A Texas senator has filed a bill that would keep the state's lottery alive but make changes to the rules and abolish the Texas Lottery Commission. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) filed Senate Bill 3070
"If there isn't enough of an appetite to get rid of the lottery outright, this bill represents the next best thing," Hall said during a State Affairs Committee hearing this week.
Hall's bill would eliminate the Texas Lottery Commission and move state-sponsored games under the authority of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The bill would also limit ticket sales to 100 during a single purchase.
"This bill would include SB 28 which eliminated couriers," Hall said. "The couriers will be gone with this."
The bill would also limit the number of ticket-printing terminals each retailer can have. During the hearing, Hall proposed amendments that would require individuals to cash in tickets, add restrictions on where tickets can be sold and add criminal penalties for retailers that sell more than 100 tickets at a time.
Hall's bill would also include a review of the Texas lottery in 2027, and unless the lottery is continued, the state's lottery would be abolished in December 2027. Hall said the change would not affect the bingo program.
Hall said the lottery does provide money for schools, but the games are most popular in low-income areas.
"What we are doing is we are funding the state on the backs of the poor with this regressive tax," he said.
The bill is still pending in the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee.