In these polarizing times, Minnesotans have found something they can agree on — the thrill of a meat raffle.
Meat raffles have been popular in pockets of the US for decades, offering a fun way to raise money for charities while handing out prizes ranging from ground beef and hot dogs to chicken breasts and steaks.
However, while inflation has surged and meat prices have soared, Minnesota’s US$70 per-event prize limit has not changed in nearly 40 years.
Photo: AP
The deeply divided Minnesota Legislature has not been able to agree on much this year, but it is almost a sure bet to respond by upping the cap to US$200. That would allow charities to offer more and bigger grill packs, and thicker, fancier steaks, while funding youth sports teams and other causes.
It would also ensure that the state’s beloved if quirky tradition of gambling for meat products remains viable.
“This is probably the best feel-good bill that we have going on in the legislature right now,” said Minnesota State Representative Jim Nash, lead House author of the meat raffle legislation.
Even with the lower prize limit, Andrea “Mama” Avaloz scored with a US$2 bet. Game organizers spun a wheel and landed on her No. 5, making her a winner of the American Legion Post 150 in the lakeside town of Waconia, about 48km west of Minneapolis.
“So I have a little fajita meat. We are set to go,” Avaloz said as she picked up her plastic-wrapped prize. “Beef sticks. Love them.”
Moments later she realized there was a surprise hidden beneath her beef and sausages.
“Oh my God, I have pork chops,” she said. “I picked a good one. I’m so excited.”
Meat raffles originated during World War II as a response to wartime rationing in the UK. They spread to Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and eventually migrated to Minnesota, Wisconsin, western New York and a few other US states.
Nash, who represents Waconia, said he expects a vote in the House next week to expand the prize cap and approval soon after in the Minnesota Senate.
“It’s an opportunity for bipartisanship,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to do good things.”
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