Lottery Requesting $1.6M for Bingo System Update

Quoting the recent Sunset Staff Report on the Texas Lottery Commission’s (TLC) need to improve governance and bingo regulation in the state, the agency is requesting almost $800,000 in fiscal year 2026 and again in 2027 to implement a new system.

The Bingo Operating Service System (BOSS) is the internal application and the Bingo Service Portal (BSP) is the public-facing application through which statewide bingo applications, licensing, accounting and reporting are done.

The agency’s biennial legislative appropriations request includes an exceptional items request outlining the need for a new system that will total about $1.6 million and, in coming years, additional maintenance funding.

The costs include adding one full-time employee and two outsourced programmers via Department of Information Resources cooperative contracts.

“The project involves the conversion of an end-of-life legacy platform to the current software development platform used at the agency. Upgrades to BOSS will also enhance reporting and analytics for the division in the regulation of charitable bingo as well as provide analytics for conducting bingo audits,” the request reads. “For BSP, the project involves a redesign that will allow for additional online functionality for charitable bingo licensees in a more user-friendly environment. Upgrades to BSP will also reduce significant staff time spent processing many quarterly reports, license applications and related payments that are currently filed in hard copy.”

According to the Sunset review, the Charitable Bingo Operations Division (CBOD) is awash in paper-based operations and needs more alignment to TLC, its parent agency.

Sunset staff believe TLC should strengthen bingo regulation and data due to fraud potential.

Bingo in Texas generates more than $38 million for charities and helps fund state and local government; in fiscal year 2023, almost $16 million went to the state coffers and almost $13 million went to local governments.

The exceptional items request also includes money for additional full-time staff to cover the bingo division and the ongoing Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System transition.