Texas governor signs off on bill to abolish Texas Lottery Commission
Duties will be transferred to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
US.- Texas governor Greg Abbott has signed Senate Bill 3070 into law, abolishing the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) following failings at the government-run lottery linked to a controversial 2023 jackpot. Introduced by senator Bob Hall, the bill will transfer authority over lottery operations to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The transition must be completed by September 1.
The governor had already announced that he would sign off on the legislation. Other changes mean that players may only purchase tickets in person at retailers during regular store hours. Ticket sales will be limited to 100 per transaction. There had been calls for Texas Lotto to be abolished completely, but a decision on this has been put back to August 2027 pending a review. The outgoing regulator had already banned lottery ticket couriers.
Former TLC executive director Ryan Mindell resigned in April amid a class-action lawsuit over the lottery. Last year, the Houston Chronicle broke the news that a group of investors called Rook TX allegedly spent $25.8m to acquire all possible $1 ticket combinations to secure a $95m jackpot in 2023. The group is suspected of using official printing terminals operating continuously to generate the required tickets.
In the lawsuit, Texas lottery players claim the May 2023 jackpot prize was diminished because of the actions of Rook TX and a group of lottery retailers. Rook TX, which is led by London-based trader Bernard Marantelli, is accused of collusion, while TLC is accused of having failed to act on potential money laundering risks.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office and Texas Rangers continue to investigate, with probes underway into third-party courier apps used to purchase tickets, one of which was involved in a separate disputed $83.5m jackpot earlier this year.
