In jeopardy
The Texas state lottery could be on the chopping block due to certain lawmakers’ discomfort with ongoing criminal investigations into its operations.
The Texas Rangers, along with Attorney General Ken Paxton, are running the inquiries into two major jackpots. There are allegations that lottery officials broke the law by allowing lottery couriers to operate online.
no space as of yet in the budget for the agency in charge of the lottery
With the current legislative session ending soon, there is no space as of yet in the budget for the agency in charge of the lottery. The Lottery Commission’s 12-year approval expires at the end of August unless it secures reapproval from lawmakers. An evaluation into its operations began in 2024 and has so far only led to recommendations on improving oversight of draws.
Big money on the line
If the lottery does come to an end, it would leave a major hole in state coffers; veterans and public education programs got $2bn from the lottery last year alone. With some lawmakers pushing for the legalization of commercial casinos and sports betting, the inability to properly run a state lottery will certainly not work in their favor.
believes the system needs a major overhaul
Senator Bob Hall thinks the probability of the lottery not existing next year is 50%. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, one of the main critics of the Lottery Commission, believes the system needs a major overhaul if it will remain in existence.
Crux of the matter
The main issue with lottery couriers relates to the ban on the sale of lottery tickets by telephone or online. Despite this, couriers accept orders through an app or online, purchasing the tickets from a retailer and sending the scanned ticket to the customer.
The Senate unanimously voted to ban lottery couriers in February after details emerged about two jackpots, in particular. One from April 2023 worth $95m was won by an entity that purchased more than 25 million tickets, and an $83.5m win in February came from an Austin-based lottery store with courier connections.
