Consider the Texas legislators to let scandal-plated lottery die

Some legislators urge the Texas lottery to eliminate when he has questions about his administration and several criminal investigations.

What started as concerns whether lottery officers violated the Texas law by integrating Couriers, online ticket orders in which Texas Rangers and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who examine potential crimes related to two multi-million jackpots.

The controversy put the lottery into the hover. With weeks in the legislative period, the legislature does not have any funds for the agency that it operates, no budget for the agency.

Invoices to remove the lottery may not be necessary. The lottery commission is subject to its systematic evaluation of 12 years and expires on August 31 without the legislator's new authorization. The Lottery Commission's evaluation began last year with the Sunset Advisory Commission, which gave recommendations on how the supervision of lottery could be improved. The legislator must approve laws to extend the lottery or it will expire.

The death of the Texas lottery would force the legislator to search elsewhere according to the income that the lottery for public education and veterans provides. Since 1997, the lottery has made public US dollars available, including 2 billion US dollars in 2024. Since 2010, they have generated 267 million dollars for veterans.

The death of the lottery could also organize doubts as to whether casino gambling and sports betting in Texas will ever become a reality. If the state cannot operate a lottery without a scandal, other more complicated forms of gambling could be a non -starter.

“The government does not have to be in the gaming business,” said GOP State Senator, Bob Hall. “It has to end. The best way to go forward is to simply make it disappear.”

Hall said the chances are 50-50 The lottery disappears. His legislation to abolish the lottery could be taken into account this week in the committee of the Senate state matters.

“We come up from several directions,” said Hall. “The budget has no money for it and it is not in the safety network bill.”

The lottery commission asks the state by $ 10 million for advertising costs. About 3 percent of sales of 8.4 billion US dollars of the lottery correspond to the administrative costs.

Hall said there are some legislators who may have “rubber neals” on this topic. He is not sure about the mood of the house.

“I have no idea where (Texas Greg Greg) Abbott is,” he said.

Abbott, who ordered the Texas Rangers to examine two controversial jackpots in February, did not state whether he continues the lottery. “The governor expects the Texas Lottery Commission to work within the borders of the law and ensure the trust and integrity of the lottery,” said Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesman for Abbott.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, a leading critic of the lottery commission, stated that Texas could progress without a lottery. “If the lottery goes on at all, we will change everything and fix it,” said Patrick in an almost five-minute video, which was shot in a ticket outlet of a courier and lottery commission offices.

“The question is whether the Texas lottery should continue,” added Patrick. “In order for it to be continued, as taxpayers and those who pay the lottery, you must be sure that every game is honest and you have a fair chance of winning. If we cannot guarantee this, the lottery should not be continued.”

Robert Rivera, chairman of the lottery commission, did not give back a phone call and an SMS to get a comment.

The political scientist of Rice University, Mark Jones, who pursues the controversy of the lottery, said that legislators take it seriously. But he added that it was more likely that the lottery commission would be exposed to extensive reforms and no political death penalty.

“You have lost the trust and belief of a large part of the chosen officials, if not everyone,” said Jones. “There is an average floor option here that is to reform the existing lottery commission to prevent future breakdowns. The Texas lottery is currently in a very weak position and you have to take pretty much everything that gives you in relation to cuts, supervision and authority.”

A number of controversy

In 2023, Hall and some other legislators asked questions about the legality of external agents, who are known as Couriers, support customers in buying lottery cards.

Courier Services take orders online or via an app, buy lottery cards from a retailer and send a scanned copy to the buyer, with the ticket to be held up to the department. According to the lottery commission, Couriers charge a fee for the purchase and manage of the tickets.

The Texas law prohibits lottery cards, online or by phone. Critics of the process argue that it has at least violated the spirit of the law.

In February, the Senate voted 31: 0 for the ban on the use of couriers to make it easier to buy lottery tickets, because couriers are violating the Texas law and possibly supporting the sale of lottery cards to children.

The Senate's coordination came after the former executive director of the lottery commission Ryan Mindell Couriers had banned, which he had consistently informed of the legislators that he was missing.

Mindll resigned in April, and Lotto.com, a courier, sued the Commission to lift the ban on courier. Last week, the Lottery Commission's ban on the courier ratified.

“Although the agency repeatedly testified that it had no regulatory authority over couriers in response to political pressure, the TLC used to change the course abruptly and to eliminate companies, jobs, government income and a service of millions of Texans to order lottery cards,” said the coalition of Texas Lottery Couriers in a statement about the ban.

The biggest controversy for the lottery affected two jackige jackpots of several million dollars, of which legislators and lottery experts say they are suspicious.

A jackpot for 95 million US dollars, which was paid in April 2023, went to a company in overseas that bought over 25 million US dollar tickets and gave him access to “almost every possible number combination”, said Abbott when he announced an investigation by Texas Rangers.

A second winning ticket, which paid 83.5 million US dollars in February, was bought in a lottery shop in Austin that is connected to a courier.

In February, Attorney General, Attorney General Paxton initiated an investigation by the two “possibly illegal” profits, which included the purchase of mass lottery tickets and the use of courier services from third-party providers. Paxon's investigation took place after Abbott had instructed the Texas Rangers to examine the lottery jackpots.

Patrick, the chairman of the Senate, followed by the Texas Rangers to expand the investigation to “enable all matters in connection with the lottery commission that enable the lottery couriers in Texas and all possible crimes internally or externally from the actions or failure of the lottery commission.”

The investigation could bring more controversy to the lottery commission. “I want the lottery to be killed,” said GOP State Rep. Matt Shaheen, who described the lottery controversy as embarrassment.

Would lottery revenue be overlooked?

Jones, Rice's political scientist, said the lottery could survive due to the income he offers. In 2024, the lottery provided 2 billion US dollars of public education financing.

“The last thing that legislator wants to deal with the budget in a conference committee is how a last-minute-two-year hole can fill, which is caused by the disappearance of lottery income in Texas,” said Jones. “You would eliminate a recurring source of financing that you can attach almost an autopilot.”

In 2009, state MP Chris Turner wrote to create a scratch ticket game to the lottery to achieve revenue for the support of the veteran. In 2024, Veterans Assistance programs received 27 million US dollars from Scratch Games.

“Our veterans need and earn and deserve this financing,” said Turner, Democrat. “The legislator said it was a priority to offer these services for our veterans. It is therefore very important that we keep this financing.”

Shaheen, who has a house bill that would abolish the lottery, said lottery income was a small part of educational financing, and the money for schools and veterans could be composed in other budget areas.

He recognized the concerns that Texas may not enjoy the budget surpluses and robust income in the future years, but he said that the economy in Texas does not need the lottery or another form of gambling.

“We are flush between cash and the Texas economy is in good condition overall,” said Shaheen. “I would say we definitely have the ability to replace the income that the lottery offers for education and veterans.”

The funding of the lottery commission could be restored to the budget if the Senate and house members negotiate a final package.

And while agencies often receive 12-year extensions after a systematic review, legislators were able to extend the lottery a shorter time frame for two years.

The problem will probably compete until the wire, since the 140-day session of the legislature ends on June 2.

“The Texas lottery is in difficulties,” said Jones. “You can certainly expect a house teeth.”

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