Texas Lottery Gets a Makeover with New Bill on Abbott’s Desk
Texas lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 3070, a last-minute plan to keep the state’s 32-year-old lottery alive while cleaning house.
A Lifeline for the Lottery
The bill, now awaiting Governor Greg Abbott’s signature, shuts down the Texas Lottery Commission and hands the reins to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. It’s a bold move to save a game that pumps $2 billion a year into public schools and $26 million for veterans, despite a rough patch of scandals.
The Texas Lottery Commission is on its way out, thanks to SB 3070. After unanimous Senate approval and a 112-27 House vote, the bill dissolves the five-member commission, dogged by allegations of mismanagement and fraud.
Senator Bob Hall, who pushed the bill, called it “a new chapter in our efforts to protect Texans from a vice that takes advantage of the poorest people in our state.”
The TDLR will now oversee lottery games and charitable bingo, with a four-year trial to prove it can run a tighter ship. A Sunset Advisory Commission review by 2029 will decide if the lottery stays or goes.
Scandals That Sparked the Change
The commission’s hot seat comes from two messy jackpots. In April 2023, a group bought 99% of 25.8 million ticket combinations, snagging a $95 million prize via a courier service, raising eyebrows about “bulk purchases.”
Then, in February, a Texas woman won $83.5 million through the Jackpocket app, but her prize remains unpaid amid a Texas Rangers investigation into courier legality.
Her lawyer, Randy Howry, told the Austin American-Statesman, “We waited as long as we could for the lottery to do the right thing.” These fiascos, plus the resignation of the commission’s chair and executive director, fueled calls for reform.
SB 3070 is tightening the screws. Online ticket sales, including courier services like Lotto.com, are banned, a move sparked by the commission’s own April 2025 courier crackdown, now contested in court.
Players can’t buy more than 100 tickets per transaction, curbing bulk buys. Tickets must be purchased in-person at licensed retailers during regular hours, and winners need verified IRS forms to claim prizes.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said, “No more people buying thousands or millions of tickets to try and steal a jackpot.” These rules aim to restore trust in a game critics call Texas’s “most regressive tax.”
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