XPost: alt.politics.republicans, rec.gambling.lottery, sac.politics   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns   
   From: oilmoney@texas.com   
      
   Ryan Mindell announced his resignation as executive director of the Texas   
   Lottery Commission (TLC) on Monday after the state-funded body was   
   engulfed in a series of scandals.   
      
   In 2023, a single buyer purchased around 25.8 million $1 Texas lottery   
   tickets, nearly all there were, in order to secure a $95 million jackpot   
   in what Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called "the biggest theft   
   from the people of Texas in the history of Texas."   
      
   The TLC told Newsweek it does not comment on personnel matters or have   
   additional information beyond a statement released on Monday when   
   contacted for comment.   
      
   Why It Matters   
   In recent years, the Texas Lottery has become embroiled in a number of   
   scandals and is currently under investigation by the Texas Attorney   
   General's Office and the Texas Rangers from the Department of Public   
   Safety.   
      
   What To Know   
   On Monday in a statement, TLC Chairman Robert G. Rivera said that Mindell   
   had "notified the Texas Lottery Commission board of his resignation,   
   effective today."   
      
   Mindell served as executive director for exactly one year, following the   
   resignation of his longstanding predecessor Gary Grief. He previously   
   worked as deputy executive director, operations director and assistant   
   general counsel for the TLC.   
      
   In 2023, a $95 million jackpot was won by a consortium led by London-based   
   trader Bernard Marantelli, which purchased nearly all of the 25.8 million   
   possible number combinations at $1 per ticket.   
      
   According to the Wall Street Journal, Marantelli and his associates   
   obtained official ticket-printing terminals, which they operated around   
   the clock to produce the requisite tickets.   
      
   Lieutenant Governor Patrick described their win as "the biggest theft from   
   the people of Texas in the history of Texas" though Marantelli's legal   
   representative insisted that "all applicable laws, rules and regulations   
   were followed."   
      
   The Texas Lottery has also been criticized over the operation of ticket   
   courier services, third-party companies that sell game tickets through   
   smartphone apps.   
      
   In March 2025, one woman, who said she had a $83.5 million winning Texas   
   Lottery jackpot ticket, was told she wouldn't receive any money until the   
   completion of separate investigations led by Attorney General Paxton and   
   the Texas Rangers. It emerged her ticket had been purchased via an online   
   courier app.   
      
   Following criticism, the TLC changed its rules to ban bulk purchases from   
   professional gamblers along with courier companies.   
      
   The Texas Lottery, which was launched in 1992 with approval from the state   
   legislature, says it has generated over $40 billion for the state   
   government.   
      
   Around $34 billion has gone to the Foundation School Fund, which supports   
   public education in Texas, with funding also going to the Texas Veterans   
   Commission Fund for Veterans' Assistance, according to Texas Lottery.   
      
   What People Are Saying   
   In his statement, TLC Chairman Rivera said: "Ryan Mindell notified the   
   Texas Lottery Commission board of his resignation, effective today, April   
   21. Sergio Rey, the agency's Chief Financial Officer, has been appointed   
   Acting Deputy Executive Director of the Texas Lottery. The Commission   
   board will consider its selection process for a new executive director at   
   its next open meeting, scheduled for April 29."   
      
   Speaking to the Austin American-Stateman, state Senator Bob Hall, a   
   Republican, welcomed Mindell's resignation. He said: "I am in favor of   
   doing anything that puts an end to lottery in Texas while we protect the   
   money that was going to veterans."   
      
   In a statement provided to Newsweek, the Coalition of Texas Lottery   
   Couriers said: "Mindell's departure provides an opportunity to reconsider   
   the agency's politically motivated decisions regarding lottery couriers   
   and restart good faith collaboration between our companies and the TLC to   
   establish a regulatory framework that protects the integrity of the Texas   
   Lottery while also allowing our millions of Texas customers to continue to   
   safely and conveniently order lottery tickets."   
      
   What Happens Next   
   The Texas Legislature has set the TLC's budget at $0 for two years   
   beginning in September, a move that could well bankrupt the body unless a   
   compromise is found. Investigations into the TLC from the Attorney   
   General's Office and the Texas Rangers look set to continue.   
      
   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lottery-chief-resigns-after-biggest-   
   theft-in-the-history-of-texas/ar-AA1DoYY0   
      
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