Lotto Agency's Swift Action Causes Patrick
to Have Even Less Faith in Solo Probe Wake
Capitol Inside
February 24 2025
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick suggested on Monday that his trust in the Texas lottery has hit an all-time low as a consequence of the state lotto agency's rapid and dramatic response to a solo investigation that he conducted less than a week ago into the sale of a winning ticket in Austin.
Patrick fired his latest shot at the Texas Lottery Commission shortly after it announced a proposed policy change that would prohibit the purchase of tickets through courier services that have made it possible to play the game on cell phones and computers with the Internet.
"I've never read so much garbage from a state agency press release in my 18 years in office," Patrick declared in a post on X. "After years of claiming they had no authority to regulate lottery couriers, today the Texas Lottery Commission suddenly exercised the ultimate regulatory authority by banning all lottery couriers in Texas."
The commission's executive director, Ryan Mindell, said the proposed rules revision will be considered by the agency's governing board at a public meeting on March 4. Mindell said the board could approve the rule at a meeting in April after a period for public comment that spans 30 days.
Patrick - a Republican who's widely perceived to be the most significant roadblock to expansions of gambling in Texas - wasn't impressed.
"Suddenly, this morning, only 6 days after I investigated a combined retail and courier operation in person that sold an $83 million winning lottery ticket last week, the Commission quickly announced they would end all courier services," Patrick said in the social media post that he subsequently expanded. "I now have even less confidence in the integrity of the Lottery Commission with this abrupt turnaround."
Patrick showed up unannounced at the retail store where the ticket in question was purchased and peppered the person who was working there with questions about the sale. Patrick said his suspicions proved true when it became evident that the lucrative ticket had been obtained through a courier service. State law requires tickets for the game of chance to be purchased at a business that's licensed as a lottery retailer by the state.
The Texas Senate president's probe raised the specter of cheating even though it uncovered no apparent evidence of actions that are illegal under current law.
"In recent days, our agency conducted a review of our authority under the State Lottery Act," Mindell said. "As a result of this review and information from recent retailer investigations, the Commission will revoke the license of a retailer that works with or assists a courier service and we are moving to prohibit courier services in Texas to ensure all ticket sales comply with state law and agency regulation as well as to maintain public trust.”
The Texas Lottery Commission requested an opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton on its authority over courier services several days before Patrick launched his own probe in the wake of reports on the winning ticket sale. Mindell noted that courier services for lottery tickets would be banned under legislation that's been filed for the regular session that's in the midst of its second month.
State Senator Bob Hall of Edgewood and State Rep. Matt Shaheen of Plano are sponsoring identical proposals that would end the use of courier services for lotto tickets. Patrick noted that the Senate approved a bill in 2023 that would have accomplished that in a vote of 29-2. Democratic State Senator Carol Alvarado and Republican State Senator Drew Springer of Muenster cast the only two opposing votes. The measure died in the Licensing & Administrative Procedures Committee in the House without a hearing or vote.
The state lottery has raised $35 billion for Texas public schools and substantial sums for veterans assistance as well since its inception in 1997. Patrick threatened to have the Senate vote to do away with the lottery if it fails to pass the smell test in his opinion.
"If the Lottery Commission thinks this ends our investigation, they are wrong," Patrick warned. "I promise the people of Texas that we will restore the integrity of the Texas lottery so people can trust its fairness. Otherwise, the Senate will end the Lottery this session."
The Senate - for the record - does not have the ability to carry out the threat to ban the lottery on its own.
The lottery commission would revoke lottery ticket sales agent licenses for retail establishment that sold tickets through courier services if the proposed amendment to its rule gets the board's nod this spring.
“Our priority is to protect the security and integrity of the Texas Lottery and the public’s confidence in our games,” according to Robert G. Rivera, the lottery commission's board chairman. “By this rule proposal, the agency will take decisive action to ensure that ticket sales remain in full compliance with state law. Maintaining a well-regulated lottery system that serves the people of Texas is essential to fulfilling our mission of responsibly generating important revenue for public education and veterans’ services in our state."
more to come ...
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