The gambling capital of the world may finally be ready to add a state lottery.
Nevada is one of five states that doesn’t have retail lottery. Residents don’t have the option to purchase lottery draw games for nationwide Mega Millions or Powerball jackpots in the state.
However, current legislation is going through the process to change that.
One thing has recently been made clear, and that is Nevada residents are in overwhelming support of a state lottery being established.
A recent public poll of Nevada voters showed that 75% of residents are in support of a state lottery.
Bipartisan support for a Nevada Lottery
Recently, Noble Predictive Insights (NPI) conducted a poll of 829 registered voters in Nevada on different topics the state could be voicing their feelings on in the future.
Among the topics was Nevada establishing a state lottery.
The poll targeted a variety of demographics to accurately reflect gender, region, age, party affiliation, ethnicity, and education.
Of the people polled, 75% said they were in total support of a lottery, and just 13% claimed they were totally opposed.
The support for a lottery is bipartisan, with 74% of Republican voters backing it and 81% of Democrats behind it.
Party-first Democrats have the highest support level at 84%, while (Donald) Trump-first Republicans are most opposed at 21%.
Where a Nevada Lottery currently stands
Nevada legislators have attempted to establish a lottery in the state many times and come up short. The state constitution prohibits a lottery, and changing the constitution requires a lot of steps.
The most recent attempt came in 2023. Joint Resolution 5 (AJR5) passed both the Nevada Assembly and Senate in May 2023. That bill just calls for the Nevada Constitution to be changed to allow for a lottery.
In Nevada, a bill changing the constitution needs to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in two legislative sessions to advance. Legislative sessions occur every other year in the state, so nothing can happen with the resolution until February 2025.
By the time the 2025 sessions occur, many new legislators could be established. All 42 Assembly seats will be up for election later this year, so support for the resolution could change. The Assembly will again have to pass the bill, as will the Senate, for the bill to be put before voters in 2026.
Assistant Majority Assembly Floor Leader Cameron Miller (D-North Las Vegas) is the one who sponsored AJR5. He is not seeking re-election in the coming year, so the bill would need a new sponsor to lead the charge.
Should the vote pass, it wouldn’t be until the 2027 legislative session that Nevada lawmakers would then create a new bill to set up a statewide lottery and regulation.
Union workers backing lottery, casinos don’t
A lottery has support, not just from residents, but also from the state Culinary Union, which represents casino workers in Nevada.
Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge came out in full support of AJR5 in a press release a year ago:
“Nevada is currently only one of 5 states without a lottery. Enacting a State Lottery is a dependable source of revenue for nearly every state in the country and in a state where gaming is the cornerstone of the economy, there is no public policy rationale to continue the ban on a State Lottery that is present in the Nevada Constitution.”
Not surprisingly, the casinos in the state are in opposition to the lottery resolution.
Nevada Resorts Association President Virginia Valentine has spoken out about a lottery not contributing to the state’s economic development. She also believes that a lottery would result in the cannibalization of retail casino sales. Valentine has been fighting against a state lottery for years. Back in 2016, she addressed the issue during a local TV interview:
“That would take away from the gaming industry’s ability to do what it does best, which is to create new jobs and generate new revenue for the states, so it would come at the expense of something else.”
Currently, for Nevada residents to participate in nationwide lottery games like Mega Millions and Powerball, they have to cross the border and purchase tickets in California, Arizona, Oregon, or Idaho.
Photo by PlayiLottery
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