Charitable Gambling Ordinance

Sure. It’s a good idea. Our household supports Charitable gambling. Thank You.

I’m all for charitable gambling, keep the money in our community. It’s a friendly fun activity that harms no one, and can benefit many from the proceeds.

I would oppose this legislation as it targets those who may be intoxicated and preys on those who often don't have the disposable income to afford gambling risks without detrimental impact on their families.

Keep the money local! I see so many locations outside of our city bring in dollars to fund many civic events/organizations... let that happen here - there is plenty of need. It certainly won't change my gambling habits, but for the few I buy a year, I'd much rather support my own community.

I do not support charitable gambling. Of course the folk who profit are the greatest supporters but the benefit is far outweighed by the damage to the "contributors" who often spend money they can't afford.

Yes please allow this! We frequently choose restauraunts or bars outside of Minnetonka to meet with friends because they have pull tabs. Pull tabs are such a fun way to gather with friends and "contribute" to local charitable organizations. The city, businesses and charities are currently losing out on revenue because this type of lawful gambling is disallowed. This restriction feels in opposition to minnetonka's values, as the funds from this lawful practice would go back into the community, allowing for more robust businesses and sustainable efforts. Not to mention, keep revenue in Minnetonka, or attract additional businesses or revenue from outside Minnetonka.

I do not agree or approve of this ordinance. Gambling is not something I want in this beautiful place and adding liquor only brings in crime. Thank you

No gambling especially in a restaurant where kids are eating with family. We have enough gambling in MN.
No more PLEASE.

Yes I think it’s a good idea

Thumbs Up.

The current Charitable Gambling Ordinance is regressive, old-antiquated, and lacking merit. Charitable Gambling should be allowed, and the City of Minnetonka should have no say in how the profits are spent.

On Thursday, May 30th, 2024, Mpls. Police Officer Jamal Mitchell was killed in a planned ambush. He leaves behind a fiancé and four children. Most people don't realize that police officer pay and benefits end on the day of death. This leaves the surviving families with no financial assistance (not even to cover burial costs) until they receive a meager and substandard death benefit that can take up to four months to receive.

Why do I share this? Because this week the MN 100 Club will deliver a $50,000 check to the Mitchell family. These are funds raised through generous donations and with the help of charitable gambling funds from our family's Golden Valley restaurant.

For over 7 years, our family has worked to raise awareness and funds for this important organization to support families like Jamal's and other well-deserving charities.

There is so much good that can be done through charitable gambling funds to help not only causes like this one, but for the Minnetonka community, as well.

Adopting charitable gambling in Minnetonka will not make those participating bars and restaurants a ton of money. It is not like a casino.
In most cases, the funds paid by the non-profits are nominal and only cover the cost of their leased booth space.

The real benefit to the participating restaurants is to allow them to compete on a level playing field with those locations just down the road that offer charitable gambling as an extra "entertainment" feature such as bingo once a week on a normally slow Saturday afternoon.

I ask for your support in passing this initiative.

Ann Jennings
Scoreboard

I strongly encourage the city to approve charitable gambling. There are so many benefits to the community like the support of youth sports and other non-profit organizations. It helps to keep registration fees low and make sports and activities more accessible to all families. The surrounding communities currently benefit in this way and it would be great for Minnetonka families to receive the same benefits.

The City of Minnetonka,
We at Duke’S on 7 and Craft & Crew Hospitality are in full support of the Charitable Gambling
Ordinance. It is a tremendous opportunity for the City, Local Businesses, as well as the Community itself.
We believe that the implementation of this ordinance can be executed in an effective and safe manner
that benefits all parties involved. With careful legislation and strict enforcement, the results can foster
one of the safest and more successful Charitable Gambling Communities in the state. We appreciate
Minnetonka’s ability to carefully weigh this matter with many voices involved. Charitable Gambling is
definitely something the City of Minnetonka should consider implementing.
Minnetonka truly is a Community with strong foundations in all of its aspects. The list goes on for
the things we should be proud of as a Community. As a Minnetonka Graduate myself who has lived here
all of my life, I cannot speak enough about our schooling, sense of community, and opportunity for
family life that Minnetonka provides. The largest negative effect to Charitable Gambling or any Gambling
in my mind would be the element of Gambling Addiction and its effect on younger audiences spectating
it in the environment around them. Addiction suites itself in many forms that currently exist in legal
standing across a countless number of entities across many mediums outside of Gambling. I believe
Charitable Gambling monitored by local governance would allow Gambling that is clean and transparent
with regulation in a sensible way. While Gambling Addiction can be something that pertains to certain
members of any community, I believe that Minnetonka would curtail this issue as well if not better than
any community around. Our public schools endow so many respectable, responsible and civil values and
our City functions very effectively across all facets. I believe that the choice of each individual in our
community would be more educated than the average resident of the state, regardless of any income
bracket. This ordinance would allow members of the community to Gamble in a safe manner that they
know can be truly trusted by the community, compared to the various alternatives, especially digitally,
that can often fall into gradients of gray zones in the way of ethics and legality. Community education
and identification of local resources for these issues could definitely be an area of focus that helps
subside our community from the negative effects of any type of Gambling in general. Gambling will
always be a concept that exists in practice one way or the other, having Local Governance controlling
Charitable Gambling would add safeguards for individuals to participate in a safe manner responsibly
within the Community.
In our opinion, we believe that Our Community of Minnetonka is largely in desire of this
Ordinance. Local surrounding communities offer Charitable Gambling, by large demand their residents
thoroughly enjoy its presence. Guests at our other locations within Craft & Crew are major proponents
of the Charitable Gambling offered and partake largely. Craft & Crew’s neighboring restaurants in the
communities of St. Louis Park and Hopkins have many patrons who have great experiences partaking in
Charitable Gambling. The State organized system of E-Tabs especially creates a fun environment where
patrons may participate in a variety of games in a controlled and lawful manner. This selection in the
guest’s hands fosters a competitive and pleasurable experience where they feel their Dollar matters and
is effectively spent in the gambling world. Compared to the current legal Gambling offerings
implemented, Charitable Gambling in its modern sense offers much more opportunity for the end-user
with interactivity and sense of control. Patrons of Gambling desire a safer and controlled environment to
spend their money. Being able to relax in a bar and use mechanisms designed with safeguards and
proper architecture is a much more comfortable and inviting approach. Users of Charitable Gambling can
know that the games are designed in an ethical manner that can be trusted by monitored processes.
Those same users spend their money as they go with properly managed license holders. There is no
direct way for a Gambler to go in negative balance with the proprietors of the Gambling market itself, as
can happen in Grey or Black Gambling scenarios. Consumers desire Charitable Gambling for its
controlled nature, ease of access in safe environments, and the entertainment that it provides.
We at Duke’S on 7 and Craft & Crew Hospitality truly hope that we along with fellow businesses
can be given the opportunity to implement Charitable Gambling to provide a service that our
Community of Minnetonka greatly desires. We promise to abide by all new regulations regarding
Charitable Gambling and to enforce them strictly, as we do at all Craft & Crew establishments. Please
seriously consider the implementation of this Ordinance for the Community of Minnetonka.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Andrew Erdahl
General Manager of Duke’S on 7
With Support of all Management at Duke’S on 7
Shellee Floyd
Martin Howard
Joseph Holmes
Jose Lala
With Support of Ownership of Craft & Crew
Steve Benowitz
David Benowitz
Luke Derheim

Pull tabs are so beneficial to the community. They help fund community projects and support our area youth sports and other non-profit organizations, as well as drive the economy to the city. Currently the areas surrounding Minnetonka that allow pull tabs have not seen adverse effects to their communities or the establishments in which they are offered.

Please allow Scoreboards Bar and Grill in Minnetonka to sell pulltabs. I have been to Champps in Eden Prairie and there has been no detrimental effects from their sale.

Thank you,
Noel Morkve

I have been a customer at the Scoreboard for over 15 years. I have never seen a restaurant with better management, bartenders and wait staff. The place is always immaculate. They post signs on their tables saying “this table has been sanitized “. I can’t think of a better restaurant to have a charitable license.
Bill Strong
Eden Prairie

I would love to see charitable gambling in Minnetonka.

We feel that this is a really important issue to have passed in Minnetonka with regards to charitable gambling. All of the other restaurants we operate in the twin cities have this form of gambling and our customers love it. We operate in Hopkins, St.Louis Park, Minneapolis, Hastings and Minnetonka. This is something customers love, it helps support great causes and brings in revenue to the city. We are fully supportive of this.

Thanks for listening.

Luke Derheim
Co-Owner of Craft & Crew Hospitality