Montana is holding its first auction of licenses for restaurants and other establishments to sell liquor, beer or wine. This launch will create a new licensing trend that creates 54 new licenses in towns where businesses had struggled to acquire them. As of November, the new quota was introduced as part of a new law by a special session of the Legislature.
The minimum bid for the beer-and-wine license in Belgrade is $168,300. It was introduced as one of several proposals to create more revenue for the state and help its budget crisis. The new auction system is expected to generate nearly $4 million of new revenue for the state this year.
Source: MTN News, August 2018