At a recent Deer Creek City Council meeting, owners of Wet Woody’s Pub & Grub formally asked the council to remove the Deer Creek Lions Club as the local provider of charitable gambling operations and authorize T.I.P. Gaming to run weekly bingo, pull-tabs and meat raffles at their establishment. The request surfaced tension between a private business seeking a commercial gaming operator and a long-standing civic organization whose gambling revenue supports local projects.

Council members expressed reservations about displacing the Lions Club, a long-time civic partner in Deer Creek. The council’s unease centered on the Lions’ role in funding community activities and the uncertainty surrounding the transition. Wet Woody’s owners acknowledged they do not yet have a firm start date for weekly bingo under T.I.P. Gaming, which contributed to councilors’ caution about approving a provider change without clarity on when operations would begin.

The Lions Club recently voted to pilot weekly bingo on a trial basis and indicated a preference to continue serving as the local gambling provider. That effort to expand game nights frames the current dispute: whether to preserve an established local nonprofit as the conduit for charitable gaming proceeds, or to permit an outside commercial operator to assume those functions. Under local and county rules, any provider change first requires Deer Creek council approval and then a county-level vote to finalize authorization.

The outcome has practical implications for Otter Tail County residents. Gambling proceeds managed by the Lions have historically been earmarked for community projects, and a provider change could affect both the flow and allocation of those funds. The council’s deliberations highlight governance questions about how municipalities balance support for volunteer civic organizations with business interests seeking new revenue streams. They also underscore the procedural steps — municipal approval followed by county action — that give residents an opportunity to weigh in at the ballot box.

Council members also received an update on the town’s water-tower rehabilitation. Testing associated with the rehab is concluding, and officials said the project is expected to reach substantial completion once final samples clear required standards. That work is directly relevant to local water reliability and public health, and it arrives amid the council’s broader consideration of community infrastructure and funding priorities.

As the issue moves toward formal votes at both the municipal and county levels, Deer Creek residents will be watching how elected officials and community groups negotiate the balance between local nonprofit fundraising, commercial operations, and municipal oversight.