Tourists visiting the State of Nevada can engage in almost every form of gambling one can imagine with one big exception, the state lottery. The Battle State is one of five US states that do not offer a state lottery and, thanks to the recent failure of House Bill AJR5A, it won’t be offering one anytime soon.
It should come as no surprise that one of the biggest opponents to Nevada’s lottery dreams is the casino industry itself. For obvious reasons, big casino companies are generally not in seeing new forms of regulated gambling that they’re not getting a piece of. More surprising is that the bill’s biggest supporter was the local Culinary Union, which supported the bill’s vague wording that supported local mental health resources for teenagers.
AJR5A had actually passed through both houses of the Nevada Legislature, but was killed off in committee. This was not AJR5A’s first run through the Nevada State Legislature. Back in 2023 the same bill made it through both houses, but was similarly killed in committee.
The Culinary Union’s Secretary-Treasure Ted Pappageorge made his disappointment in the bill’s death in a recent press release saying, “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. 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.”
For the time being, Nevada will remain with Hawaii, Utah, Alaska and Alabama as states without lotteries.