Renewed attempts to create state lottery underway in legislature

Renewed attempts to create a state lottery are underway in the Nevada Legislature in hopes of creating a reliable funding stream for youth mental health services.

Assemblyman Cameron “C.H.” Miller, D-North Las Vegas, proposed an amendment Thursday to the Nevada Constitution that would allow for Nevada to establish a lottery system, the revenue of which would go toward youth mental health programs in Nevada.

“The last few years have shown us how critical mental health care is and that our current infrastructure is woefully inadequate,” Miller said in a Thursday statement from the Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus.

“This constitutional amendment authorizing a lottery and dedicating the revenue to funding for youth mental health is a common sense solution that will help the many Nevada youth who are battling mental health challenges, just like I did as a child,” Miller said.

Nevada was ranked as the worst in the nation for overall mental health based on the prevalence of mental illness and access to care by Mental Health America in 2021 and 2022, according to the Culinary union, which announced its support of the proposal Thursday. The state received a D+ on the Children’s Mental Health Report Card and Fs for access to mental/behavioral care.

“Nevada needs sustainable, long-term funding to establish, continue and expand programs to train, recruit, and retain mental health professionals, and to fill considerable gaps in Nevada’s mental and behavioral health services system,” said Ted Pappageorge, the Culinary union’s secretary-treasurer, in a statement.

Many Nevadans cross state lines into California or Arizona to buy lottery tickets, sending millions of dollars of revenue across state lines, the Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus said in the statement.

The California State Lottery in Primm, which is right across the state line, is a popular destination for Southern Nevada residents to buy lotto tickets. In 2020, it sold a $4.7 million lottery ticket, according to its website. In 2009, it reportedly sold $13 million worth of lottery tickets.

Because Miller’s proposal would amend the constitution by repealing language that bans a lottery, it would require passage in two successive legislative sessions before it could go to the ballot in 2026.

Forty-four states have a lottery that brings in streams of revenue for different services. In Ohio, for instance, 2021 lottery sales reached $4.3 billion — $1.36 billion of which went to the Lottery Profits Education Fund supporting K-12 programs in the state, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

There have more than two dozen attempts to allow for a state lottery in Nevada, all without success. The gambling industry has lobbied against the idea.

The Nevada Resort Association, the voice of the gaming and resort industry, said in a statement to the Review-Journal that it looks forward to being included in the discussion.

“We agree addressing the mental health challenges facing our youth must be a priority,” the association said. “We have not reviewed the details of the proposal. Any effort to amend Nevada’s Constitution should be well understood and carefully vetted for impacts to the state and its residents.”

Nevada’s gaming and resorts industry supports more than 385,000 jobs, and contributes 36 percent of the state’s general fund, the association said.

Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office declined to comment on the plan.

“We’ll monitor all bills as they work through the legislative process and engage when we feel necessary,” Elizabeth Ray, the governor’s communications director, said in an email.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.