A bill to implement a Nevada lottery ended Friday when the Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) announced that AJR5 would not move forward. The bill sought to remove a 159-year-old constitutional prohibition on Nevada operating a lottery. Nevada is one of five states without a lottery.
The measure easily passed in both legislative chambers in 2023, but it required a second approval before it could be sent to Nevada voters in 2026. The bill was backed by Culinary Workers Union Local 226 but opposed by the Nevada Resort Association.
In a statement, Yeager said the measure was approved two years ago to give lawmakers time to consider Nevada participating in multistate lotteries. However, he said implementation costs were high and the lotteries wouldn’t generate much revenue for the state.
“With so much economic uncertainty and shocking federal funding cuts, this measure will not move forward,” Yeager said.
– Howard Stutz