People of Nevada wants a lottery

Subhas Dhodapkar, Las Vegas

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 | 2 a.m.

Continuing on the topic started by Bruce Karley with his letter, “Implement lottery in lieu of taxes,” regarding the need to have a lottery in Nevada, the Nevada Constitution forbids lotteries except for charitable purposes. Article 4, Section 24 states “no lottery may be authorized by this State, nor may lottery tickets be sold.”

However, in 1990 the Legislature amended the law to permit charitable organizations to conduct fundraising lotteries. In the past decade, numerous attempts have been made by the Legislature to alter the law but the efforts failed due to opposition from the gaming industry. There is a feeling among some in the industry that a lottery would adversely affect revenues.

Nevada loses substantial revenue to the neighboring states, California and Arizona, as evidenced by the lines formed near Primm to buy Powerball tickets.

A majority of those in line aren’t exactly the ones rushing to the casinos on the Strip and downtown to try their hand at blackjack or the slots. Also, I am willing to bet that a substantial portion of the gaming revenue is generated from people outside our state and country, and some of the locations they come from may already have lottery systems in place.

Our Legislature needs to recognize the pulse of the people and realize that there is strong interest among a majority of Nevadans to have a lottery in place. This will supplement the much needed revenue for our education system and other vital services.

Maybe, we can introduce a lottery for a limited length of time and ascertain what effect it would have, if any, on the gaming industry. During these cash-strapped days, it is worth a try.