The Texas House has approved legislation to abolish the Texas Lottery Commission and reform lottery operations after multiple scandals have rocked the agency.

Authored by State Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), Senate Bill 3070 abolishes the commission that has overseen the lottery since shortly after its founding in 1991, moving operations to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

As originally written, the bill would also limit ticket sales per transaction, require age verification at the point of sale, push the agency into a two year probationary period and provide for greater oversight of the lottery—oversight that has been either intentionally or unintentionally lacking.

In January, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made an impromptu visit to a lottery ticket reseller responsible for selling millions of tickets online. During the course of his visit, he was denied access to the area where ticket printing was taking place.

The bill, as originally written, would allow the lieutenant governor, Speaker of the House, attorney general, and governor the ability to act as inspectors of lottery operations.

At the eleventh hour, State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth) offered a 58-page amendment to the measure that removed this and other critical parts of the bill. It was this amended bill that was, according to Geren, drafted with the lottery vendors, colloquially called stakeholders, that ultimately passed the House.

Among other changes, the Geren amendment changed vendor and employee retention.

While it was argued that the current employees would provide for a smoother transition from the TLC to TDLR, this would include members of the staff who were complicit in the extra legislative expansion of gambling in the state of Texas, and covering for the lottery’s multiple sins.

The Geren amendment, passed under the watchful eye of IGT’s lobbyist and former chief of staff to Gov. Greg Abbott, Luis Sanez, also guarantees that the state lottery contract will remain with its current vendor, IGT. According to a lawsuit filed in Houston, the company played a critical role in an international gambling syndicate’s rigging of the April 2023 $95 million jackpot.

According to testimony given to the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee, representatives from IGT were onsite for hours during the ticket printing at a location that conducted no retail business, which is against state rules. This is the same location where children were filmed printing tickets.

Geren, a longtime proponent of expanding gambling in Texas, failed to pass a bill last session that would have allowed casino gambling in the state. This session, the lottery, and its corrupt operation took all the oxygen out of the room.

State Rep. Brent Money (R-Greenville) offered an amendment to Geren’s amendment that would have abolished the lottery and not just the commission. Money’s amendment failed by a vote of 71-58.

Geren’s amendment was ultimately adopted in a vote of 91-44.

The legislation passed in a vote of 110-29.

Now, the bill requires one more vote in the House before going back to the Senate for either approval or to be reconciled in a conference committee.

If the bill is not reconciled, the lottery may be abolished, or a special session could be forced to save the corruption-plagued institution.

International Game Technology PLC announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions Corporation, signed a nine-year contract extension with the Tennessee Education Lottery (“TEL”). The contract extension begins June 2027 and runs through June 2036. The TEL has been a valued IGT customer since 2004.

Under the terms of the agreement, IGT will deploy its high-performing Aurora central system, a feature component of IGT’s integrated lottery solution, OMNIA. Additionally, IGT will provide upgraded Wizard back-office business applications, replace existing terminals with newly launched Retailer Pro S2 terminals with WinCheck S2 peripherals, provide new Keno Show Controllers with WiFi capabilities and deliver communication network upgrades.

“For more than 20 years, IGT has been a trusted partner to the Tennessee Education Lottery, providing innovative solutions that have supported our consistent growth,” said Rebecca Paul, Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer. “One of our core missions is supporting educational programs in Tennessee, and since our inception, we have raised more than $7.5 billion for our state. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with IGT, whose advanced technology will assist in responsibly increasing both sales and our contributions to Tennessee education.”

“IGT has been committed to bringing best-in-class lottery solutions to the Tennessee Education Lottery since its inception,” said Jay Gendron, IGT Chief Operation Officer, Global Lottery. “Through this nine-year contract extension, we are excited to bring new technological upgrades to the Lottery, providing them the systems and equipment needed to drive performance for its players and the good causes it serves in the state.”

The upgraded technology will provide the TEL with intuitive, user-friendly applications, tools, and reporting capabilities. Components of the central system, including Performance Wizard, Sales Wizard, Learning Wizard, and Retailer Wizard will streamline operations for optimal functionality. The introduction of IGT’s high-performance, high-volume Retailer Pro S2 terminals with WinCheck S2 peripherals will enable the TEL to easily add new features across multiple point-of-sale terminals simultaneously and allow players to quickly and reliably see if they are draw game or instant ticket winners.

IGT expands celebrated Wheel of Fortune slots portfolio with new Cash Link Big Money game at luxury Northern California casino

International Game Technology PLC and Graton Resort & Casino announced today the global debut of IGT’s Wheel of Fortune Trio cabinet featuring the new Wheel of Fortune Cash Link Big Money video slots game. Guests of the Rohnert Park, Calif. casino will be the first players in the world to experience the latest entertainment showcase from IGT’s renowned Wheel of Fortune slots brand.

“Graton Resort & Casino is thrilled to be the first property in North America to offer the newest entertainment innovation from IGT’s popular Wheel of Fortune slots brand on our gaming floor,” said Brian Green, Chief Operations Officer, Graton Resort & Casino. “Our players have a strong affinity for the Wheel of Fortune brand, and the Wheel of Fortune Trio’s community-style win celebrations and large stature are sure to drive jackpot excitement across the gaming floor.”

“Launching Wheel of Fortune Cash Link Big Money on the new Wheel of Fortune Trio cabinet with Graton Resort & Casino kicks off a year full of premier Wheel of Fortune product launches across multiple categories,” said Nick Khin, IGT President, Global Gaming. “This solution combines legendary Wheel of Fortune gameplay with compelling hardware and community-style jackpot celebrations to create something special for our customers and their players.”

The Wheel of Fortune Trio cabinet features a massive 76-inch mechanical wheel centered above three ultra-high-definition 49-inch portrait screen gaming machines with a commanding 140-inch-tall video backdrop. The cabinet will house the new Wheel of Fortune Cash Link Big Money video slots game featuring the player-preferred Cash Link coin collection feature, a Cash on Reels mechanic, a Cash Link Multiplier that can award up to 35X, and free games.

First launched in 1996, IGT’s Wheel of Fortune slots is hailed as one of the most successful slot themes of all time. Since the game’s debut, IGT has paid out nearly $3.6 billion in jackpots and minted more than 1,200 millionaires. Last year, IGT announced that it extended its licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Television to continue producing Wheel of Fortune games via a contract that extends through 2034.