Nevada is only one in five states without a state lottery system, and many Nevadans travel across state lines to purchase lottery tickets, sending millions of dollars in potential revenue out of Nevada. There have been more than two dozen attempts in the past to allow for a state lottery in Nevada, but all have failed. The gambling industry has lobbied against the idea.

Pappageorge said he has not heard opposition from the casino industry yet, and he thinks this initiative will be different from other previous attempts to implement a state lottery.

“This is 2023, not the 1970s and the 1980s,” he said. “And we’ve got a crisis, and it affects everyone including gaming, gaming companies and all of their employees.”

If the Nevada Legislature and Gov. Joe Lombardo refuse to pass the legislation, the Culinary union will look at circulating an initiative petition, which must go before voters in two separate elections to take effect, Pappageorge said. If the Legislature does pass the resolution this year, it must go before lawmakers again in 2025 before it can get onto the ballot in 2026.

The union will begin knocking on doors, talking with Republicans, independents and Democrats about the lottery system initiative as well as its other legislative priority: neighborhood stability, which would implement a 5 percent rent increase cap on landlords.

The bill, carried by state Sen. Pat Spearman, D-North Las Vegas, would also require a 90-day notice for rent increases.

“As renters, we must know that we can have stability and be able to afford to house our families and have opportunities to save and own a home one day,” Pappageorge said.

Carlos Padilla, a Culinary union member who works at Treasure Island as a baker, said his rent was $1,200 per month for a three-bedroom home a couple of years ago. He now pays $1,675 and next month will have to pay $1,800.

“I asked the landlord, maybe it was a mistake,” Padilla said. “She told me there is no law in this state that says the landlord cannot raise the rent prices more than they have to.”