A lottery wouldn’t make much of a dent in our budget

Merritt Carlton, Las Vegas

Saturday, March 26, 2011 | 2:02 a.m.

I frequently read well-intentioned letters ridiculing legislators for failing to realize a state lottery will eliminate Nevada’s budget woes. (In the interest of disclosure, my wife, Maggie Carlton, serves in the Assembly — but these are my thoughts, not hers.) If it comes to it, I would vote in favor of a lottery; but, in the overall scheme of things, it will make almost no difference.

Look at Arizona. Last year the lottery contributed $142 million to that state’s coffers. With a population of 6.6 million, that represents roughly $22 per resident. If we project those figures onto Nevada (population 2.6 million), the number comes to about $57 million, or 2 percent of next year’s recommended state budget. (And I rounded up.)

One study showed that, on average, states that had lotteries received about 0.95 percent of their total revenue from such winnings. (Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, 1996 figures)

I surmise our winning percentage would be even less. We have myriad gambling alternatives. How many other states have slot machines in their convenience stores? These would be the same stores selling lottery tickets. And, no, the casinos won’t sell them — the profit margin doesn’t justify the competition with their own games.

Few tourists would buy them. Is someone going to fly into Las Vegas or drive here, check into Aria, and then run past the Megabucks machine and buy a Nevada scratch-off or a ticket for a weekly drawing? We may sell a handful to our friends from Utah, but I wouldn’t plan on building any new schools in Mesquite with the revenue.

There are many other problems and costs that come with simply starting up a lottery. But go ahead and do it. It will take more than four years to initiate, but what the heck, every little 1 percent helps.