Latest effort to bring lottery to Nevada makes progress but fizzles out once again
Lotteries have been outlawed in the Nevada constitution since it was ratified in 1864. The state famously legalised casino gambling in 1931 and has since become the premier gaming market in the US. In 2024, Nevada casinos generated $15.6 billion in gross gaming revenue, an all-time record.
Over the last century, there have been dozens of attempts to establish a state lottery. The powerful casino lobby has successfully quashed every effort, however, usually even before it becomes a real possibility. That wasn’t the case this year, as a lottery bill (AJR5) had already made it through both chambers of the legislature in 2023, ensuring the issue would go to voters if also passed in the current legislative session.
The bill was reintroduced for the 2025 session on 3 February but did not gain traction this year. Friday was the first committee deadline day, meaning any bills that hadn’t passed through their first committee were dead for this session. On Friday, assembly speaker Steve Yeager confirmed that AJR5 had met its end, per the Nevada Independent.
“With so much economic uncertainty and shocking federal funding cuts, this measure will not move forward,” he said in a statement. Yeager said the bill’s first passage was to explore the possibility of Nevada entering multistate lotteries. Officials concluded that implementation costs were too high and projected revenue was underwhelming.
Close but no cigar
The latest lottery attempt came closer than prior efforts. In Nevada, a constitutional amendment must pass the full legislature in two consecutive sessions before it can be placed onto a ballot. AJR5 passed the state assembly with a 26-15 vote on 17 April 2023 and the state senate with a 12-8 vote on 26 May 2023. It was introduced by assemblyman Cameron Miller, who did not seek reelection after that session.
If AJR5 had passed both chambers again, it would have gone before state voters to consider approval in a 2026 referendum. Its recent failure means that the process will have to start over again, delaying any future lottery possibilities for multiple years. Nevada will remain a non-lottery state, along with Alaska, Utah, Hawaii and Alabama.
The bill pitted the Nevada Resort Association (NRA) and the Culinary Union, two pillars of the state’s gaming industry, against each other. The Culinary Union supported the bill because some revenue was supposedly earmarked for youth mental health programmes, although that was not explicitly laid out in its language. Conversely, the NRA has always opposed lotteries because of the potential to cannibalise revenue from casinos.
“It’s irresponsible that Democratic leadership in the Nevada Legislature refused to even give AJR5 a hearing — killing legislation they supported last session and denying Nevadans the opportunity to have their voices heard,” Culinary’s Secretary-Treasure Ted Pappageorge said in a statement. “With federal cuts looming, uncertainty around the state budget, and lack of funding for education and mental health, Nevadans need real solutions and we need it now. Politicians cannot complain about budget shortfalls while refusing to even consider a bill that would bring in new revenue.”
The NRA did not respond a to a request for comment.
Polling indicated lottery support
Despite infighting among stakeholders, polling has indicated that Nevadans want a lottery. Noble Predictive Insights published its Nevada Public Opinion Pulse poll last March, which included responses from 829 state voters.
Three-quarters of respondents (75%) said they support lottery legalisation. Only 13% were opposed, with 12% indicating no opinion.
Supporters have also pointed to the vast amount of money being spent across state lines. A Nevada Independent report from 2023 revealed that the two top-performing California Lottery retailers are at Primm and Gold Ranch. Both locations are immediately adjacent to Nevada’s biggest population centers, Las Vegas and Reno, respectively.