Senate Bill 1988, filed by State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood), was considered Monday by lawmakers on the Senate Committee on State Affairs.
Unlike other proposals, the measure would completely abolish the state’s lottery game, not just the embattled commission overseeing it.
Hall’s measure would also essentially create a new body to oversee the state’s charitable bingo games. Currently, charitable bingo is regulated by Texas Lottery commissioners.
While laying out SB 1988, Hall recalled the fiery confrontation between lawmakers and lottery commissioners in a previous Senate State Affairs hearing earlier this year.
Commissioners were initially called to the hearing to provide testimony on a measure authored by Hall to ban lottery ticket resellers, also known as couriers, which they had allowed to operate despite statutory concerns.
While debate raged over ticket resellers—who purchase lottery tickets online on behalf of others—lawmakers also addressed other concerns plaguing the Texas Lottery.
Among them are multiple suspicious jackpot winnings, including a bulk purchase of tickets in April 2023 and an $83.5 million win facilitated by the courier service Jackpot at its retail store, Winner’s Corner.
