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Scrutiny of Texas Lottery mounts after courier controversy

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feeds.texastribune.org – By Ayden Runnels – 2025-02-26 22:00:00

Investigations into the Texas Lottery grow after courier controversy

Investigations into the Texas Lottery grow after courier controversy” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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In the wake of hours-long hearings and a deluge of new information from the Texas Lottery Commission, state officials are doubling down on their investigations and scrutiny of the commission and its connection with couriers.

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday that his office would be conducting its own investigation into the Texas Lottery, the third from major state officials in recent weeks.

“I’m deeply concerned about the integrity of our state’s lottery system, especially when it appears that non-citizens have shown that they are attempting to rig the system to win on demand,” Paxton said in a statement.

The attorney general’s office will be investigating the lottery’s process, the statement said, and whether any state or federal laws were broken during each of two recent major lottery wins facing public scrutiny. The first occurred in 2023 when several groups united to buy over 25 million tickets to win a $94 million jackpot, and the second was won in February for $83.5 million through a third-party courier service.

The investigation is Paxton’s first sign of involvement, but not the first time in recent weeks couriers have been flagged to his office. After backlash from lawmakers in a Feb. 12 Senate Finance Committee hearing, Lottery Commission Executive Director Ryan Mindell filed a request for opinion on whether it had the authority to regulate couriers.

Mindell announced Monday the commission would revoke the lottery license of any retailer dealing with a courier, taking action he had asked Paxton a little over a week prior whether he had the legal standing to do so. The commission is set to formally propose rules on the ban at an emergency meeting on March 4. Mindell declined a request for comment from the Tribune.

On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Rangers, a division of the state’s Department of Public Safety, to investigate the two wins. But on Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a post on X he sent an update to DPS asking the Texas Rangers to greatly expand the scope of their investigation to include all of the lottery commission’s dealings with courier services since 2016.

Courier services allow Texas Lottery players to buy tickets remotely through websites or apps by having a third party physically purchase the ticket for them before sending photos of the ticket to the buyer.

Patrick attributed the new scope of the investigation to a Senate State Affairs committee hearing Monday on Senate Bill 28, which seeks to ban courier services entirely from the state. Lottery officials, courier company executives and others revealed several major new pieces of information during the hearing on how couriers have operated in Texas, prompting more backlash from lawmakers.

“Texans who play the lottery must be confident it is an honest and fair game they can trust,” Patrick said in the letter to DPS.

Patrick’s office investigated the storefront that sold the second controversial winning ticket, and Patrick posted a video on X on Feb. 18 in which he is seen inside the store and questioning an employee about the business.

The State Affairs Committee passed SB 28 with no amendments, and it is set to be voted on by the Senate. Nine additional senators signed on to the bill as co-authors Wednesday, making 28 of the 31 total senators in the chamber co-authors of the bill. Along with implementing a ban on couriers, SB 28 would criminalize online ticket sales, making it a misdemeanor.

Detractors and supporters of couriers voiced their frustrations to the commission over its sudden policy switch to prohibit the businesses, with Patrick calling the update “garbage,” in a social media post. Rep. John Bucy III, D-Austin, sent a letter to the commission chastising the agency for “abruptly” changing its policies on couriers. Bucy also asked that the March 4 meeting proposing the official ban be canceled and for the commission to respond by end of day Friday.

A spokesperson with Bucy’s office confirmed the commission acknowledged receipt of the letter but has not “responded substantively.”

“The Texas Lottery Commission’s overnight decision that it has the authority to circumvent the Legislature and make this decision on its own is unacceptable,” Bucy said in the letter. “That is not how our system of government works. The Legislature makes the laws, and the agencies, including the Texas Lottery Commission are supposed to follow them.”

Bucy filed House Bill 3201 on Friday, which would allow couriers to be licensed by the state after applicants undergo background checks and subject the businesses to annual sales audits. In a statement sent to the Tribune, Bucy said it was legislators that should decide couriers’ fate, and that an outright ban could jeopardize funding the lottery provides to schools. In 2024, the Texas Lottery provided almost $2 billion to the Foundation School Fund.

“Decisions that impact education funding and consumer choice should be made by the Legislature, not unelected regulators,” Bucy said in the statement.

Meanwhile, Jackpocket, the largest courier in the state and the one that sold the winning $83.5 million ticket that’s under investigation, froze its operations in the state Monday after the policy update was made public, and a notice appears in its app explaining the suspension. Registered users in the state also received an email Monday night lamenting the new restrictions.

“For years we’ve operated in compliance with the guidance of the Texas Lottery Commission, and we are disappointed this policy change is now impacting our ability to serve you and other Texans who want a reliable and more accessible way to participate in the lottery,” the email sent to users read.


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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/26/texas-lottery-courier-ban-investigations/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

The post Scrutiny of Texas Lottery mounts after courier controversy appeared first on feeds.texastribune.org

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Dementia care, support strategies topics of discussion at free Friday event at Morgan’s Wonderland

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www.youtube.com – KSAT 12 – 2025-04-04 06:52:23

SUMMARY: Bear County has a significant population of over 33,000 people aged 65 and older living with dementia or Alzheimer’s. In response, the local nonprofit Connectability is hosting a free event at Morgan’s Wonderland, providing families and caregivers with vital information on care strategies and support. Highlights include discussions on new financial assistance from Medicare, covering costs for adult daycare and respite care. Experts emphasize the importance of early planning for caregivers, as the dementia population is expected to triple in the next decade. Families are encouraged to seek information and assistance proactively. Registration is required for the event.

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More than 33,000 residents over the age of 65 in Bexar County are currently living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, a number that experts predict will triple in the next decade.

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Harris County health department reports measles case in child younger than 18

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www.youtube.com – KHOU 11 – 2025-04-04 06:43:06

SUMMARY: Harris County is investigating a measles case in a child under 18, who had received the first of two measles vaccine shots and has recovered. The child has no travel history, suggesting the virus was contracted locally. Health officials are tracing recent contacts. Dr. Erica Brown from the Harris County Health Department emphasized the importance of up-to-date vaccinations, as measles spreads through coughing and sneezing. While it’s too early to link this case to the West Texas outbreak, which involves a largely unvaccinated community, Texas has reported 422 measles cases, mainly in West Texas. An update is expected soon.

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The case is in a child under the age of 18 with no travel history.

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ICE Houston sweep: 174 deported to Mexico with 600 criminal convictions | Texas

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-04 06:18:00

(The Center Square) – In another immigration sweep in the largest city of Texas, 174 criminal illegal foreign nationals were deported to Mexico from Houston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office agents deported 174 “criminal aliens” to Mexico, including 24 gang members.

Combined, those deported were convicted of 610 criminal offenses, ICE said. Many were previously deported multiple times. When including previous deportations, the 174 deported last month were deported a total of 415 times, according to ICE records.

The most recent deportations occurred between March 17 and March 28.

Among their 610 convictions, two were for homicide; four were for rape or sexual assault; five for child sex offenses; 72 for aggravated assault or assault; 49 for theft; five for firearms; 83 for drug trafficking or drug possession; 146 for driving while intoxicated; eight for hit-and-run and 22 for human smuggling, ICE said.

“Many of the criminal aliens removed to Mexico during the two-week period have illegally entered the U.S. numerous times and been convicted of multiple criminal offenses,” ICE said.

Among the Mexican national “criminal aliens” deported were:

  • A 36-year-old previously removed from the U.S. 39 times. His convictions include illegal entry, DWI, dangerous drugs, and fraud.
  • A 48-year-old previously removed from the U.S. 13 times. His 25 criminal convictions include narcotics offenses, resisting arrest, identity theft, domestic violence, assault, battery, larceny, kidnapping, illegal entry, illegal reentry, and destruction of evidence.
  • A 50-year-old documented Florencia 13 gang member previously removed from the U.S. eight times. His convictions include domestic violence, battery, possession of stolen property, drug possession, aggravated assault with a gun, and illegal entry.
  • A 60-year-old previously removed from the U.S. seven times. His convictions include eight DWIs, assault and illegal reentry.
  • A 46-year-old previously removed from the U.S. seven times. His convictions include three DWIs, multiple for illegal entry and reentry, obstruction, immigration fraud, narcotics possession, and burglary.

“This is just a small snapshot of the amazing work that the brave men and women at ICE do every day to enhance public safety in Southeast Texas,” ICE ERO Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford said. “Each day they put their lives on the line to apprehend and remove dangerous criminal aliens, transnational gang members and foreign fugitives who have illegally entered the U.S. and are preying on innocent, hardworking Texans. Fueled by our unwavering commitment to protect the public from harm, and united in our determination to restore integrity to our nation’s system of laws, ICE will continue to aggressively pursue and remove anyone who threatens the safety of our communities and the national security of our country.”

The announcement comes after ICE ERO Houston agents arrested 646 illegal foreign nationals in a one-week targeted enforcement action last month, The Center Square reported.

Working with multiple federal, state and local law enforcement partners, ICE agents made the arrests including 543 who’d been charged or convicted of criminal offenses while in the country illegally, including seven documented gang members. The majority arrested, 140, were charged or convicted of an aggravated felony or other violent crimes like homicide, aggravated assault, or domestic violence, according to ICE records.

“In recent years, some of the world’s most dangerous fugitives, transnational gang members and criminal aliens have taken advantage of the crisis at our nation’s southern border to illegally enter the U.S.,” Bradford said. “After illegally entering the country, many of these criminal aliens have gone on to commit violent crime and reign terror on law-abiding residents.”

Their arrests, he said, sent a “resounding message to transnational criminal organizations everywhere that the law enforcement community in the Texas Gulf Coast is more united than ever and will not rest until we’ve eradicated these criminal elements from the country.”

The Trump administration has prioritized deporting the most violent offenders in what it hopes will be a mass deportation effort. Deportations are underway after a record more than 14 million foreign nationals illegally entered the U.S. under the Biden administration, The Center Square exclusively reported.

Under the Trump administration, illegal border crossings have dropped to record lows within two months of President Donald Trump being sworn into office.

The post ICE Houston sweep: 174 deported to Mexico with 600 criminal convictions | Texas appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

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