Culinary Workers Union Local 226, which represents some 60,000 non-gaming employees at Strip and downtown properties, was the primary advocate behind the lottery along with other labor groups, although Culinary leadership hasn't staked out a clear position on the bill heading into the 2025 session. The main sponsor of the legislation, Assemblyman Cameron (C.H.) Miller (D-North Las Vegas), didn’t seek re-election in 2024. 

Union representatives testified in 2023 that tax revenue raised by the lottery would be targeted toward funding statewide youth mental health programs and services. The legislation, however, made no mention of mental health issues.

“We said right from the beginning that this is where the money needs to go,” Culinary Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said in an interview. “It’s a vehicle. To us, it wasn’t about the lottery, it was about youth mental health. More needs to be done.”

Pappageorge cited The Nevada Independent’s recent four-part series on youth mental health in rural Nevada as a sign that the issue isn’t going away. Mental health services for youth and adults are a critical component of the four Culinary Health Centers — two of which are operating and two of which are under construction — that serve the families of union members.