Overwhelming Bipartisan Support For Lottery Legalization In Nevada, Poll Indicates
There was mild variance based on party affiliation, but left, right, and center all came out in favor of lottery legalization in the state.
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Nevada, long considered the gambling capital of America, is, somewhat counterintuitively, one of just five states that does not offer a legal lottery.
But that’s highly likely to change if it’s left up to the people of the state to decide, based on recent poll results shared by Noble Predictive Insights.
In a survey of 829 registered voters in Nevada conducted in late February and early March, 75% expressed support for lottery legalization, while just 13% opposed the idea and 12% answered “not sure/no opinion.”
There was mild variance in the numbers based on party affiliation, but left, right, and center all came out in favor of lottery legalization in the Silver State. Support was highest among Democrats, at 82%, while Republicans came in at 74% and “independent/other” polled at 71%.
Timeline for legalization?
Given how powerful the casino industry is in Nevada and perceptions among that industry’s power players that lottery play would to some extent cannibalize casino play, there has been little hope over the years for a change to the state constitution that has banned lottery since Nevada’s statehood began in 1864.
But a hint of hope emerged in 2023, when then-Assemblyman Cameron Miller introduced a bill to legalize the lottery and send the state’s share of revenue to mental health programs. That bill passed out of the legislative session, but now must clear the legislature again in 2025. If it passes again, it will come before voters on the ballot in November ’26.
Noble Predictive Insights pegs its margin of error at 3.4%, indicating a range of support for lottery legalization between roughly 72% and 78%.
Even at the low end, the suggestion is that a state lottery would comfortably pass if it lands on that 2026 ballot.
Of all the topics Noble polled on, lottery legalization had the most lopsided support. Other findings of the company’s polling included 71% support for a sales tax exemption for child and adult diapers and 68% support for a constitutional amendment to protect the right to an abortion. The diaper issue will appear on this November’s ballot, while the abortion issue could potentially land on the ballot if enough signatures are gathered before June 24.
