Court orders Texas Lottery to hold off on enacting its new policies
By Kate Northrop
A Travis County judge has issued a ruling that the Texas Lottery is temporarily prohibited from taking any action against a courier service company.
A court ruling has temporarily pumped the brakes on a Texas Lottery rule change that takes aim at lottery courier services.
Last week, the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) formally voted to approve a policy change that effectively bans lottery couriers in Texas and allows the agency to take action against the license of any retailer in violation of the new rules.
The week prior, lottery courier company Lotto.com filed a lawsuit against the TLC and Texas Lottery Acting Deputy Executive Director Sergio Rey to block its "about-face" decision to ban courier services.
State District Judge Sherine Thomas issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Friday that prevents the TLC from "taking any action" against Lotto.com through its new rules, which includes seizing or repossessing terminals.
Thomas found Lotto.com's application for a TRO "meritorious" and even advised that "there is substantial likelihood" that the courier will emerge victorious in its case against the TLC.
"By granting Lotto.com's request for injunctive relief, the Court affirmed that Lotto.com's legal challenge of the Texas Lottery Commission's attempted courier ban 'will likely prevail on the merits of its claims,' the Coalition of Texas Lottery Couriers (CTLC) said in a statement to FOX 7 Austin. "For years, the TLC provided lottery couriers with the authorization, equipment, and guidance they needed to operate, only for the agency to abruptly reverse course in February and overstep its authority by calling for their elimination."
"Members of the CTLC are eager to work with policy makers to establish a regulatory framework that protects the integrity of the Texas Lottery while also allowing millions of courier customers to continue to safely and conveniently order lottery tickets," the coalition continued.
Thomas granted the TRO based on Lotto.com's demonstration that the company would likely "suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief" and that there is no other "adequate remedy at law."
While the TRO has gone into effect, this does not mean that it is final. A temporary injunction hearing on the matter is set for May 27, 2025.
DOCUMENT: Read the full restraining order
Imagine that! And if they win there suit. They will infest other lotterys. Nothing like greedy grubby people ruining it for everyone elese. And this company is trading on the market.
What is the logic for banning the courier service ?
It seems like it can only increase lottery ticket sales.
Some lotteries have terrible odds for the amount of tickets sold. Texas Lotto is one of them. Your chances of winning are one out 25,827,125. So, let's assume the jackpot grows to $95,000,000 as example. The ticket is $1.00 so as a corporation with $billions, you use courier services and buy every combination. Guess what? You spent $25,827,15 plus the courier fee but you won $95,000,000. That is how much the smart guy in France won by the way a few years ago in the Texas Lottery. The Texas Lotto normally would only sell $1 to $1.5 million worth of tickets but on that day's draw on 4/22/23 they sold $28,000,000 worth of tickets. Imagine that.
A large company or very rich man can do that but an individual can't do that. No way one person can fill out 5 million play slips with 5 lines each (round numbers) and buy them all in a few days. And that assumes you have $25 million laying around. So you hire 250 couriers to do it. Piece of cake.
Now, if you were in Texas, loyally expecting a fair lottery, you got hosed. The nonsense about poor people or old people not being able to buy tickets is utter nonsense. In my state we have no courier services and everyone who wants a ticket somehow figures it out. The average IQ in my state is the same as Texas, so that argument doesn't fly.
Courier services allow anyone in the world to buy tickets in any lottery. If I ran a courier service I would have sued and and am totally happy with the judge's decision. If I am a Texas Lottery player, I'll just find another game, thank you very much.
Thanks for enlightening me, I never considered that !
Texas legislators already defunded the Lottery last month, so this is probably another nail in the coffin as it gives the legislators more incentive to eliminate it.
If they win Governor Abbott will close Texas Lottery he will never accept a loss
Exactly @old people figuring it out. The stores I frequent. They literally call the store. And the cashier buys there tickets.
I reject your argument about some people not being able to get to the store and participate in the lottery as "nonsense". In your state, if no online options exist, then some people are excluded. The magical fairy does not deliver lottery tickets to their home, and they don't have some great friend at the store buying tickets for them, because they don't know anyone at the store (not that that's even legal in the first place). They are simply disenfranchised. If you're OK with that, then that's your issue. I'm not OK with it, and I'm not OK with banning couriers.
* l am convinced without evidence , that the majority of lottery players in Texas are elated with this ruling. If l am wrong, l apologize in advance.
People residing in a different state can use a lottery courier to win a prize. That's not fair to the people that lives in Texas.
No, that's wrong. People can only use a courier if they reside within the state.
Courier services is a lottery beneath a lottery with a sinister agenda different from the lottery that it is paralyzing - the TLC.
The TLC should consider shutting down all games that can be defeated with the plots of the courier services - big money or rewrite the rules that makes courier services' chase of jackpots no longer attractive.
There is no fairness in the state collecting the people's money and enriching calculating businesses like courier services. I see no irreparable harm to suffer.
Ultimately the TRO will be defeated.
The lottery relies on the steady loyalty of its everyday players, discourages addictive wasteful spending - aka problem gambling and while it makes money for the state, it is not designed to make this money from the increases of sales by courier services.
The everyday player plays to win on an equal playing field. His or her chances are diminished and degraded by the plots of the courier services. Players don't play to make money for the state, though it indirectly happens. They play to win a prize, which Courier services says, you can win when you play through us - but you have to pay a higher fee for your entries.
The courier services should have no problems operating if they reduce their ware to the same as any other retailer with 1 or 2 terminals.
Exactly. The only ones I see complaining about this is the service and the boomers. You don't need a store front with a buncha machines. Should be 3 machines max......
* Not if Texas AG Paxton can beat Abbot to the punch. Ever since Ken had Texas Justice snatch him from the clutches of Doom when certain politicians wanted him removed from he's position, he has been on a ride of vengeance. Looking left & right to rebuild trust in political circles. This fight to ban couriers outright is red meat for the guy.
That's a BINGO! The house has already zeroed the lottery budget. If the Senate follows suit no Texas Lottery after Sept 1.
Even if the Senate opposes it the Sunset review could still kill the Texas Lottery.
This temporary reprieve has two purposes 1) to make sure both sides get the opportunity to present a fair case and, 2) to prevent any appeals. Nothing the judge has said is permanent at this point.
Lottery com is basically thumbing their nose, saying, "you're not going to have a lottery without us."
That's unfair to everybody in Texas.
If you want a comprehensive breakdown try
Texastribune.org
The article is, "Texas lottery a d billions in school funding in limbo deadline nears at Capitol."
No, school funding is not in danger. The 2 billion they would lose only pays for about 3 days and they would just find that somewhere else.
If the lottery closes the state stand to gain 437 million now held in lottery commission accounts.
It's just a Mexican standoff at this point.
Tickets must be purchased at a terminal located in the state of Texas.
Completely different. Otherwise how do you explain a company incorporated in Delaware, getting money from overseas and purchasing Texas lottery tickets through a lawyers office in Detroit by courier?
If only people in the state could use the courier service none of that could have happened (and we wouldn't be discussing any of this).
According to one famous courier: "You will always only be able to order lottery tickets for the state that you are physically in" you don't have to reside in the state. A person can use a VPN to trick the system. Texas lottery has an app that allows online purchases. Why the need for a courier?
I would love to know what system the couriers use to play every combo for the larger jackpots period. They have every right to play the lottery as everyone else has. Texas would just defund the state lottery and then use a private company aka Powerball, Mega Millions companies to build and run the business. This would make wining harder for ever day players and harder for courier companies. This is what states use now to ensure the least pick numbers come out per drawings on the smaller jackpot games. Though they claim they don't but the math doesn't add up to when the drawings are held to when they release the drawing results. My bet is on a private run lottery in the state soon and this would open the flood gates for other Republican states to follow. Just my 2 pennies on this.
What's the sense of a regular Joe Smo playing. If an corporation is going to buy every winning combination? Powerball and Mega Millions are not private companies. The government wants the lottery racket to themselves.
The lottery is not a racketeering scheme of the sponsoring government because there are no elements of racketeering that are present in the games or can be proven to exist. While the games are a source of revenue for the government, it is a system of involuntary taxation that benefits the government and participation is strictly voluntary.
Another one who can't read or comprehend I said racket. Not racketeering .
You should apologize for your comment. For the benefit of the doubt, please see below:
"A "racket" is a single illegal scheme or activity, while "racketeering" is the broader act of engaging in a pattern of illegal activities, often involving a criminal enterprise, to make money. In essence, racketeering is a continuing course of conduct that includes multiple rackets or illegal acts"
Racket meaning -Enterprise carried on for profit. I'm not apologizing for anything. 😉
Did the winner of the $95 million Texas lotto live in Texas?
I have a solution for everyone, including the liberal judge that thinks Texas "overstepped it's authority" (it's THEIR game, they can change the rules any time they want). A simple solution at that.
All they have to do is cap the jackpot at $30-40 Million. Once it reaches the cap, what would otherwise be a rollover is instead rolled down proportionately to the lower prize levels.
Almost everyone wins. Jackpot winners get more than enough money to be happy with. Lower tier prize winners win more money once the cap is reached. The couriers can still sell tickets. The crooked judge can keep their free vacation home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The only loser is the drug cartel or sheik that will now be foolish to try to buy enough tickets to run the table.
Very good proposition.
The TLC leaderships that have resigned is an implicit acknowledgment of failure on their part to protect a game.
The current legislative acts of the law makers on this matter is an acknowledgment of a law that has issues in serving the people fairly and equally.
The judge is a lone ranger and the above consortium have the greater power to moot the TRO.
No people are excluded. If you are an invalid you ask that someone else to help you. Are you that cold a person that you believe no one befriends older, sick people?
Glad you are not in my family. Or glad I don't live in your state. We help each other in mine.
ken Paxton is against fraud and abuse. Sorry to hear you are in favor of it.
No, he lives in France.
No, by all accounts neither of the primary parties live in the USA.
Bernard Marantelli, the mastermind, is a former Deutsch Bank derivative trader turner bookmaker.
Zelijko Ranogajwc, The Joker, a Tasmanian gambler coordinated the buyout under the alias John Wilson.
Lottery, com earned $264,000 in commission while one executive cautioned in a private email, "it is considered cheating by lottery players. We do not want to raise attention to it."
By December 2023 when the Texas Lottery reached $60 million, letters began surfacing proposing another buyout by someone using the name Adrian.
From the article "How a secretive gambler rigged Texas lottery and won $95 million Jackpot" Hindustan Times