Last night’s Powerball drawing had the 10th-largest jackpot in history — $750 million, which can buy a lot of Labubu dolls. Did you win? If you live in Nevada, the answer is a solid “probably not.”
💸 Where Can You Play the Lottery in Las Vegas?
Nowhere. Ticket sales for games like Powerball and Mega Millions are prohibited within state lines. You can get around the law with a short road trip to the Last Stop Travel Center in White Plains, Arizona or the Lotto Store, barely a few inches across the California state line from Primm, which is otherwise pretty quiet these days 😴
😠 What’s Nevada’s Problem?
The Nevada Resort Association opposes a lottery, believing it would draw dollars away from casino revenue, although some other markets have shown that both can coexist. It’s worth noting that most states introduced lotteries due to an absence of casinos in markets outside Nevada and New Jersey, although the landscape is very different today.
👍 Should We Have One?
The Culinary Union has long supported a lottery, suggesting funds raised from sales could go to mental health services, although language was never included in drafted legislation. Regardless, there’s an argument that lotteries could generate tax revenue of some sort in a low-tax state like Nevada and there’s always the libertarian viewpoint that people should be free to do what they want as long as they’re not harming anyone else.
Pivotal Stat: Nevada is one of just five states without a lottery.
👎 But Really, Is It a Bad Idea?
Opponents, including our own Dayvid Figler, argue that lotteries are even more impulsive than slot machines and would introduce more people to gambling — a pastime that’s here to stay in Nevada, but has a legacy of dangerous consequences. Even if there’s a tax benefit, studies show lotteries transfer wealth out of low-income communities (who are most likely to participate) and redistribute it elsewhere, harming neighborhoods the revenue is supposed to help.
Pivotal Stat: The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million.
⏳ Any Chance of Nevada Getting a Lottery Soon?
Probably not. Ballot questions to approve a lottery were defeated by Nevada voters in 1889 and 1968, although raffles and drawings were overwhelmingly approved as fundraisers for nonprofits and charities in 1990.
Today, a union-backed poll says 84% of Nevadans favor the creation of a state lottery. A bill to do just that (AJR5) cleared both chambers of the Nevada Legislature in 2023, but was shot down for consideration altogether in the 2025 session. If it had succeeded a second time, Nevada voters would’ve had their say on a ballot question in 2026. The earliest state lawmakers will even face the issue again is 2027.
- The debate continues on if a lottery would help or hurt Nevada. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
