Texas Senate outlaws lottery courier services amid outrage at the Capitol
The Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill on Thursday to ban courier services from helping customers buy lottery tickets. The move follows a controversial $83 million jackpot award.
State Sen. Bob Hall, a Republican representing parts of Dallas County and East Texas, filed the bill and criticized the Texas Lottery Commission.
"I never expected to find that situation creating a criminal organization actually operating within our state agency," Hall said.
Hall accused the commission of allowing illegal sales, leading to the questionable jackpot.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick visited the third-party courier service involved and posted a video of his visit on "X." The Lottery Commission had permitted customers to buy tickets online and over the phone, with couriers purchasing and sending photos of the tickets to customers. Hall argued that the legislature never authorized these sales. His bill not only bans couriers but makes using them a misdemeanor.
"The Lottery Commission has enabled a private-public partnership led by the state agency to engage in a criminal conspiracy to defraud Texans," Hall said. "If the Lottery Commission were to adopt an official motto today, it would have to include the words lie, cheat, steal, mislead, and cover-up."
The Lottery Commission told CBS News Texas it is aware of Hall's concerns and is addressing the issues. The Commission will meet on Tuesday.
Last week, the agency banned courier services, but Hall noted this occurred only after the controversy escalated and after years of the agency denying it had the authority to stop the practice.
The Senate bill now moves to the House. The governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general are all calling for investigations into lottery courier services.
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