AUSTIN, Texas (KXXV) — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued a statement on Thursday following the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 28, which aims to ban lottery couriers in Texas. The measure was introduced by Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood.
Senate Bill 28, which passed the Senate 31-0, prohibits the sale or purchase of lottery tickets over the Internet in a bid to eliminate the operation of lottery couriers in Texas.
“In recent weeks, scrutiny on the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) has rightfully intensified due to their failure to restore public confidence,” Patrick said. “In April of 2023, we witnessed the largest theft of citizens’ money when a foreign syndicate bought 26 million $1 tickets in the Lotto Texas game, with the winning prize ballooning to $95 million. These tickets were purchased within 72 hours of the winning numbers being announced. Astonishingly, the Lottery Commission allowed this to happen and facilitated the printing of these tickets at several courier locations, one of which had minimal experience in printing tickets.”
Patrick noted that both he and Governor Greg Abbott had called for a Texas Rangers investigation into the incident and the operations of the Lottery Commission. The commission has undergone rule changes since 2016 that incorporated couriers into the ticket purchasing and printing process via phone applications.
In response to the bill's passage, the Coalition of Texas Lottery Couriers wrote:
We are disappointed that a pro-business state like Texas would consider shutting down companies that have for years followed the guidance and instruction of the Texas Lottery and honored the trust of millions of Texas customers.
Patrick criticized the Lottery Commission for claiming they could not regulate couriers, despite having permitted their operations in Texas. He stated that following the release of a video highlighting these issues, the Commission changed its stance and announced they would terminate all courier services in Texas.
“It is important to clarify that the state does not pay the jackpot for winning tickets; that money comes from Texans who purchase tickets in hopes of winning,” he said. “The $95 million jackpot that appears to have been misappropriated originated from honest Texans.”
He concluded that the Senate's decision to ban lottery couriers marks a crucial step toward restoring public confidence in the commission, with further determinations about the lottery’s future to be made in the coming days and weeks of the legislative session.
