Nevada to fund mental health for young people with lottery

Nevada is an interesting exception in the gambling industry. Even though the Silver State hosts a lot of gambling itself, from poker to sports betting, to many glamorous casinos out of The Las Vegas Strip and Reno, Nevada has been woefully behind on one particular piece of legislation that has to do with the state lottery.

In fact, residents who wish to buy a lottery ticket presently need to traipse across state borders with California or Arizona, a rather long journey all in all. This may be changing as the Nevada Assembly Democrat Caucus has pitched a new proposal that seeks to alter the Nevada Constitution, and specifically abrogate a part of the text that explicitly prohibits the existence of lotteries in the Silver State.

Pitched by Assemblyman CH Miller, the proposal wants to change the text of the current Nevada Constitution so it would allow for the Silver State to host lottery draws inside the state, making for a significant change to the current gambling landscape. This pitch is not strange at all, and Miller is confident that the funds raised through lottery activities can be channelled back into important public purse spending which has been woefully underfunded.

In an official statement, Miller explained that critical mental health support and infrastructure, and particularly that geared towards young people, was lacking. This is why the lawmaker wants to change that and ensure that the tax dollar that is otherwise going to neighboring states is now going to remain in-state and help fund important mental health projects for young people.

Miller’s argument is evidence-based. In the official release of the proposed measure, Miller cited a UNLV study according to which the state ranked last in terms of mental health, and specifically when it comes to youth mental health. This alone should be a good reason to trigger a more significant change in the sector, Miller believes.

He is not alone, The pitch is already backed by people like Ted Pappageorge, who is the Secretary-Treasurer for Culinary Union, one of the biggest unions in the Silver State. Pappageorge called for sustainable investment in youth mental health, calling it a "good public policy" and a cause worth supporting.

Image credit: Unsplash.com