The North Dakota Senate voted 27-20 Thursday to pass a bill changing which organizations can conduct charitable gambling.

Senators debated changes made by the Senate Judiciary Committee in Senate Bill 2035, which pulled the words tourism and economic development from the definition of public-spirited organizations, one category of groups allowed to conduct gambling. It also eliminates adult amateur sports organizations from conducting charitable gambling.

Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, told lawmakers the bill is a response to the expansion of the industry. 

As of Dec. 31, the state had 5,250 electronic pull tab machines, similar to slot machines, operated at more than 840 different sites in North Dakota, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Gaming Director Deb McDaniel told lawmakers earlier this week that her office sometimes gets complaints about what organizations qualify as a charity.

Myrdal said the bill aims to create guardrails to the original intent of the state’s charitable gambling laws. 

Sen. Ryan Braunberger, D-Fargo, said he voted against the bill in the Judiciary Committee because many of the organizations already conducting charitable gambling will continue to do so under the approval of local authorities.

“To me, this bill fails to hit the mark,” he said. The Judiciary Committee had discussions about crafting new regulations on how the charitable funds are spent, Braunberger said, instead of simply identifying the recipients of the charitable gambling proceeds.

“I think that is something we should seriously look at in a different bill,” he said.

The bill will be forwarded to the North Dakota House of Representatives for consideration.