Texas Lottery's future may come down to new Senate bill
AUSTIN, Texas - Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) on Monday laid out a bill in the Senate State Affairs Committee that could save the Texas Lottery, while enacting major changes for future ticket buyers.
Senate Bill 3070 would end the Texas Lottery Committee and move the oversight of the lottery to the Department of Licensing and Regulation.
What they're saying:
"If there isn't enough of an appetite to get rid of the lottery outright, then this bill represents the next best thing: moving oversight of a lottery operation to TLR and dissolving the lottery Commission," Hall said during Monday's committee meeting.
The bill is a less aggressive version of Senate Bill 1988, which would completely end the state lottery. That bill was also authored by Hall.
It was left in committee earlier this month.
Hall's latest bill would require a sunset review of the lottery program to be conducted by August 31, 2027, to determine if the lottery should continue.
Restrictions to how and who can play
Dig deeper:
Under Hall's bill, ticket sales would be limited to 100 in a single transaction.
It also limits how tickets can be purchased, requires all ticket sales to happen in person and during regular store hours of retailers.
Essentially, the bill bans lottery couriers and online ticket sales, and limits the number of terminals a store can have, while creating criminal penalties for those that violate the new rules.
The section is similar to Senate Bill 28, which bans lottery couriers and passed the Senate unanimously in February.
The Texas Lottery Commission voted to ban couriers during their April 29 meeting.
The move prompted a lawsuit by Lotto.com, one of the largest courier services. A Travis County judge blocked the enforcement of the ban pending the court case.
The transfer of lottery oversight would include the establishment of a lottery advisory committee inside the Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Problems with the lottery
The backstory:
In February, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced he was conducting an investigation into the Texas Lottery after a winning $83.5 million lottery ticket was bought at a retail store in North Austin.
The store in question, Winners Corner TX LLC on Rockwood Lane, had sold many winning tickets, including two worth around $2 million. Winner's Corner has also been named the top lottery retailer for years.
The business is considered a lottery courier, which allows Texans to buy tickets online, then a courier will send a representative to physically purchase the ticket in person at one of the lottery retailers.
There is also an active lawsuit against the commission's former executive director Gary Grief, Rook Tx LP and Lottery.com, accusing them of manipulating the outcome of lotto games, committing fraud, and laundering money through courier stores.
What's next:
No vote was taken by the State Affairs Committee on Monday and the bill was left pending for a later date.
The Texas Lottery Commission is currently under review by the Sunset Committee.
As of Tuesday, bills filed in the House and Senate that would continue the operation of the Texas Lottery Commission have been stalled in their respective committees.
Funding for the lottery commission was stripped from the state budget when it was passed by the House in April.
The Source: Information on Sen. Hall's bill that would add sweeping changes to how the lottery continues comes from the Texas Legislature and comments made during the May 12, 2025, Senate State Affairs Committee meeting. Information on the investigation and banning of lottery couriers comes from previous FOX 7 reporting.