Losing ticket: Effort to create Nevada Lottery dies in legislature

Nevada doesn’t have the lucky numbers, after all.

An effort to establish a Nevada Lottery died in the state’s Legislature when the 63-member body did not pick up the resolution before its first major deadline.

Assembly Joint Resolution 5 proposed a constitutional amendment to remove the state’s prohibition on state lotteries — a provision that has been in the state’s founding document since its ratification in 1864. It passed out of both the Assembly and state Senate in the 2023 legislative session, but required another session’s consideration before going to voters.

The legislation had momentum that session. Culinary Local 226, the largest hospitality union in the state, supported the effort and called for the would-be lottery’s revenue to be used on youth mental health resources for Nevadans.

It’s not the first time an attempt at a state lottery has come up in Carson City, but it was one of the most promising. An April 2023 poll from the Nevada Independent and Noble Predictive Insights found roughly 71 percent of respondents said they would support the creation of a statewide lottery.

But it wasn’t enough to push the effort forward in 2025. AJR 5 did not receive a hearing before Friday’s deadline for most legislation to pass out of the committee of origin, effectively killing the proposal.

In a statement, Speaker Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, said the effort passed last session, giving lawmakers more time to “consider whether Nevada’s participation in multistate games (such as Powerball and MegaMillions) makes sense.” But legislative Democrats were not willing to deal with the start-up costs.

“However, after much thoughtful consideration, and with so much economic uncertainty and shocking federal funding cuts, this measure will not move forward,” Yeager said in the statement. “Participation in those multistate games comes with implementation costs and will not generate much revenue for the state. In addition, the lottery hits lower income individuals the hardest. As we did last season, the legislature will make preserving education and mental health funding a priority.”

Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of Culinary, called Assembly Democrats’ decision to not hear the resolution “irresponsible” in a Monday statement.

“When politicians talk about democracy being at risk, but block Nevadans from voting on something as straightforward as a state lottery, their words ring hollow. Actions speak louder than rhetoric,” he said. “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.”

Nevada is one of five states without a statewide lottery. In 2023, California Lottery officials said the state’s two largest ticket retailers by annual revenue were The Lotto Store in Primm Valley and the Gold Ranch in Verdi, California. Both are directly across the Nevada state line.

AJR 5’s death is a win for Nevada’s gaming industry. In a Monday statement, the Nevada Resort Association said a statewide lottery doesn’t generate significant employment or capital investments.

“In contrast, Nevada’s gaming and tourism industry supports more than 436,000 jobs and generates an annual economic impact of nearly $100 billion for communities across the state while also being the state’s largest taxpayer,” the group said in the statement. “We applaud their decision not to revisit changing the Nevada’s Constitution and overturning longstanding state policy.”

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.