FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, March 27, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
Culinary Union releases new polling showing that 84% of Nevadans support the creation of a Nevada State Lottery, urges the Nevada Legislature to re-introduce the bill and let voters ultimately decide -
Las Vegas, NV – The Culinary Union is calling on Nevada lawmakers in Carson City to give voters the chance to modernize state policy and create a state lottery that would fund youth mental health and education. Nevada remains the only gaming state in the country without a lottery, even though casinos are thriving in states that have lotteries and significantly higher gaming tax rates.
Culinary Union also released a recent poll that shows:
*84% of Nevadans support the creation of a state lottery.
*80% said that they would support the legislature’s efforts to create a state of Nevada Lottery System.
*69% said that they were more likely to vote for a state representative candidate who supports allowing Nevadans to vote for a state lottery system.
*68% agree that Nevada needs more revenue to fund public services like education, public safety, and mental health care for teenagers.
*63% said that some Democrats who have previously supported the creation of a state lottery have changed their stance and now are uncertain about allowing Nevadans to vote on a state lottery system because they are buckling to the gaming industry money and pressure to keep the lottery off the ballot.
The poll, conducted by David Binder Research from March 5-9, reflects the overwhelming public desire of Nevadans to have a state lottery and for the state to invest in services such as youth mental health and education.
“The Nevada Legislature must act now and introduce a bill that would amend the Nevada Constitution to allow a state lottery system to be created, hold hearings in the Assembly and Senate, and pass the legislation so that it can go to the ballot and allow voters to ultimately decide,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “Enacting a state lottery is a common-sense solution to help fund youth mental health and public education in our state. Nevadans deserve a chance to vote on this issue - it’s time to let the people decide.”
“For the last decade, I have been dealing with Nevada’s mental health services and I have seen first hand how it’s failing our youth,” said Elsa Roldan, guest room attendant, and Culinary Union member for 17 years. “My son has struggled with depression and there is nothing worse for mother than to see her child not want to socialize and have suicidal ideations. I have the best health care benefits through my union, so I reached out for help, but Nevada doesn’t have adequate mental health resources. I would try to make appointments for him, but openings were always a month out. He has to wait for a long time to get seen by a professional, which is hard because my son needs help urgently. The Nevada Legislature needs to fund more youth mental health resources. We need more mental health professionals in Nevada, early detection programs in schools, infrastructure to help children and adults, and education on how mental health impacts families and our society. I’m asking for politicians to do something to help so that more mothers don't have to know this feeling.”
In the 2023 legislative session, Assembly Joint Resolution 5 (AJR5), which proposes amending Nevada’s Constitution to allow for a state lottery, passed both chambers of the Nevada Legislature with a constitutional majority. The Assembly approved AJR5 on April 17, 2023, with a vote of 26 in favor, 15 against, and 1 excused. The Senate passed the measure on May 26, 2023, with 12 votes in favor, 8 opposed, and 1 excused. The approval of AJR5 marked the first step in the constitutional amendment process, paving the way for the Legislature to consider the measure again in the current 2025 legislative session, and send it to Nevada voters for final approval on the 2026 ballot.
Despite what industry lobbyists claim, the data is clear: Lotteries do not hurt casinos. In fact, gaming revenue thrives in lottery states, even when casino tax rates are much higher than Nevada’s.
*Mississippi casinos earned $2.4 BILLION in 2024 with an effective tax rate of approximately 12%. The Mississippi state lottery generated $80 million to roads and bridges and $45 million to education.
*Missouri casinos made $1.9 BILLION in 2023, while paying a 21% tax on gaming revenue. The Missouri state lottery generated $379 million in proceeds for education in 2024 alone.
*Nevada’s gaming tax is one of the lowest in the US, but the gaming industry fights against a state lottery that would fund youth mental health and education to protect their money-making monopoly.
Nevada is the only gaming state left without a state lottery - despite being home to the world’s most famous gaming industry. Companies, including Caesars Entertainment Corporation, MGM Resorts, Boyd Gaming, Bally’s, PENN, and Hard Rock, currently operate casinos in dozens of lottery states like Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, where companies pay tax rates as high as 74% on slot machines and up to 35% on table games.
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ABOUT CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America.
The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 145,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members, and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latino/a, Black, AAPI, immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project.
The Culinary Union has a diverse membership which is 55% women and 60% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latino/a, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.
Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry, and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 90 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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