The Texas Lottery Commission had allowed lottery tickets to be purchased online and the use of courier services to buy them in bulk.

Those policies are now out, but, at the urging of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick the lottery was allowed to continue under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Senate Bill 3070 was a late addition to the legislative session before it ended earlier this month. The bill was filed by Edgewood Republican Bob Hall in response to a controversy involving questionable lottery payouts.

The lottery has received significant criticism from lawmakers over two jackpots won under circumstances they say epitomize the commission’s failure to oversee the game safely. In the first, a single group in April 2023 printed 99% of the 25.8 million possible ticket combinations — called a “bulk purchase” — winning a $95 million jackpot. In another February win, a Texas woman bought the winning ticket, worth $83.5 million, through an online app known as a lottery courier.

First reported by the Houston Chronicle, the “bulk purchase” received national coverage after it was revealed that millions of tickets were printed at four different locations on dozens of lottery terminals provided specifically for the mass-ticket effort. A lottery courier was also involved in the bulk purchase, which comprised 99% of the 26 million possible ticket combinations for the jackpot, but did not sell the tickets through its online service.