Slightly more than 90% of that money, or $432.7 million, was returned to players as prizes — roughly equal to the return-to-player rates for the slot machines in most Indiana casinos and well above the Hoosier Lottery's 66% player payback rate.
The remaining $46.7 million in electronic pull tab proceeds was retained by the more than 500 charitable organizations hosting the machines. By law, the groups are entitled to use the money for "any lawful purpose" of their organization.
IGC data show the most popular electronic pull tab machines were the seven located at Eagles Club 361 in the southwestern Indiana city of Princeton that generated more than $5 million in play and $404,000 in proceeds over the six-month period.
Indeed, many of the highest earning electronic pull tab machines were located in rural southern Indiana, Indianapolis or the Fort Wayne area where most people are at least an hour's drive from a traditional casino, according to the IGC.
Electronic pull tabs aren't necessarily viewed as a threat to Indiana's 13 commercial casinos that collectively saw in May alone $1.9 billion in slot machine play, plus an additional $141 million wagered at table games.
In Northwest Indiana, electronic pull tabs were especially popular in Cedar Lake where American Legion Post 261 attracted $3.9 million in electronic pull tab play at its six machines and collected $330,217 in proceeds over the past six months. The Fraternal Order of Eagles 2529 in Cedar Lake saw $3.2 million in electronic pull tab play at seven machines and retained $287,081, records show.
A 2025 Indiana statute authorized eligible organizations to place up to three electronic pull tab devices in a building with an occupancy limit of 99 or fewer people, up to five at a site open to fewer than 250 people and no more than seven in any larger facility.
State law requires the electronic pull tab machines to operate the same as their paper counterparts by obligating players to manually open each row on every ticket by touching the screen or a button, prohibits any imagery that mimics a slot machine or casino table game and limits the winnings associated with any bonus feature to the prize predetermined when the ticket was purchased.
All electronic pull tab machines must be approved for use by the IGC and cannot be played outside the single, fixed location that's home to the veterans or fraternal organizations licensed to operate them.
Arrow International, Grover Gaming and J&J Gaming are the primary distributors of electronic pull tabs to eligible organizations in Indiana.
