Three-quarters of Nevadans support creating state lottery
As the lottery continues to pay out more than $1 billion, Nevadans want a piece of the action. A recent survey found that an overwhelming majority of Nevada residents surveyed want to see a lottery in the state.
Only 13 percent of Nevada poll respondents opposed a lottery. According to the Noble Predictive Insights Nevada Public Opinion Pulse Survey, 12% are unsure or say they have no opinion on the issue.
All major political groups support the lottery. The poll found that 82% of Democrats, 74% of Republicans and 71% of independents want to buy lottery tickets in Nevada.
The results come from questions asked of 829 registered voters in Nevada. The survey was conducted from February 27 to March 5.
The lottery is currently illegal in Nevada under the state constitution. In order to operate a lottery, the state constitution must be amended.
Such moves have been attempted more than 24 times, most recently in 2023. But it never worked out.
A resolution called Joint Resolution 5 sponsored by Rep. Cameron "C.H." Miller, D-Las Vegas, was approved by state lawmakers last year and must next be carried out possibly in 2025 The Legislature approved it on the ballot to move forward.
Under Miller's proposal, money raised through lottery sales in Nevada would be used to expand youth mental health services.
One potential problem in the process is that all House seats are up for election in November, Las Vegas television station KTNV reported. It is unclear whether successful parliamentary candidates will support a draw.
If Parliament passes the lottery bill in 2025, it will need to be approved by the Senate again.
Voter Opinion
If the resolution is approved by politicians, the next step would be to go before voters in 2026.
If residents approve the measure, the measure would return to the state Legislature in 2027. Lawmakers still need to approve another bill.
That would create a lottery and provide regulations, Las Vegas television station KVVU reported. Then Nevada politicians might consider participating in multi-state lotteries like Powerball and Millionaire.
Authorized game companies can also comment on this issue. They may not want to compete for their playing space.
On the way to the border
Currently, many Nevadans who want to buy lottery tickets go to convenience stores in border towns in states like Arizona and California.
For example, the Lotto store in Primm, Nevada, sells more tickets than any other lottery operator in California, according to Vital Vegas.
Since these tickets are sold in neighboring states, Nevada will not benefit from the sales. This adds up to millions of dollars in lost sales.
Nevada is one of five states that ban lotteries. The other states are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii and Utah.
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Source: www.casino.org