New Texas law effectively outlaws lottery ticket couriers.
Texas Lottery Executive Director resigns
The resignation of Texas Lottery Executive Director Ryan Mindel comes after questions about the legitimacy of the Texas Lottery earlier this year.
Fox-7 Austin
Texas residents looking to win a big state lottery win will have fewer places to buy tickets.
On June 20th, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill to repeal the state lottery committee into law. Instead, they forward lottery control to another State Department.
The law, which comes into effect on September 1, also prohibits lottery ticket sales online or through third-party apps known as the Courier. Additionally, it drives the possibility that the state lottery system will be completely shut down by 2029.
This change comes amidst several controversies facing Texas lottery tickets in recent years, particularly regarding the issue of buying courier.
In February, former Texas Lottery Executive Director Ryan Mindel pushed for banning all courier services after launching a state investigation into two lottery wins, including those Abbott purchased victory tickets through the Courier.
Mindel resigned from his post a few months later, suing the Texas Lottery Committee, which allegedly did not receive the award. TLC declined to comment on the pending lawsuit against USA Today.
Here’s what you need to know about the changes that come to the Texas lottery:
Can Texas residents still play the lottery?
The Texas Lottery Commission will officially be repealed as of September 1st, but states can still play the lottery.
According to the law signed June 20, the state lottery is currently under the control of the Texas Licensing Regulation Board.
The law also officially prohibits the use of courier services to play state lottery tickets. According to the law, players cannot buy and sell lottery tickets online or via the mobile app.
This means that anyone who wants to play the lottery will need to head directly to the in-person store where they have a license to sell tickets they purchase.
What is a lottery ticket delivery company?
According to a release from the Texas Lottery Commission, Courier is a third-party company that orders lottery ticket orders from customers online.
Couriers usually work with licensed lottery retailers to purchase tickets for customers and charge fees to purchase and manage tickets.
New Texas laws prohibit people from selling courier delivery by purchasing tickets on behalf of others or selling tickets to others.
According to Texas law, breaching the law is a Class A misdemeanor and will be fined up to $4,000 or a one-year prison fine.
Texas lottery could disappear completely by 2029
The law also provides that the state Sunset Advisory Board, which evaluates the performance of state agencies, must assess whether or not the state lottery program will continue by August 31, 2029.
In part, the committee will be appointed, according to the law, to “assess whether it has sufficient tools, programs, and procedures to ensure the integrity of the state’s lottery program.”
The committee must govern whether and how the state lottery program will continue. If you decide not to continue the lottery program, the law will remove the state lottery as of September 1, 2029.
contribution:
Melina Kahn is a national trending reporter for USA Today. She can be contacted at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
