Nevada lawmakers did something last week that hadn’t been done since William McKinley occupied the White House. They took an important procedural step to eventually give voters a second chance to repeal the state’s 159-year-old constitutional ban on lotteries.

The 12-8 vote in the Senate means AJR5, a proposed constitutional amendment removing the prohibition on state lotteries, will get a required second run through the 2025 legislative session.

If passed again, the measure goes to the 2026 general election ballot.

Gaming industry advisor Brendan Bussmann said that’s an outcome Nevada’s gaming industry does not want to see. He believes voters would pass a lottery ballot question.