Nevada May Be Looking into State Lottery Options Soon

Now, this may be changing as a Nevada lawmaker believes a state-backed lottery could help bring more money for important sectors, such as mental health programs for youths.

Assemblyman CH Miller has pitched an amendment to the constitution hoping that he could gather sufficient legal momentum and turn his proposal into a reality. To succeed, such a move would need to actually alter the current text of the document which prohibits lotteries outright.

Nevadan Lottery Could Help Critical Health Infrastructure

Miller is confident that this would help the state in more than one way. He said that the program could have meaningful impacts:

This constitutional amendment authorizing a lottery and dedicating the revenue to funding for youth mental health is a commonsense solution that will help the many Nevada youth who are battling mental health challenges.

Assemblyman CH Miller

Generating additional revenue is one, but also saving people from the state the trip into either California or Arizona will be another. Essentially, Nevadan residents now have to travel out of state to buy a lottery ticket, much like some state residents have to travel to a neighboring jurisdiction to place a bet, for example.

He reiterated that the state is currently losing millions to neighboring states, and the time has come for Nevada to take a closer look at how it can plug the hole. The motivation behind the bill is likely to find support, as there is data to support the claim that mental health among young people is actually deteriorating.

Miller said that he has collected data, including from a UNLV study, which demonstrates that Nevada’s critical mental health care and infrastructure were woefully inadequate to handle the needs of gamblers. The idea of establishing a lottery is seemingly being received positively by a number of organizations and locals.

Culinary Union, a worker’s union in Nevada, has already thrown its support behind the matter with its secretary-treasurer, Ted Pappageorge, agreeing that there is a point in hosting a state-backed lottery that could see a steady influx of revenue for the state.