The Texas Lottery Commission has officially banned all lottery courier services, a move that has sparked intense backlash from Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R). The decision, announced in a news release, follows growing concerns about the integrity of the state lottery system.
Lt. Governor Patrick took to X to criticize the Commission’s actions, calling the press release “garbage” and accusing the agency of contradicting itself. He pointed out that the Commission had previously claimed it lacked the authority to regulate lottery couriers, but now it has exercised its “ultimate regulatory authority” by banning them outright.
“Today's action is an obvious admission that the Texas Lottery Commission had the oversight authority all along and allowed these businesses to creep into Texas and undermine the integrity of the Texas Lottery,” the lt. governor wrote on X.
I've never read so much garbage from a state agency press release in my 18 years in office. After years of claiming they had no authority to regulate lottery couriers, today the Texas Lottery Commission suddenly exercised the ultimate regulatory authority by banning all lottery… https://t.co/ljn456sMBR
— Office of the Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (@LtGovTX) February 24, 2025
He also raised concerns over potential money laundering within the Texas Lottery, referencing a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing in which the Commission hesitated to answer direct questions about such risks. According to Lt. Governor Patrick, the ban was a reaction to his own efforts to expose the issue instead of a proactive measure by the Commission.
“The only reason the Lottery Commission acted today was clearly because I exposed the courier services and the Commission when I showed up at one of the courier stores last week. Suddenly, they found religion and now want integrity in their game,” he further expressed.
Lt. Governor Patrick accused the Commission of ignoring Senate Bill 1820, which passed the Senate 29-2 in the last legislative session and would have outright banned lottery couriers. While the bill was later blocked in the House, Lt. Governor Patrick argues that the Commission should have acted sooner based on the Legislature’s clear intent.
The Texas Lottery Commission now faces growing scrutiny over its oversight and management of lottery operations. With Lt. Governor Patrick and other lawmakers demanding further accountability, the controversy surrounding Texas’ lottery system continues.
