling. Paper pull-tab tickets are the norm, and coin or bill operated mechanical dispensers are allowed in limited numbers at licensed liquor establishments. There is no single statewide charitable-gaming commission, so most oversight happens at the county or city level, with the Secretary of State handling statewide lottery notices.
Who can run pull tabs
South Dakota law (SDCL 22-25-25) says bingo and lotteries, the broad category that covers pull-tabs, are not treated as unlawful gambling when a qualified organization conducts them. Eligible groups include congressionally chartered veterans' organizations, religious, charitable, educational, and fraternal organizations, local civic, service, and booster clubs, political parties, volunteer fire departments, local industrial development corporations, and political committees.
Proceeds cannot directly benefit any individual, no prize larger than two thousand dollars may be awarded at any single play of bingo, and the organization must give the county or municipal governing body thirty days' written notice before it starts, with statewide lotteries also notifying the Secretary of State. Booster clubs were added to the list of eligible organizations by a 2026 amendment (2026 session laws, chapter 109).
How pull tabs work and where you find them
Pull tabs in South Dakota are paper tickets with perforated windows. You buy a ticket, pull back the tabs, and match the symbols to see if you win a set prize. Because they are a charitable format, the money raised supports the sponsoring nonprofit rather than a commercial operator.
State law also allows coin or bill operated mechanical dispensers that vend paper pull-tab tickets. Under SDCL 22-25-41, only fraternal or charitable organizations, local civic, service, or booster clubs, volunteer fire departments, and qualifying congressionally chartered veterans' organizations may buy these machines, and they can be placed in on-sale liquor establishments. The limits are tight: each operator may place a device in no more than two establishments it does not own, and no establishment may hold more than one device.
Rules, oversight, and electronic tabs
South Dakota does not have a single dedicated charitable-gaming agency. Bingo, lottery, and pull-tab activity is mostly cleared through the local county or municipal governing body, while the Secretary of State receives notice for statewide lotteries. The Department of Revenue's Commission on Gaming is a separate body that handles Deadwood casino and video lottery matters, not charitable pull-tabs.
The state's pull-tab rules are built around paper tickets and mechanical dispensers. Unlike neighboring North Dakota, South Dakota does not authorize electronic or tablet based pull-tab machines, often called e-tabs. State law does not set a statutory minimum age for charitable bingo, lottery, or pull-tabs. The Secretary of State notes that the governing statute sets no age parameters, so any age limit comes from the local governing body or the venue, such as the on-sale liquor establishments where dispensers are placed, so it is worth confirming locally.
Where can I play pull tabs in South Dakota?
Paper pull tabs turn up at VFW and American Legion posts, fraternal lodges such as the Elks and Eagles, volunteer fire department events, and, through licensed dispensers, at on-sale bars and liquor establishments.
Find a spot236 places to play pull tabs in South Dakota