Nevada Lottery Bill Fails After Assembly Speaker Yeager Shelves Legislation

April 14, 2025

A Nevada bill concerning the potential lifting of the state's ban on lottery games has been suspended. 

Assembly Joint Resolution 5 (AJR5) aimed to amend regulations concerning lotteries and the distribution of lottery tickets in Nevada. The resolution is a continuation of a bill from 2023 that the Nevada Legislature approved. 

Last Friday, Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) confirmed that there would be no alteration to Nevada’s legislation permitting lottery gaming. The ban on lotteries in Nevada has been in effect for almost 160 years.

"With so much economic uncertainty and shocking federal funding cuts, this measure will not move forward,” Yeager declared.

Yeager's move occurred on the April 11 deadline for committees, a day when numerous bills with slim chances of approval are officially rejected or put aside. 

Lottery Ban 

Nevada is the wealthiest gaming state in the country, with players' losses reaching an unprecedented $15.6 billion last year. 2024 saw Nevada's fourth straight year of rising annual gross gaming revenue (GGR). 

Recent surveys indicate that a significant majority of the population (76%) in Nevada backs the approval of a state-operated lottery. 

In 2023, the Legislature edged closer to letting voters determine whether the Nevada Constitution should be changed to permit a lottery. The bicameral approved AJR5 that year; however, for a statewide ballot referendum to be started, the measure needs to secure a second positive vote. 

Had the Legislature opted to advance AJR5 to the voters, the referendum would have appeared on the 2026 election ballot. 

As Yeager puts AJR5 on hold, Nevada will continue to be one of only five states lacking a lottery. This will lead many residents of Nevada to travel to the California side of Primm and other nearby states to buy their lottery tickets and slips for Mega Millions and Powerball. 

The other states without lotteries are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah. 

Financial Worries 

Nevada's influential casino sector is against the introduction of lottery gaming in the state. They contend that lottery sales would interfere with their business and threaten jobs. 

Supporters argue that traditional thinking is obsolete and that lottery gaming would generate fresh tax revenue and employment opportunities for the state. The Culinary Union Local 226, representing approximately 60,000 employees in Las Vegas and Reno’s gaming and hospitality sectors, has expressed its backing for AJR5. 

“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,” said Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge. “When politicians talk about democracy being at risk but block Nevadans from voting on something as straightforward as a state lottery, their words ring hollow. Actions speak louder than rhetoric.”

Yeager concluded that with federal funding reductions and President Donald Trump’s tariff threats—both posing significant risks to inflation and the costs of goods and services—now is not the appropriate moment to implement a lottery. The speaker further doubts that a lottery would offer significant financial advantages for the state due to substantial regulatory and operational expenses. 

Iowa, a state with a comparable population, produced a historic $108.4 million in its 2023 fiscal year. The Iowa Lottery allocates its revenue in several ways, such as providing financial support for veterans, funding economic development projects, enhancing law enforcement budgets, contributing to K-12 public education, and supporting agricultural programs.