Pull tabs, sometimes called break-opens or Nevada tickets, are legal in Wyoming when they are offered as charitable gaming rather than for private profit. Wyoming law carves bingo and pull tabs out of its criminal gambling ban and lets qualified nonprofit groups run them under a license from the Wyoming Gaming Commission. This is a separate world from the Wyoming Lottery, tribal casino gaming, and commercial slot machines. The rules focus on keeping the money tied to charitable purposes and keeping the games on the sponsoring organization's own premises.
Who can run pull tabs
Pull tabs in Wyoming may only be conducted by charitable or nonprofit organizations, and the statute requires that the group has been in existence in the state for at least three years. In practice this means established veterans posts, fraternal lodges, religious groups, and similar community organizations, not individuals or ordinary for-profit businesses.
Since July 1, 2020, these organizations must be licensed by the Wyoming Gaming Commission before they can offer bingo or pull tabs. The Commission consolidated gaming oversight in Wyoming and also regulates pari-mutuel wagering, historic horse racing, skill-based amusement games, and online sports wagering.
How they work and where you will find them
A pull tab is a small paper ticket with perforated windows that you tear open to reveal whether it is a winner, so the outcome is set the moment the ticket is printed. In Wyoming the law is specific that pull tabs may be sold only on premises owned or occupied by the sponsoring charitable or nonprofit organization, which keeps the games inside member halls and lodges rather than out in general retail.
Players must be at least eighteen years old, since the statute states that players of bingo and pull tab games shall be eighteen years of age or older. Proceeds are meant to support the organization's charitable work, and related activities like raffles for charitable purposes are also exempted from the gambling ban.
Notable rules and recent changes
The biggest recent change was the 2020 shift that placed charitable bingo and pull tabs under the newly created Wyoming Gaming Commission and added a formal licensing requirement effective July 1, 2020. Before that, charitable gaming operated with far less centralized oversight.
Wyoming's charitable gaming statute describes traditional paper pull tabs sold on premises and does not specifically authorize electronic or tablet based e-tab machines, so operators should not assume electronic pull tabs are permitted. Anyone planning to run games should confirm current license requirements, reporting rules, and any product limits directly with the Wyoming Gaming Commission.
Where can I play pull tabs in Wyoming?
Because Wyoming ties pull tabs to premises owned or occupied by the sponsoring nonprofit, you find them mainly at veterans posts such as VFW and American Legion halls, fraternal lodges like the Elks, Eagles, and Moose, and other licensed charitable or nonprofit clubs.
Find a spot58 places to play pull tabs in Wyoming