Which states don't have a lottery?
Of the 50 states, 45 run a lottery, plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico, which is how Lottery Atlas arrives at 47 lotteries. The five that don't are an odd mix: the casino capital of the country (Nevada), two states with no legal gambling at all (Utah and Hawaii), and two where the votes have never lined up (Alabama and Alaska).
In Nevada, Utah and Alabama the constitution forbids a lottery, so it takes a referendum to change. In Alaska and Hawaii a lottery needs only a bill and a governor's signature, and no bill has got that far.
| State | Why there is no lottery | Where residents buy tickets | Latest attempt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Constitution, Section 65: the legislature "shall have no power to authorize lotteries" | Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi border stores | 2026: a lottery-only bill never got a hearing and a wider gambling bill stalled in a Senate committee; the 2024 package died one Senate vote short |
| Alaska | No ban; no bill has ever passed | Washington and Oregon, usually when travelling | 2023: SB 150 (state lottery plus multi-state games) stalled in committee; nothing advanced in 2025-2026 |
| Hawaii | No ban; statute prohibits gambling and lottery bills keep failing | The mainland, usually California, when travelling | 2025: HB 1463 asked for a lottery feasibility study; 2026: HB 1434 and SB 1507 would create a lottery corporation, neither passed |
| Nevada | Constitution, Article 4, Section 24: "no lottery may be authorized by this State" | Primm, California (about 45 miles from Las Vegas) and Arizona stops on US 93 | AJR5 passed the 2023 legislature but was dropped in April 2025, so it never reached the 2026 ballot |
| Utah | Constitution, Article VI, Section 27: no "game of chance, lottery or gift enterprise under any pretense or for any purpose" | Malad and other Idaho border towns; Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada borders | A 2024 resolution to put an amendment before voters was filed and went nowhere |
Why doesn't Nevada have a lottery?
The state built on casinos will not sell a $2 Powerball ticket, and the reason is in the Nevada Constitution. Article 4, Section 24 says "no lottery may be authorized by this State, nor may lottery tickets be sold," and that the state and its local governments "shall not operate a lottery." The one exception, added by voters in 1990, lets charities run raffles on their own behalf.
The casino industry likes it that way, because a lottery competes for the same dollars as slot machines and keno. The latest repeal attempt was Assembly Joint Resolution 5. Amending the constitution through the legislature takes passage in two consecutive sessions and then a public vote. AJR5 cleared the first in 2023, backed by the Culinary Workers Union and opposed by the Nevada Resort Association. In April 2025 the Assembly Speaker announced it would not get its second vote, which ended the plan for a 2026 ballot question.
So Las Vegas drives. The Lotto Store at Primm sits just over the California line, about 45 miles from the Strip, and when jackpots pass $1 billion the queue runs for hours; White Hills and Bullhead City do the same job on the Arizona side. A ticket bought there is a California or Arizona ticket: it follows that state's prize rules and is claimed there.
Does Utah have a lottery?
No, and Utah's ban is the broadest of the five. Article VI, Section 27 of the Utah Constitution reads, in full: "The Legislature shall not authorize any game of chance, lottery or gift enterprise under any pretense or for any purpose." That one sentence covers casinos, sports betting, charity raffles and the lottery, which is why Utah and Hawaii are the two states with no legal gambling of any kind.
Utahns buy tickets anyway, in volume. The border town of Malad, Idaho, has two convenience stores that are the top-selling lottery retailers in all of Idaho, and a manager of one told reporters that 99% of its ticket sales go to Utah customers. An analysis of Idaho Lottery figures found that stores along the Utah border sold 19.4% of Idaho's draw-game tickets in 2011. Those are Idaho tickets, claimed under Idaho's rules; the Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada borders pick up the rest.
Does Hawaii have a lottery?
No. Hawaii has no constitutional ban; state law prohibits gambling, and the legislature has declined to carve out a lottery every time it has been asked. The question keeps returning because of money. In 2025 lawmakers filed HB 1463, which would have ordered the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to study the fiscal impact of a state lottery and report before the 2026 session. In 2026 the proposals went further: HB 1434 and SB 1507 would have created a Hawai'i Lottery and Gaming Corporation, alongside separate bills for a Honolulu casino, cruise-ship gaming and sports betting. None of the lottery bills passed, so as of October 2026 a Hawaii resident who wants a Powerball ticket buys one on a mainland trip, most often in California.
Does Alaska have a lottery?
No, although nothing in Alaska's constitution stands in the way. Governor Mike Dunleavy proposed an Alaska Lottery Corporation in 2020 as oil revenue fell; it did not pass. In 2023 Senator Merrick Kaufman introduced SB 150, "an Act establishing a state lottery; providing for participation in multi-state lotteries," with a lottery board inside the Department of Revenue. It stopped in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee in May 2023. The 2025-2026 legislature has worked on pull-tab and bingo bills, but no lottery bill has advanced as of October 2026.
With no land border to pop across, most Alaskan tickets are bought on trips to Washington or Oregon, or by relatives in the lower 48.
Why doesn't Alabama have a lottery?
Alabama's 1901 constitution, Section 65, says the legislature "shall have no power to authorize lotteries or gift enterprises for any purposes" and must pass laws banning the sale of lottery tickets. Voters last had a direct say in 1999, when a lottery amendment was defeated. Every attempt since has been tangled up with casinos, bingo halls and sports betting, because lottery and casino supporters need each other's votes to reach the supermajority an amendment needs.
That coalition came within a single vote in 2024. The House approved a conference package, House Bills 151 and 152, by 72 to 29 and 70 to 29 on April 30, 2024. In the Senate it needed 21 votes and had 20 after its own sponsor there said he would vote no. In 2026 a comprehensive gambling bill, SB 257, stalled in a Senate committee, and a lottery-only "Clean Lottery Act" filed in the House never received a hearing before the session wound down in March. Alabama's situation has its own guide, including the border stores in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi that sell to Alabamians.
Can you win if you live in a state with no lottery?
Yes. Prizes are paid to the ticket holder wherever they live: a Las Vegas resident with a winning Primm ticket claims it from the California Lottery, a Utahn from Idaho. The practical side is in buying lottery tickets in another state: you claim where you bought, a large prize means a trip to that state's claim center, and the selling state's rules on anonymity and payout apply.
Tax depends on where you live. Nevada and Alaska have no personal income tax, so their residents pay federal tax plus whatever the selling state withholds. Utah, Hawaii and Alabama tax residents' income wherever it is earned, so a jackpot won over the border is reported at home, usually with a credit for tax paid to the other state. The rates are in lottery tax rates by state.
States without a lottery FAQ
Which states don't have a lottery?
Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. The other 45 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico all run one.
Why doesn't Nevada have a lottery?
Article 4, Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution bans state lotteries and ticket sales, and the casino industry has opposed repeal. The latest attempt, AJR5, passed in 2023 but was dropped in April 2025 before its required second vote, so it never reached the 2026 ballot.
Does Utah have a lottery?
No. Article VI, Section 27 of the Utah Constitution forbids the legislature from authorizing any game of chance or lottery. Many Utahns buy tickets in Malad, Idaho, whose two stores are the top lottery retailers in Idaho.
Can residents of these states claim a prize?
Yes. A ticket bought legally in another state is claimed from that state's lottery, whatever the winner's home address. Nevada and Alaska residents owe no state income tax on the win; Utah, Hawaii and Alabama residents report it on their home-state return.
Everywhere else, tonight's draws are a tap away: pick your state on the map on the results homepage.
