MINOT — North Dakota is in the midst of a gambling boom. The legalization of electronic pull tabs — slot machines, basically — has caused revenues from charitable gambling to skyrocket into the billions.

Do North Dakotans have those billions to lose on gambling? I'm not sure we have the answer to that question yet, but many public officials I've spoken to are bracing for some serious societal impacts from this growth in gambling.

Supposedly, state law, as a way to keep a cap on growth in gambling, draws a bright line between the charities that operate the gambling enterprises and the venues (bars, restaurants, etc.) that host them. There are all sorts of rules about how much a gambling organization can pay a venue for space and who can play or manage those games.

In practice, this is a

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