The Texas Lottery Commission's executive director stepped down Monday under growing scrutiny from legislators and the Texas Rangers regarding a $95 million jackpot claimed following manipulation by a European syndicate.
Ryan Mindell resigned just under two weeks after the state budget cut funding for the Lottery Commission. At the same time, numerous bills have been proposed in both houses that would either remove the agency's power or eliminate it completely.
Numerous legislators hold the commission accountable for promoting third-party lottery couriers and for fostering the environment that enabled the syndicate to achieve significant winnings.
Syndicate Abused Lottery Rollovers
The Texas Lottery draw on April 22, 2023, was unusual. To begin with, following 93 rollovers, it turned out to be one of those uncommon instances when a lottery becomes mathematically manipulable.
Additionally, every player in Texas faced unfavorable odds as a syndicate purchased 25.8 million tickets for a dollar each — sufficient to encompass every potential winning combination. This ensured they would definitely split the jackpot, at the very least, while collecting millions in additional prizes.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick referred to it as "the greatest robbery from the citizens of Texas in Texas history."
This was achievable solely due to the presence of courier companies, enabling players to purchase tickets online and in large quantities. The syndicate evidently employed courier companies to operate continuously, handling the 25.8 million tickets required to execute the scheme. Approximately 1 to 2 million tickets are purchased for a standard weekly draw of the Texas Lottery.
Experience Misfortune
Mindell served as the executive director of the lottery for precisely 12 months. He assumed control from his long-time predecessor, Gary Grief.
Grief has been charged with seeking lottery couriers without the legislature's approval. In 2017, he visited California to persuade the creators of Lottery.com to move their company to Austin, Texas, as stated in a civil lawsuit.
A report from the Sunset Advisory Committee (SAC) in July 2024, a Texas legislative group responsible for assessing state agencies’ performance, strongly condemned the Lottery Commission. It also mentioned that Mindell had expressed worries regarding certain policies of Grief.
Mindell additionally focused on enforcing policies that limited bulk ticket purchasing following the syndicate’s victory.
Following backlash, Mindel announced in February that the commission would prohibit lottery courier services and take away the license from any establishment that sells tickets to these companies. The agency had earlier stated that it thought it did not have the power to prohibit or oversee couriers.
A representative of the Lottery Commission indicated that the board will start selecting a new executive director during its upcoming public meeting set for April 29.
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