Culinary Union Disagrees with NRA’s View on Lottery

Nevada continues to be one of the five US states that do not currently run an official lottery, in spite of the undeniably large number of casino resorts and other forms of gambling available for gamers. 

In February, Assemblyman Cameron “CH” Miller tried to finally bring a change by proposing a state-backed lottery that would attract more funds for mental health programs for youths and other sectors. The proposal once again hit a brick wall with the Nevada Resorts Association.  

Pondering the Economic and Financial Impacts 

Miller’s proposed amendment to the constitution that would lift the current ban imposed on lotteries received the support of the Culinary Union. 

However, the Nevada Resorts Association (NRA), the voice of the gaming and resort industry in the state, expressed a different position. Accordingly, the Culinary Union publicly shared its disappointment regarding the NRA’s stance on the legalization of lotteries.

According to The Nevada Independent’s report, NRA’s president Virginia Valentine stated a plan that would set up a state lottery should take into account the economic and financial impacts on all businesses in Nevada.

As explained in the statement issued by the Culinary Union’s secretary-treasurer, Ted Pappageorge, earlier this week, the organization did not take well the news that the state’s “biggest industry is content with Nevada being last in the country in mental health and close to last on education.”

This is because, over the years, the union has been involved in a series of important battles carried out for working families in Carson City, including their fights against Big Pharma regarding the need for more transparency in relation to diabetes and asthma drugs. The union has also successfully ended a long two-and-a-half decades battle against surprise medical bills sent to the residents of Nevada. 

As expected, Nevada’s largest Latinx/Black/AAPI/immigrant organization hosting members from 178 countries has also been busy lobbying for a State Lottery that would dedicate a part of its funds to supporting youth mental health and education.

The Culinary Union Urges the NRA to “Do Better”

As further explained in the same statement issued by Pappageorge, the organization plans to keep being a fierce advocate for its members and all Nevadans to benefit from quality health care and Neighborhood Stability. In this regard, Pappageorge asked the NRA “to do better” for the state communities. 

To strengthen its arguments, the Culinary Union used data from a World Health Organization Study that revealed the number of cases of depression and anxiety went up by 25% during the first year of the pandemic.

While it did not yet issue an estimate on the revenue that Nevada is now losing by failing to legalize lotteries, the Culinary Union is asking for a “consistent long-term funding stream to cover the mental health needs of children and teens in Nevada.”

The same statement from the organization explained the state was a “regulatory gold standard of gaming” that knows how to accurately manage gaming in such a way that would not have a negative impact on its citizens. Therefore, the union called sustainable investment in the mental health of the youth a “good public policy that is long overdue”. 

Moreover, the organization announced the launch of a campaign dedicated to convincing voters to show more support for programs that would fund youth mental health and education while looking forward to “working with Assemblyman Miller on this vital effort” and urging the legislature to pass the amendment to the constitution and invest in the people of the state.