Can you buy Powerball tickets in Las Vegas?

No. Lottery tickets may not be sold anywhere in Nevada under the constitutional ban. That's why, whenever Powerball or Mega Millions jackpots surge, Nevadans famously drive to lottery retailers just across the Arizona and California state lines to buy tickets.

Are raffles legal in Nevada?

Only charitable ones. A 1990 constitutional amendment allows persons engaged in charitable activities to run a lottery "in the form of a raffle or drawing on their own behalf," and NRS Chapter 462 tightly regulates how. Outside that exception, operating a lottery in Nevada is a crime — and the state itself may not run one.

STILL THE LAW

The Gambling Capital of America Bans the Lottery

Q: Why doesn't Nevada have a lottery?

The state constitution has banned lotteries since 1864 — Article 4, Section 24 — and the ban survived even when Nevada legalized casino gambling in 1931. The casino industry has historically opposed a state lottery as competition, and amendment efforts, including 2023's AJR5, have stalled. Only charitable raffles, allowed by a 1990 amendment, are exempt.

Statewide🃏 Casino & GamblingNev. Const. art. 4, § 24; NRS Chapter 462

You can bet on almost anything in Nevada — except the lottery. The state constitution has banned it since 1864, which is why Nevadans line up at the Arizona and California borders every time the Powerball jackpot swells.

Nevada's founding constitution of 1864 banned lotteries, a standard anti-corruption clause of its era when rigged lottery schemes were a national scandal. The strange part is what happened next: in 1931, Nevada legalized essentially every other form of gambling and built the most famous casino economy on Earth — and the lottery ban survived untouched. Article 4, Section 24 still commands: "Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, no lottery may be authorized by this State, nor may lottery tickets be sold."

The one crack in the wall came in 1990, when voters amended the section to let the Legislature authorize "persons engaged in charitable activities... to operate a lottery in the form of a raffle or drawing on their own behalf." NRS Chapter 462 tightly regulates that lone exception — charity raffles — and unauthorized lotteries remain criminal under the chapter. The state and its political subdivisions are expressly forbidden from operating a lottery at all.

Why does it persist in the world's gambling capital? The casino industry has historically opposed a state lottery — competition for gambling dollars — and reform efforts keep dying: 2023's AJR5 lottery amendment stalled. The result is one of America's great legal ironies, visible in the wild. When Powerball jackpots balloon, Nevadans drive to the state line, and lottery retailers in border towns in Arizona and California do booming business selling tickets to residents of the gambling capital of the world.

What the Law Actually Says

Nev. Const. art. 4, § 24; NRS Chapter 462

Read the official statute

Current Penalty

Unauthorized lotteries are criminal under NRS Chapter 462; only tightly regulated charitable raffles are permitted. The constitutional ban also forbids the state itself from operating a lottery.

The Attorney's Take

Thomas Boley, Las Vegas Criminal Defense Attorney

“People assume that because Nevada is the gambling capital, anything resembling gambling must be legal here. That assumption gets people charged. Nevada gaming is legal only inside a strict licensing framework — run an unauthorized lottery, raffle, or pool outside NRS Chapter 462 and you've committed a crime, even in Las Vegas. I've seen well-meaning promotions and fundraisers drift into illegal-lottery territory. If your business or charity is running any game of chance, get the structure reviewed first.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Verified against the primary source: 2026-07-02