Recent reporting by an Australian investigative journalist is shedding new light on the secretive gambling syndicate that, with assistance from the Texas Lottery Commission, rigged a $95 million Lotto Texas jackpot in April 2023.
The fallout from that jackpot, along with mounting public pressure and scrutiny from lawmakers during the 2025 legislative session, led to the dissolution of the Texas Lottery Commission and the launch of two official investigations, which so far have produced no results after more than a year.
Both Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced inquiries into the scandal in February 2025. Yet, according to multiple individuals with direct knowledge of the 2023 drawing, including two who spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald, neither investigation has contacted key witnesses.
The Australian coverage builds on years of reporting by both Texas and U.S. national publications but incorporates interviews with Zeljko Ranogajec, known in betting circles as “The Joker,” and Bernard Marantelli.
According to their accounts, the two partnered with Lottery.com and other digital resellers to print nearly every possible combination of numbers on state-provided lottery terminals that, at the direction of Texas Lottery staff, were deliberately surged to facilitate the scheme.
