Is the Texas Lottery an arm of organized crime that should be abolished entirely? That’s the allegation Texas State Senator Bob Hall made at a meeting of the Senate Committee on State Affairs earlier this week. Hall backed up his proposal with the introduction of SB 1988, which would shut down the Texas Lottery Commission and regulated lottery games across the state.
So how does the State of Texas have both a Lottery Commission and a lottery system that’s tainted by organized crime? Hall’s view on the subject is heavily tainted by a 2023 scandal in which a group of individuals spent an eye-popping $23 million to purchase 99 percent of predicted lottery numbers in a Texas Lottery draw. The group’s efforts paid off with a $96 million payday whose validity is still being challenged in court. Members of the group that spearheaded the bulk lottery purchase have denied any wrongdoing in the matter.
In the wake of the scandal, Texas Lottery Commission Executive Director Ryan Mindell resigned his position and digital lotteries couriers came under greater scrutiny.
Senator Hall pointed to digital lottery courier as an element of organized crime in the matter in comments reported on by GamblingIndustryNews.com saying, “The courier companies were the middleman between the groups and advanced lottery commission officials were deliberately indifferent. At worst, they were co conspirators in the vastest financial crime since Enron.”
The timeline for passing SB 1988, and doing away entirely with the Texas Lottery, and the bill will either pass into law or stall in committee within the next week.