It’s the perennial question of the industry, and no idle one at that because it can make or break your charity — when do you pull* a box** from play? Often, especially to a new gambling manager, it can seem like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. It’s time to clear up some of the confusion.

* or “close” (the state’s official terminology) or “deposit”…
** or “deal” (the state’s official terminology) or “game” or “jar” depending on your house lingo

Now, of course, how you approach this problem will depend on your charity’s protocols: whether sellers can pull games at their discretion or whether the gambling manager or some other employee must make the decision. If only the gambling manager can decide, you had better make sure that you’re keeping close enough tabs (no pun intended) on your boxes so that you don’t miss the right opportunities. If the sellers are given that responsibility, you had better make sure that you provide them with clear instructions as to what your policies or guidelines are. It is also advisable to ask them to contact you for final approval for questionable situations.

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Blog by Mike Phenow

I’m very excited to be introducing MNCharitableGambling.com and the Charitable Gambling Manager application to the charities of Minnesota. I became involved in charitable gambling a little over 4 years as an assistant gambling manager and became a gambling manager a little over 3 years ago. From my first couple months on the job, I thought, “Holy cow, this stuff shouldn’t be so hard. There’s got to be a better way!” This website and this application have been in the works ever since — because I believe there is a better way.

Whether it’s selling, tracking, or auditing pull-tab deals; receiving, verifying, or reporting inventory; entering, tracking, or compiling employee hours; or just tracking down a form, an address, or an answer to a question — it has always been a frustrating challenge. It usually involves a lot of paper, a lot of calculations done by hand, a lot of head-scratching, often some errors, and always more time than necessary.

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Blog by Mike Phenow