Texas Senate approves legislation to shut down Texas Lottery Commission
Texas Lottery Commission shut down
The Texas Senate has approved legislation that would shut down the Texas Lottery Commission.
AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Senate has approved legislation that would shut down the Texas Lottery Commission.
Senate Bill 3070
Senate Bill 3070 would end the Texas Lottery Commission 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 meeting of the State Affairs Committee.
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.
What's next:
This comes after months of controversy surrounding online ticket sales and the use of courier services.
As Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggested the Texas Lotto game will now be managed by the Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Lawmakers look at funding for Texas Lottery
State lawmakers took up a bill that would shut down the lottery. The hearing follows a ruling from a Travis County judge who puts on hold a rule change involving lottery couriers.
The Sunset Advisory Committee will conduct a review by August 2027 to decide whether the game will be abolished.
The bill is now moving to the Texas House.
Funding for the lottery commission was stripped from the state budget when it was passed by the House in April.
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.
The Source: Information from the Texas legislative session