Texas Lottery under new management as new law goes into effect
New law places Texas Lottery under new management
With new laws come new management for the Texas Lottery. The $8 billion operation is now part of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
DALLAS - A Texas law that went into effect this week brings new management to the Texas Lottery.
Texas Lottery Management
What we know:
The Texas Lottery Commission was abolished earlier this year after facing controversy, and lawmakers handed off responsibility for the Texas Lottery and charitable bingo games to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
It’s an $8 billion operation. It’s also the 26th program placed under the TDLR’s watch in the past decade.
But Senate Bill 3070 was signed into law after lawmakers raised concerns about the Texas Lottery Commission’s integrity.
Two multi-million-dollar wins in 2023 and 2025 prompted investigations by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. During the investigation, lawmakers found couriers were selling multiple tickets, sometimes online, almost ensuring a win.
Featured
Powerball winning numbers for Monday, jackpot climbs past $1.1 billion
Monday night's jackpot is the Powerball's fifth-largest prize ever.
What they're saying:
Mark Jones, a political analyst out of Rice University, believes dissolving the commission was a good move. However, the lottery, managed by the state’s licensing department, isn’t sustainable.
"I think the TDLR is a good place for the lottery to be temporarily, but in the long-term, lawmakers will either have to look towards creating a new lottery commission, or if we do see a destination casino resorts approved in Texas in a future session, we could see a larger commission created to regulate the broader gambling industry, casinos, and as well as the lottery," he said.
Texas Lottery has new management
The Texas Lottery is now operated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
What's next:
Under the new law, there are restrictions on the number of tickets a person can purchase, and couriers are no longer permitted to sell tickets online.
Even with the new restrictions, the lottery’s future is not promised. Lawmakers will review the changes made over the next few years and decide in 2029 if it should be eliminated.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Texas Legislature and FOX 7 reporter Rudy Koski's interview with political analyst Mark Jones.