For every dollar raised through charitable gambling that the Irving Community Association gives to food shelves and children's programs, it pays more than $2 in taxes.
The Duluth-based nonprofit paid $733,000 in state taxes and fees last year, more than double the $306,000 it spent on good works, according to its gambling manager.
Irving belongs to a group of nonprofits with gambling operations now asking state lawmakers for millions in tax relief to free up more revenue for charity.
But the Minnesota Department of Revenue has expressed concern about losing dollars that go into the state's general fund and help pay for U.S. Bank Stadium.
The bill has passed through two House committees with bipartisan support, said Allen Lund, executive director of the trade group Allied Charities of Minnesota.
"Our mission is to give back to the communities and take care of the children," said Genny Hinnenkamp, charitable gambling manager for the Irving association. "But you wonder, is it worth just being a tax collector for the state?"
Hinnenkamp, who testified in front of the House Taxes Committee last week, said some lawmakers seemed surprised that the tax bills for nonprofits were so much higher than the amount left for charity. She said it especially stings to be paying for U.S. Bank Stadium, a facility built primarily for professional athletes, while her nonprofit — which helps little leagues, youth hockey associations and after-school programs — has yet to replace its longtime headquarters, lost to Duluth's 2012 floods.
Minnesotans spent $1.5 billion on charitable gambling in fiscal year 2016, including pulltabs, bingo and meat raffles. More than 80 percent of that was paid out in prizes by 1,200 participating nonprofits.