Texas Senate proposes bill to ban purchase of online lottery tickets
A group of lucky individuals recently secured themselves a life-changing jackpot of $95 million through Lottery Now, an online platform that allows customers to acquire lottery tickets conveniently over the internet. As of now, however, their identities remain shrouded in mystery.
Sources from the Texas Lottery Commission have revealed that the winning ticket was purchased from Hooked-MT Store in Colleyville, which is renowned for its brisk lottery ticket sales. Lottery Now reported retail sales worth over $10.97 million for the April 22 draw, giving it the title for top online lottery retailer. Luck Zone in Round Rock and Lottery.com in Spicewood followed as close contenders.
Interestingly, while Lottery Now is licensed by the Texas Lottery Commission, it has also developed a lottery courier service under the name Mido Lotto. The courier service runs on a model that enables Texas residents to place orders for the procurement of lottery tickets over the internet. The orders are completed with a licensed retailer, but will not be regulated by the state or affiliated with the Texas Lottery Commission. However, Texas state Sen. Bob Hall seeks to overturn this with Senate Bill 1820. The Senator reasons that the face-to-face transaction is a critical component of purchasing a ticket, thus, prohibiting courier services.
The lottery commissioner affirmed that courier services do not have any business relationship with the Texas Lottery, as Senate Bill 1820 has been pending a piece of legislation with discussions surrounding administrative procedures and licensing advancements for almost two weeks.
Time is running out for the fortunate gaming enthusiasts who won the colossal $95 million lottery jackpot, as they have a stipulated time of 180 days to claim their prize.
