In Vermont, pull tabs are known as break open tickets, and they are a legal form of charitable gaming. State law lets qualifying nonprofit organizations sell these tickets to raise money for charitable, religious, educational, and civic purposes. The activity is governed by Title 31, Chapter 23 of the Vermont Statutes and regulated by the Department of Liquor and Lottery, whose Commissioner licenses the manufacturers and distributors that supply the tickets.
Who Can Sell Break Open Tickets
Only nonprofit organizations may sell break open tickets at retail in Vermont, and only nonprofits may buy them from a licensed distributor. To qualify, a group must be a nonprofit that is tax exempt under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and must have engaged, in good faith, in charitable, religious, educational, or civic activities in Vermont on a regular basis during the preceding year. The statute expressly includes churches, schools, fire departments, municipalities, fraternal organizations, and groups that operate agricultural fairs or field days. Veterans posts and similar civic clubs are typical operators.
Manufacturers and distributors of break open tickets must be licensed by the Commissioner of Liquor and Lottery before they can make, sell, or supply tickets for resale in the state. A qualifying nonprofit may sell tickets at its own premises, and it may also sell them at a for profit bar, but only if the nonprofit buys the tickets, runs the sales, and handles all the money. The bar operator cannot keep any of the proceeds beyond the actual cost of the tickets, the prizes awarded, and any sales tax due.
How They Work and Where You Find Them
A break open ticket is a small paper card with perforated tabs that you pull open to reveal symbols, and matching combinations win preset cash prizes. Vermont law defines break open tickets as physical cards or tickets, and there is no indication that electronic or tablet style pull tabs are authorized in the state.
You will most often find break open tickets at clubs and at bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, as well as at veterans and fraternal club halls. When they are sold at alcohol licensed premises, all of the proceeds must go to charitable, religious, educational, and civic purposes, with only limited deductions allowed for the wholesale cost of the tickets, the prizes, and reasonable legal and accounting fees.
Rules and Reporting
Vermont statute does not set a specific minimum age to buy or play break open tickets. The state's age of majority is 18, which is also the minimum age to buy State Lottery tickets, and many break open tickets are sold at clubs and bars where a higher age applies for alcohol service. The governing law is Title 31, Chapter 23 of the Vermont Statutes for break open tickets, together with the general gambling and games of chance provisions in Title 13, Chapter 51.
Vermont's current break open ticket framework was enacted by Act 73 of 2017, effective September 1, 2017. Under Section 1203, a nonprofit that sells break open tickets, other than a club, must report those sales to the Department of Liquor and Lottery on a quarterly basis, including the ticket serial numbers, the revenue realized, and the costs deducted. The department also licenses ticket manufacturers and distributors and collects sales data through its licensing and reporting requirements.
Where can I play pull tabs in Vermont?
Break open tickets are commonly found at licensed bars and restaurants, veterans posts such as VFW and American Legion halls, and fraternal or civic club halls run by qualifying nonprofits.
Find a spot85 places to play pull tabs in Vermont