Texas Senate passes ban on lottery sales through courier services

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

---

The Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill on Thursday that would ban online lottery ticket sales and prevent third-party services from selling tickets to customers.

Senate Bill 28 was co-authored by 28 of the 31 members in the Senate after initially being filed by Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood. The bill primarily targets couriers, which buy tickets at stores for customers who place online orders to circumvent in-person requirements. The Texas Lottery Commission has been accused by several lawmakers of allowing couriers to engage in potentially illegal ticket sales to minors or out-of-state customers.

In committee hearings, Hall has emphasized he believes that couriers would already be illegal under current Texas law, but that the Texas Lottery Commission has avoided responsibility in enforcing it.

“SB 28 will not restore integrity to the Texas lottery — I don't even know if that's possible,” Hall said Thursday. “But it will reiterate the responsibility we have given the commission to ensure lottery couriers and their licensed retail outlets are no longer able to operate in the state in language even they should be able to understand.”

For years prior to the 2025 legislative session, the lottery commission maintained it lacked the legal authority to regulate or censure courier activity in the state. But on Monday, the agency changed its stance and announced it would move to ban the services.

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced his own investigation Wednesday into the Texas Lottery Commission, extending a string of investigations and criticisms of the agency. Both Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have directed the Texas Rangers, a division of the Department of Public Safety, to investigate two recent jackpot wins and the commission’s communications with courier services.

“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,” Hall said during the Senate hearing Thursday.

The Senate bill stands in contrast to a House bill filed by Rep. John Bucy III, D-Austin, seeking to regulate couriers rather than ban them. House Bill 3201 has yet to be referred to committee, but would create a license program for couriers and mandate background checks and audits for the businesses to operate.

---

We can’t wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more.

Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025.

TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.