Lotto.com Sues Texas Lottery Over Courier Ban

Posted on: April 25, 2025, 02:42h. 

Last updated on: April 25, 2025, 02:42h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Lotto.com alleges Texas Lottery encouraged couriers in lawsuit
  • Courier services under fire after massive jackpot win
  • Texas Lottery Commission faces legal and political pressure

Lottery courier Lotto.com is suing the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) in a bid to block the agency from banning its services in the state.

Lotto.com, Texas Lottery Commission, Lottery courier services, Ryan Mindell, $95 million jackpot
Lotto.com claims that TLC showed it way too much ‘TLC’ before abruptly banning its services due to political pressure. (Image: Shutterstock)

The lawsuit claims that the TLC “actively assisted in the setup and operation of Lotto.com and other couriers in Texas” before performing an “about-face” and prohibiting the industry under political pressure. On the same day, dozens of lottery terminals were seized from couriers, according to the lawsuit.

The commission’s previous official position was that it did not have the power to regulate courier services and therefore lacked the authority to ban them.

‘Rigged’ Jackpot

Lottery couriers allow players to choose their numbers and buy tickets via an app. The courier will fulfill the order by purchasing tickets through a licensed brick-and-mortar lottery retailer.

But their presence in Texas is controversial after several couriers helped a European syndicate to win a $95 million jackpot in April 2023.

The syndicate was able to buy up every possible combination of winning numbers – all 25.8 million – by coordinating with three lottery couriers that provided the means to process tickets on an industrial scale.

Texas law prohibits the sale of lottery tickets by telephone and online gambling is illegal. But lottery couriers claim a legal loophole because they merely provide a delivery service for lottery tickets.

After receiving a grilling from the state Senate Finance Committee in February, TLC indicated it would move to ban the courier industry and suspend the licenses of vendors that worked with it.

‘Not Inconsistent’ With Law

But in a meeting between then-Lottery Operations Director Ryan Mindell [later TLC chief executive] and Lotto.com CEO Tom Metzger in February 2021, Mindell “informed Lotto.com of exactly what steps it needed to take to get certification from the Texas Lottery that its business model was not inconsistent with Texas law,” Lotto.com claimed in its lawsuit.

In July 2021, Lotto.com submitted a request for a legal opinion from the Texas Lottery that its courier operations would not violate the law. Mindell replied that Lotto.com, as a courier, was not required to obtain a license and its operations did not breach the Texas penal code, according to the lawsuit.

From then on, TLC assisted and cooperated with Lotto.com and other couriers, according to the filing. This included working on the development of Lotto.com’s digital scratch product, which was launched in 2023.

“Now, over two years later, the Lottery is attempting to rewrite the history of its involvement,” claims the lawsuit.

Mindell resigned from his position as TLC executive director on Monday.