History of Texas Lottery in Timeline

The Texas Lottery, operated by the Texas Lottery Commission and with operational support from International Game Technology, is a state-run lottery in Texas. Over its three decades, it has faced scrutiny from Texas lawmakers and media, leading to government investigations regarding its operations and association with its operator. These criticisms and investigations are a significant aspect of the lottery's history.

July 11, 1991: House Bill 54 Introduced

On July 11, 1991, House Bill 54 was introduced in the Texas legislature to establish a state lottery.

November 7, 1992: Lotto Texas Sales Begin

On November 7, 1992, Lotto Texas began sales, marking the introduction of the first in-state drawing game.

November 14, 1992: First Lotto Texas Drawing

On November 14, 1992, the first Lotto Texas drawing was held.

November 28, 1992: First Lotto Texas Jackpot Won

On November 28, 1992, the first Lotto Texas jackpot was won by a resident of Schulenburg.

May 29, 1993: "Quick Pick" Option Added to Lotto Texas

On May 29, 1993, the Lottery's first anniversary, the "Quick Pick" option (random selection of numbers) was added to Lotto Texas.

October 25, 1993: Pick 3 Begins

On October 25, 1993, the Pick 3 lottery game began. It is a four times daily draw game.

1993: Texas Lottery Commission Formed

In 1993, legislation created the Texas Lottery Commission to manage the lottery, taking over from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The commission also gained oversight of charitable bingo games.

1994: GTECH Operates Texas Lottery

GTECH, later known as IGT, has operated the Texas Lottery since its inception in 1994.

1997: Lawrence Littwin's Appointment Ends

In 1997, the appointment of Lawrence Littwin, one of the first executive directors of the Texas Lottery, ended amidst controversies.

May 18, 1998: Texas Million Begins

On May 18, 1998, Texas Million began, offering a top prize of $1 million.

1998: Negative Reports on IGT

In 1998, Texas news media prominently featured negative reports on the state's lottery contractor, IGT.

1999: Study on Lottery's Regressive Nature

In 1999, Donald I. Price and E. Shawn Novak conducted a study, published in the National Tax Journal, examining spending trends on Lotto, Pick 3, and Instant games, finding them to be regressive taxes disproportionately affecting low-income, less-educated, and minority groups.

May 11, 2001: Texas Million Discontinued

On May 11, 2001, the Texas Million lottery game was discontinued, after having 25 top-prize winners.

May 13, 2001: Texas Two Step Sales Begin

On May 13, 2001, sales for the Texas Two Step lottery game began. It is a twice-weekly in-house game in Texas.

July 29, 2002: Cash Five Sales Begin

On July 29, 2002, sales began for Cash Five, a daily-draw game that replaced a similarly named game, Cash 5.

2002: Linda Cloud Resigns

In 2002, Linda Cloud resigned as executive director of the Texas Lottery, admitting to lying to the media about her knowledge of a harassment incident involving a former lottery commissioner.

2003: Texas Joins Mega Millions

In 2003, Texas joined the Mega Millions consortium, with sales beginning December 3 and the first drawing to include Texas on December 5.

February 1, 2004: Lone Star Millions Game End

On February 1, 2004, the Lone Star Millions scratch game ended, having set world records for first-day and first-week sales.

October 4, 2004: First Texas Mega Millions Jackpot Winner

On October 4, 2004, the first Texas jackpot winner of Mega Millions occurred when a Carrollton player won the $101 million prize.

2005: Reagan Greer's Appointment Ends

In 2005, Reagan Greer's tenure as executive director of the Texas Lottery ended amid controversies.

2006: GTECH Acquisition by Lottomatica

In 2006, GTECH was acquired by Lottomatica.

September 30, 2007: Daily 4 Sales Begin

On September 30, 2007, sales began for the Daily 4 lottery game, which is drawn 24 times weekly.

October 13, 2009: Mega Millions and Powerball Agreement

On October 13, 2009, Mega Millions and Powerball operators reached an agreement in principle for lotteries to cross-sell both games, starting as early as January 31, 2010.

November 17, 2009: Powerball Rules Published for Public Comment

On November 17, 2009, the Texas Lottery Commission voted to publish Powerball rules for public comment, as part of the process to potentially join the Powerball lottery.

December 14, 2009: Public Hearing on Powerball Proposal

On December 14, 2009, the Texas Lottery Commission held a public hearing to receive comments on the proposal to join Powerball.

January 6, 2010: Commission Voted to Join Powerball

On January 6, 2010, the Texas Lottery Commission voted to join Powerball.

January 31, 2010: Texas Lottery to Sell Powerball Tickets

On January 31, 2010, the Texas Lottery Commission agreed to begin selling Powerball tickets as part of the cross-selling arrangement between Mega Millions and Powerball operators.

2012: All or Nothing Introduced

In 2012, the Texas Lottery introduced All or Nothing, a game drawn 24 times weekly where players choose 12 numbers and can win by matching all or none of the numbers drawn.

April 14, 2013: Lotto Texas Introduces Extra! Option

On April 14, 2013, Lotto Texas introduced the Extra! option, which costs $1 more per play and offers players additional chances to win.

April 17, 2013: First Drawing with Extra! Winnings

On April 17, 2013, the first Lotto Texas drawing was held that included Extra! winnings.

April 23, 2013: House Votes on Texas Lottery Commission

On April 23, 2013, the Texas House initially voted not to recommission the Texas Lottery Commission, potentially ending the lottery in Texas, but later reversed the decision with a new vote.

October 19, 2014: Monopoly Millionaires' Club Sales Begin

On October 19, 2014, sales began for the Monopoly Millionaires' Club (MMC), a lottery game where plays were $5 each.

December 12, 2014: Texas Suspended Sales of MMC

Texas suspended sales of Monopoly Millionaires' Club (MMC) following the December 12, 2014 drawing.

September 28, 2015: Texas Triple Chance Play Begins

On September 28, 2015, the Texas Lottery started play for Texas Triple Chance, a $2 game featuring a $100,000 top prize.

2015: IGT Merger

In 2015, GTECH merged with International Game Technology (1975–2015) and subsequently rebranded to International Game Technology (IGT).

April 2016: MMC TV Game Show Continued Airing

In April 2016, the Monopoly Millionaires' Club (MMC) television game show, which was tied to the lottery game, continued airing.

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July 15, 2018: Texas Lottery Announced Texas Triple Chance Would End

On July 15, 2018, the Texas Lottery announced that the game Texas Triple Chance would end with the final drawing on July 28, 2018.

July 28, 2018: Final Drawing for Texas Triple Chance

On July 28, 2018, the final drawing for the Texas Triple Chance game was held, concluding its run.

September 1, 2018: Retailer Bonus Program Discontinued

As of September 1, 2018, the Texas Lottery Commission discontinued its program that paid retailers a bonus for selling top-prize tickets for in-house draw games and scratch tickets winning $1 million or higher.

2018: Cash Five Relaunches

In 2018, Cash Five relaunched with a new matrix, improved odds, and guaranteed prizes, including a $25,000 top prize.

April 28, 2019: Fireball Option Introduced

On April 28, 2019, the Texas Lottery replaced Sum It-Up with the Fireball option, an add-on for the Pick 3 and Daily 4 games that doubles the cost of play.

2019: Legal Operation of Ticket Couriers Begins

Since 2019, resellers, known as ticket couriers, have operated legally in Texas, allowing players to purchase tickets digitally through third-party services.

August 23, 2021: Lotto Texas Expanded

On August 23, 2021, Lotto Texas added a Monday drawing to its existing Wednesday and Saturday drawings.

2021: Jackpocket Expands into Texas

In 2021, Jackpocket, a lottery ticket courier service, expanded into Texas after partnering with the Texas Lottery to boost sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 2022: $100 Scratch-Off Tickets Introduced

As of May 2022, the Texas Lottery became the first and only U.S. lottery to offer $100 scratch-off tickets.

2022: $1.9 Billion Transferred to Foundation School Fund

In FY 2022 alone, the Texas Lottery transferred $1.9 billion to the Foundation School Fund.

2023: Contributions to Public Education and Veterans' Support

As of 2023, the Texas Lottery had provided more than $35 billion to public education and $220 million to veterans' support programs.

2023: $95 Million Jackpot Scheme

In 2023, a consortium led by Bernard Marantelli obtained official IGT ticket-printing terminals and used them to produce nearly all possible number combinations in Texas lottery tickets, resulting in a $95 million jackpot win. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick declared it "the biggest theft from the people of Texas in the history of Texas".

November 2024: Texas House Interim Report on Courier Services

According to a November 2024 Texas House interim report, courier services accounted for $101 million in lottery ticket sales over the first seven months of the 2023 financial year in Texas.

2024: Gary Greif's Appointment Ends

In 2024, Gary Greif's tenure as executive director of the Texas Lottery ended amid controversies.

2024: Allegations of Money Laundering

In 2024, members of the Texas Lottery Commission were questioned by the Senate Finance Committee, with allegations of possible money laundering and collaboration with Lottery.com.

2024: Criticism of Funding Allocation

The Texas Lottery has been criticized for transferring only 25% of its annual net revenue to the Texas Education Agency and for funding only half the school days in 2024 as it did in 1995, despite rising revenues.

February 14, 2025: Class-Action Lawsuit Filed

On February 14, 2025, a class-action lawsuit was filed alleging violations of state and international laws in April 2023, amid a "long-running fraud scheme in collaboration with Lottery.com and its executives."

February 20, 2025: Investigation Launched into Texas Lottery

On February 20, 2025, Lt. Gov. Patrick launched an investigation into the Texas Lottery after an $83.5 million jackpot win raised concerns about mobile lottery courier services, sparking legislative efforts to ban mobile lottery games.

February 28, 2025: Texas Senate Votes to Ban Courier Services

On February 28, 2025, the Texas Senate voted to ban courier services from participating in the purchase of lottery tickets, leading to investigations by the Texas Rangers and the Texas Attorney General.

March 2025: Texas Scorecard Releases Documentary Film

In March 2025, Texas Scorecard released a documentary film, "Rigged: How the Lottery is Playing Texans," outlining corrupt practices by the Texas Lottery through its operator, IGT, and remote couriers.

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April 21, 2025: Ryan Mindell Resigns

On April 21, 2025, Ryan Mindell, executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission, resigned one year after his promotion to the role.

2025: IGT Influence on State Policymakers

In 2025, campaign finance records indicated that Texas Lottery contractor IGT Solutions had directly and indirectly influenced state policymakers and was a title sponsor for Governor Abbott's State of the State address.