Bill to Abolish Texas Lottery Commission Passes Senate and House

Both the state Senate and House have passed a bill to abolish the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC).

The House passed Senate Bill 3070 Monday, 11 days after it was unanimously approved by the Senate. If signed into law, oversight of the Texas Lottery and Charitable Bingo will transfer to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and a new lottery advisory committee.

TLC is currently under review by the Sunset Advisory Commission, which also has the potential to retire the lottery commission should it not receive reauthorization from the Legislature.

Last year, the Sunset Staff Report on TLC recommended the agency undergo numerous improvements, including moving Charitable Bingo operations from paper-based to digital, improving data validation practices and strengthening bingo regulation due to fraud potential.

The Texas Lottery has received criticism from lawmakers for allowing app-assisted purchases of lottery tickets, particularly in the cases of two jackpots won in 2023, the first by a woman who bought the winning ticket worth $83.5 million via an online lottery courier and another by a group that purchased 99 percent of all 25.8 million possible number combinations to win a jackpot worth $95 million.

The Senate will be required to approve changes to SB3070 made by the House before it reaches Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed. Abbott ordered an investigation into TLC in February.