Weird California
Weird California
Weird California - By Joe Parzanese

The Lotto Store at Primm

Map Nipton, California 92364

The Lotto Store of Primm
The Lotto Store of Primm

So the last building on Interstate 15, before you cross the state line from California into Nevada, is a building that you can't even reach from the California side. Technically, the building has an address in Nipton, California, more than fifteen miles away. But, it is only reachable from the Nevada side by driving through the city of Primm, home to three casinos and Bonnie and Clyde's Death Car. This building, not in Primm, but only accessible from Primm, is the Lotto Store at Primm. It is sorta located on Lotto Store Road, although Lotto Store Road remains entirely in Nevada, literally running parallel to the stateline near the store. The Lotto Store at Primm mainly sells lottery tickets and scratchers (as well as beer, water, soda, and other refreshments).

You see, due to the casinos that are present everywhere, Nevada doesn't have a lottery like many other states. In fact it is one of six states that do not allow a lottery. The other five being Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Utah. Lotteries have been banned in Nevada since statehood all the way back in 1864! Casinos claim that a lottery would place competition on them and thus cost the state jobs. The closest a lottery came to being a reality in the state was when the State Assembly voted to have one back in 2009, but the State Senate voted against it instead.

And thus, the Lotto Store at Primm is their answer to this lack of a lotto. It sits just across the state border and in California, forcing residents of Nevada to trek all the way to the state border just to buy a ticket or get a scratcher. The store has several self-serve lottery machines as well as cashiers. Often when jackpots get large, the store ends up with some extremely long lines, ones that go outside, around the building, and sometimes down the street, causing the store to sometimes caution people to get in line two hours before the store closes or risk not getting a ticket!

The Lotto Store of Primm
The Lotto Store of Primm
The Lotto Store of Primm
The Lotto Store of Primm


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First Created: 2021-06-02
Last Edited: 2021-06-02


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