Despite being known for its gaming industry and casinos, Nevada is one of five states without a statewide lottery. That’s by design.
A statewide lottery is banned in Nevada’s 159-year-old constitution. The constitution was written when lotteries were seen as corrupt and coincided with a series of national reforms, most famously abolition, that swept the United States in the 1800s.
“By the early 19th century, most lotteries were crooked. These lotteries were either not giving the prize, or being fixed,” Michael Green, a history professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who specializes in Nevada and Las Vegas history, told the Washington Examiner.
The casino industry has made sure statewide lotteries have remained banned, and neighboring states such as California and Arizona are reaping the benefits while locals miss out. However, a change to the ban may be within reach.
