Texas Lottery Commission
Texas Lottery Commission
The Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) was created in 1993 (House Bill 1587, 73rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session). Its primary purpose is to administer the Texas Lottery, which had been authorized by a constitutional amendment approved by the voters in November 1991 to generate revenue for the state of Texas, and had previously been administered by the Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts, 1991-1993 (House Joint Resolution 8, 72nd Texas Legislature, 1st Called Session). TLC also received responsibility for administering the Texas Bingo Enabling Act, transferred from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) effective April 1994. The commission’s executive director is required to exercise strict control over all lottery games conducted in Texas to ensure integrity, security, honesty, and fairness. The agency licenses lottery ticket sales agents, and in so doing conducts investigations into the criminal history of potential licensees using records from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and other law enforcement agencies. The agency is also in charge of developing, approving, and marking lottery games; conducting lottery drawings; processing winning ticket claims; and administering major contracts for lottery operations and services. The Lottery Commission has 11 divisions: Administration, Information Technology, Charitable Bingo Operations, Enforcement, Executive, Governmental Affairs, Human Resources, Legal Services, Lottery Operations, Media Relations, and the Office of the Controller. The Charitable Bingo and Security offices are headquartered in Austin and have regional offices in Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Odessa, and San Antonio. The Charitable Bingo Operations division licenses and regulates charities authorized to conduct charitable bingo games, those who manufacture or sell bingo equipment, and those who lease facilities where charitable bingo is played. The agency collects a 3 percent bingo rental tax and a 5 percent fee on bingo prizes, credited to the General Revenue Fund. The Texas Lottery operates by outsourcing most daily operations of the lottery, but maintains control over administrative, regulatory, and management functions. Since 1992, vendor IGT Corporation (formerly GTECH Corporation) has operated the lottery and is contracted to do so through fiscal year 2026. The agency also partners with other vendors for scratch ticket production, advertising, and drawing broadcasts.
Texas Lottery Commission Records, 1988-2024, undated
Creator: Texas Lottery Commission
Title: Texas Lottery Commission records
Dates: 1988-2024, undated
Abstract: The Texas Lottery Commission administers the Texas Lottery (generating revenue for the state of Texas) and the Texas Bingo Enabling Act (providing authorized organizations the opportunity to raise funds for their charitable purposes by conducting bingo); in both areas the commission is responsible for maintaining security and integrity. Records of the Texas Lottery Commission, 1988-2024 and undated, document the commission’s operations in developing, marketing, conducting, and administering the Texas Lottery; regulating charitable bingo games in the state; policymaking; and seeking legal redress against its licensors for violations of state law and lottery policies. Types of records include meeting agenda, minutes, transcripts, and supporting documentation; correspondence and interoffice memoranda, with some attachments; agency orders; policy and procedure manuals; legal documents; meeting notes; videocassettes; reports; working papers; a prize structure analysis; press releases; lottery tickets; and design proofs.
