(This article was written on January 4, 2021.)
This was the line today to purchase Powerball tickets at the lottery store on the California side of the border as Interstate 15 crosses into California.
For those who are not aware, the Mega Millions Jackpot is $432 million, and PowerBall is at $410 million. While slot machines in Nevada's licensed casinos can pay some nice jackpots, there is no possibility of a player winning anything close to this kind of money in a single stroke of luck.
The attached video, showing how long the line was at around noon on Monday, January 4, lasts for over a minute....and that's not showing how the line really wrapped around the building. While I chose not to wait in this line, I did ask someone who was leaving the store how long they waited. The person arrived at 9:30, before the store opened at 10, and waited 2-and-a-half hours to buy tickets.
The Nevada Constitution (Article 4, Section 24) says that...no lottery may be authorized by this state, nor may lottery tickets be sold.
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Const/NVConst.html#Art4Sec24
Obviously, this was well before the advent of Powerball, or even legalized casino gaming in Nevada.
As you look at the video of the line, and consider hours and hours of time wasted in waiting for tickets, not to mention the revenue going to California, you just have to ask how the people are being served by the continuation of this prohibition. It is not always easy to change the Constitution, but in this case, the benefits are clear and the current situation is not serving Nevadans very well.
Nevadans clearly have the opportunity to gamble to their hearts content, but there is nothing that gives them any chance at nine-figure jackpots for an affordable amount of money. While I understand that the casinos pay a lot to the state for gaming licenses, I would propose the following:
1. A Nevada Lottery be opened for the express purpose of participating in the multi-state Powerball operation.
2. Persons wishing to buy Powerball tickets would only be able to purchase them inside the premises of a gaming licensee.
3. No other scratchers, keno or other lottery games would be run by the Nevada lottery.
The legislature would be able to pass legislation along these lines if article 4 section 24 of the Nevada Constitution were amended or repealed. I would support such a repeal.