The state of Nevada has moved closer to lifting a constitution ban on lotteries within its borders, according to a Nevada Independent local report. The prohibition has been on the books for the last 159 years.
State lawmakers recently passed a proposed constitutional amendment, AJR5, which would lift the longstanding lottery ban. The Senate passed the bill by a 12 to 8 vote.
The bill will move to the next legislative session in 2025 for a second run, the local report said. Once passed, AJR5 would go to the 2026 general election ballot.
Las Vegas-based B2 Global Managing Partner and Gaming iIdustry Advisor Brendan Bussmann told the Nevada Independent that he is confident voters will pull the lever for a state lottery.
He said that’s an outcome Nevada’s gaming industry does not want to see. He believes voters would pass a lottery ballot question. Nevada is one of five states without a statewide lottery.
He commented, “There is clear popularity for the measure in a gaming state and one that will be hard to starve off by the industry should it make it through the legislature in 2025.”
The amendment’s sponsor, Assemblyman C.H. Miller told the Independent, “It would be helpful going into the next session if there were some more structure around what [a lottery] could potentially look like.
“But that’s not what is even being considered right now. What's being considered is if the people of Nevada want to amend their constitution to allow for a lottery.”
Nevada is currently among the five US states without a lottery.
