Texas Senate Approves Bill to Dissolve Lottery Commission
In a bid to reform the state's lottery system, the Texas Senate has unanimously approved a bill to dissolve the Texas Lottery Commission.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Proposed by Sen. Bob Hall, Senate Bill 3070 seeks to transfer control of the lottery to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and restructure the lottery's leadership and operational framework.
The measure passed in the Senate by a vote of 31-0 last week and is now in the House, where it is being fast-tracked through committee ahead of the legislative session's June 2 deadline. The bill needs to be sent to Governor Greg Abbott for signature by June 2 to avoid a two-year delay when the legislature reconvenes.
In addition to changing the lottery's leadership, Senate Bill 3070 would ban online play and limit consumers to buying no more than 100 tickets at a time, with penalties for exceeding this limit.
Lottery couriers are not allowed under the legislation, and licensed retailers would also face limits on the number of ticket-printing terminals they can operate.
Before passing the bill, the Senate adopted four amendments introduced by Hall, which aimed to tighten ticket purchase rules, improve audits, and promote transparency.
Trial Period and Review
The bill also includes a provision for a two-year trial period and a limited sunset review by August 31, 2027. For it to continue beyond this time, the state lottery must be reauthorized.
A sunset review is a periodic evaluation of a government agency, program, or law to determine its effectiveness, relevance, and continued necessity. If not renewed or reauthorized, the agency or program automatically expires or "sunsets. "
We're going to give the extension to the game to the TDLR. They will oversee it with a brand-new leadership team and new guardrails. We can ban it in two years if the TDLR does not operate it as we instruct them to.
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New Powers for Senior Officials
Furthermore, the bill grants top officials, such as the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, authority to physically inspect lottery retail locations.
This clause is a welcome development for Patrick, who alleged in a video earlier this year that Winner's Corner, the Jackpocket-owned retailer that sold the $83.5 million winning ticket, blocked him from probing the win and the store operations.
This win and a $95 million jackpot won by a syndicate that had spent $25 million to purchase 99% of possible ticket combinations contributed to the heightened scrutiny of the lottery system and calls for increased oversight and regulation.
Despite these provisions, Senate Bill 3070 was just a compromise solution by Hall. His initial bill, SB 1988, proposed a more extreme measure of banning lottery games entirely.
RELATED TOPICS: Regulation
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