Battle Lines Drawn Over Nevada Lottery Amendment

It’s been 159 years that the lottery has been banned in Nevada, and if the casino industry has its way, it will be 159 and counting.

Back in 2023, state lawmakers got through AJR5, which would amend the state constitution to allow lotteries. It passed both chambers, and due to the way Nevada law works, it needs to go through the process a second time.

And if it passes the legislative process this year, it will go to Nevada voters to decide in 2026.

But the casino industry would like very much for all of this to not happen, according to an article in The Nevada Independent.

“To say that a statewide lottery is going to net a couple of $100 million a year in revenue is somewhat unfounded,” Nick Vassiliadis, the spokesperson for the Nevada Resort Association, the gaming industry’s lobbying and trade group, said in an interview with The Independent. “You need to get down into the weeds in terms of what type of lottery you plan on running. That discussion never took place.”

The casino industry’s opposition to a lottery in Nevada runs deep, with gaming leaders arguing that it would compete against an industry that has invested billions in resorts and supports nearly 400,000 jobs.

According to The Independent, Red Rock Resorts Senior Vice President of Government Relations Michael Britt emphasized this point in a 2023 letter to the legislature, stating that allowing a lottery to compete against casino operators “goes against seven decades of proven sound public policy.”

One of five

Nevada stands apart from other non-lottery states like Hawaii, Utah, Alabama, and Alaska, given its massive casino industry that generated $15.5 billion in revenue in 2023. While these other states have minimal or no legal gambling, Nevada’s gaming industry serves as one of its primary economic drivers.

Interestingly, Nevada residents still find ways to play the lottery — they just do it across state lines. The Independent reports that California’s two most successful lottery retailers are operated by Nevada gaming companies: Truckee Gaming’s Gold Ranch Casino & RV Resort in Verdi and Affinity Gaming’s operations in Primm, both located just over the California border.

Historically, Nevada has rejected lottery proposals multiple times. The closest it came was in 1899, when lawmakers passed a lottery proposal, only to see it defeated in 1901. More recent attempts in 2011 and 2015 never made it out of committee.

As for AJR5’s prospects in 2025, it’s expected to follow the same committee process as in 2023, though lawmakers could effectively kill the measure by simply not giving it a hearing.