Is it game over for the Texas Lottery?

Comment #54

Scratch$ — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 05:30:17 GMT

Considering the fact that Texas easily has the 2nd largest population of all the states in the country, behind only California, they should be ranked #2 in jackpot payouts.

In scratch game payouts, they're lucky if they're in the top ten. Definitely an underperforming lottery for such a large state, which is one of the main reasons the legislature is scrutinizing them so carefully.

Comment #53

mikeintexas — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 23:50:25 GMT

From a few years ago, but I doubt much has changed:

The 10 States That Pay Out the Biggest Lottery Jackpots

Texas is #4. Here's a more recent one with a more current breakdown of where the money goes:

10 states with the biggest lotto jackpots

Comment #52

mikeintexas — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 21:41:03 GMT

I never play those high dollar scratch tickets, so I didn't compare against other states. OTOH, since you don't live in Texas, you don't have any true gripe about it, do you

Comment #51

Scratch$ — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 17:07:01 GMT

Quite a few Texas scratchers have weak payouts compared to other major state lotteries, considering the cost of the cards. Just one quick example:

Millionaires Club (Texas $50) 3 Top Prizes of 7.5M; 102 2nd Prizes of 10K.

World Class Millions (Mass $30) 4 Top Prizes of 15M; 36 2nd Prizes of 1M.

$10M Cash Spectacular (Georgia $30) 5 Top Prizes of $10M, 36 2nd Prizes of 1M.

The $50 Texas card doesn't pay nearly as well as the cheaper $30 cards from the other states. The 2nd prize... [ More ]

Comment #50

mikeintexas — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 18:00:42 GMT

What makes it mediocre ? Their % of prize allocations are in line with most states and better than some. The website was recently redesigned and while I liked the last version, this one loads fairly quickly (about the same as the N.C. site) and is easy to navigate. Other than the latest kerfuffle w/ the Texas ledg and lottery commission, I don't recall any huge controversy with the Texas Lottery - the head guy resigned ten yrs. or so ago over some miscalculation about a JP payout and around the... [ More ]

Comment #49

Scratch$ — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 04:40:09 GMT

One thing is for sure - the Texas Lottery needs to be better managed. It's really pretty mediocre for a state with such a large population. I checked out their website thoroughly and wasn't impressed.

Comment #48

mikeintexas — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 06:55:11 GMT

No, just tell them you won't vote for them in the next election and if they're not in your district, inform them that you will donate to their opponent's campaign.

I still maintain this is much ado about nothing - they bandied this about a few months back and after the outcry, dropped the idea like a hot potato. They have a LOT of money invested in the lottery infrastructure - all the promotions and lotto machines, to name a couple of things. As also has been noted, they'd have a significa... [ More ]

Comment #47

myturn — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 05:56:26 GMT

Tell them you will spend the money on other state lotteries

Comment #46

Hermanus104 — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 21:07:52 GMT

I have a hard time believing that the Texas Lottery will discontinue. Like most other lotteries, the Texas Lottery appears to be expanding its offerings: last year, they moved from drawing Pick 3 and Pick 4 from two times per day to four times per day ... but still nothing on Sundays. Revenue increased by $180 million from 2012 to 2013; I wonder to what level the two additional numbers games drawings affected the revenue increase.

Comment #45

myturn — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 09:02:23 GMT

If Texas scraps the state lottery, you can always play another state lottery.

The Massachusetts State Lottery offers a subscription service, which is open to all residents across the USA.

Players can subscribe over the phone and your Season Tickets will be mailed to you.

Players can purchase Season Tickets for 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months.

Comment #44

myturn — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 08:58:32 GMT

Comment #43

Stack47 — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 03:17:18 GMT

The lottery is just one of many Texas state agencies that is under review.

The bill was initially defeated 81-65, leading state Rep. Linda Harper Brown to declare from the dais that the lottery commission is gone. But concerns about how to replace the more than $2 billion budget hole that would create led to a new vote in which the lottery survived 92-53.

The lottery profit is after all the employees, vendors, agents, and retailers are paid so there is quite a bit more on the table than

Comment #42

ttech10 — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 02:49:45 GMT

You're right. I wonder how much money people spend on fast food instead of buying something like beans and rice? Or buying sodas instead of water? Owning and driving a car instead of taking public transport? If they want these people to have more money to do those things listed they would push those sources of money savers.

And not just catching Ebola, but also having missionaries that molest kids in orphanages. How about they fix their own issues before trying to force their ideals upon ever... [ More ]

Comment #41

mikeintexas — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:37:43 GMT

I don't know about that - I'm sure having to pay such a huge chunk of taxes would make just about anyone want a little more fiscal responsibility in the govt. that just sliced off a big percentage of their winnings. It's like that old saying A liberal is someone who has been arrested and a conservative is someone who has been mugged. IOW, your personal experiences help shape your belief systems.

I do want to correct you on one thing: ...more politically conservative, i.e Republican.... [ More ]

Comment #40

Tialuvslotto — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 11:33:31 GMT

I read a study done in the UK and Australia that says that winning the lottery makes you more politically conservative, i.e Republican. If that is true in America, the Dems wouldn't want any of their voters to win!

Winning the Lottery Makes you More Conservative

Comment #39

rcbbuckeye — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 23:40:02 GMT

I haven't thought of that, but I really don't think so. They actually voted to shut it down last year, then. ooops. Where do we make up the billion dollars???

I'm hopeful that cooler heads will prevail. Again.

Comment #38

Coin Toss — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 23:36:07 GMT

I'm not in Texas but wonder if this is a ploy to get people to play more....... to keep it going.

Disinformation .

Kind of a back door approach to you can't buy that kind of publicity.

Comment #37

Gleno — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 14:27:33 GMT

Could the folks running Texas be afraid that the common folks who win the lottery may become politically active and are perceived as threats by the Politicians?

Just asking.

Comment #36

Stack47 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 15:37:25 GMT

When the Texas Legislators created the law, they probably didn't think it would apply to their most successful state agency. Because of it, all the lottery opponents are coming out of the woodwork.

It's gobbling up folks' money that they could otherwise use to buy food, pay health insurance or send their kids to camp.

There are hundreds of different choices people make every day where the same thing could be said. The Legislators will posture about a number of things, but the bottom line... [ More ]

Comment #35

sully16 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 12:07:54 GMT

Soon as the elections are over, they will be done pandering to their base.

Comment #34

ttech10 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 10:15:30 GMT

I'd love to see how these folks would respond to the idea that if the Lottery was ended that to make up the money, they would need to start taxing their churches. I can't imagine how quickly they would backtrack their statements that the lottery hasn't delivered.

Comment #33

mikeintexas — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 02:42:15 GMT

I banged that out a little faster than I should have b/c I was annoyed. I also meant to add that Ms. Pink Tennies got fewer votes in the primary than any Democratic gubernatorial nominee since 1998. She failed to carry several of the traditionally Democrat Rio Grande Valley counties, the only one to do so in 20 yrs. and even lost counties Obama had won. Her one-trick-pony platform of killing more non-white babies isn't winning any support amongst the mostly devout Catholic Hispanic voters as she... [ More ]

Comment #32

Piaceri — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 00:10:01 GMT

Exactly!

If the Democrats turn Texas blue, it is game over. Increased taxes, increased regs on the energy industry, etc etc etc. Forget the little bit the poor put into the lottery. That money will be gone paying to the state. What we've got makes a robust economy, even good during economic downturns. The last time Texas was hit hard by a recession the Democrats were running the state. The poor get poorer, the rich get richer, and the middle class sinks to poverty.

Texas Lottery isn't goin... [ More ]

Comment #31

mikeintexas — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:49:21 GMT

I hope Wendy Davis blow that jerk off out the water come November.

Uh, seen the latest polls? The last one I looked at had Abbott w/ a 17 point lead, a lead which has been climbing steadily since the primaries. He also has a campaign fund that is three times that of Abortion Barbie's. (granted, a lot of Abbott's money comes from big business, but most of Wendy's comes from out-of-state) While Abbott isn't the candidate I wanted (or voted for in the primary), Davis' whining, lies about her... [ More ]

Comment #30

KKLK$DAY7 — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:37:58 GMT

PiaI totally agree with you about the politicians trying to regulate our personal decisions.

Rob Kober need to just find him a job. The churches takes more money from the poor more than any habit they have i.e 10% of their income, The IRS already tax my income. I AM GOING TO MAKE A PREDICTION THAT ONE OF THESE IDIOTS INVOLVE IN THIS HAS PLANS TO BUILD A CASINO HERE IN TEXAS OR LEGALIZE ALL THESE MOM AND POP'S GAME ROOM RACKET THEY HAVE GOING ON.

Greg Abott is mostly likely to build a casi... [ More ]

Comment #29

rcbbuckeye — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:31:16 GMT

I live just off I-35 North of Fort Worth.

Yeah, I thought about the extra taxes. I'm with ya, really can't see them shutting it down. Money talks and BS walks.

Comment #28

mikeintexas — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 03:28:18 GMT

I hear ya,man. You live up in N. Texas, don't you? I am about sixty miles or so from the OK state line, so I guess I would have to make the RT trek every ten drawings/ five weeks.

I still doubt they'll end it.

EDIT: Just dawned on me - if you won, you'd have to pay out an extra 5.5%, think it is. I wouldn't want to pay that, but...I wouldn't cry about it if I did.

Comment #27

rcbbuckeye — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 03:01:21 GMT

Well, it will be Dec 1 before the committee has to report their findings. Plenty of time for me to hit it big and retire. LOL.

And if not, and Texas no longer has a lottery, then Oklahoma becomes my lottery state.

Comment #26

jimmy4164 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 23:06:54 GMT

Since the main objection seems to be that low income people spend too much on lotteries, why not change the games to target millionaires? For example, replace the traditional 50c/$1 daily Pick-3 game with The Daily GetAway. They could play up the fact that a win in this game would easily pay for a couple weeks of gambling in exotic places like Vegas, Macao, or even Monte Carlo! The game would look much like the original, with the exception that the price of a straight ticket would be upped to $5... [ More ]

Comment #25

SergeM — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 19:36:02 GMT

Instead of taking taxes on the games, justifying the toleration by taking more money from the players, they should eliminate all taxes and maximize the payouts. The lottery should not be a money machine for itself or anyone else, but the players. The solution is to guarantee best payouts, mainly in the smaller prices. The weakest play to win, let them win.

Comment #24

mikeintexas — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 19:30:30 GMT

'Zactly and I deleted a comment that explained that to him b/c I decided it wasn't worth explaining it to him. No need to buy someone books if all they're going to do is chew the covers off 'em.

I have absolutely zero love f/ Perry, but as you've pointed out, he has nothing to do with this.

Comment #23

rcbbuckeye — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 19:20:58 GMT

Actually, Rick Perry has nothing to do with this. It the Texas LEGISLATURE.

Comment #22

mikeintexas — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 19:14:49 GMT

The Dumbest State in America: West Virginia

Comment #21

blackjack26241 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 18:42:54 GMT

Even Texas isn't dumb enough to get rid of over 4 billion dollars a year in revene ! Rick Perry isn't that dumb , well maybe he is

Comment #20

mypiemaster — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 18:42:54 GMT

If Texans are willing to bend over for politicians, they are bound to get screwed. Seriously they should throw all those politicians out of office, the first opportunity they get. Sadly, we know that's not going to happen, because the moment those same politicians, throw out these words, ..Libs, Dems, RINO, Repubs,Tea P etc to the public, they tend to forget what they are supposedly fighting for and start fighting each other.

Comment #19

Goteki54 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 17:21:29 GMT

I can't STAND POLITICIANS!!!!!!!! The VOTERS wanted the lottery in Texas, they voted on the issue to approve it!!, but leave it to a bunch of elitist in the Texas Legislature to take it upon themselves to believe they know what's best for the hapless souls of Texas. Their so called logic is so flawed! They say that the Texas Lottery financially hurts the most vulnerable right? So how would raising taxes to try and offset the lost revenue not also financially hurt the most vulnerable ? The Texas... [ More ]

Comment #18

mikeintexas — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 17:17:59 GMT

some of the bible thumpers down here get their panties in a knot

I'm not defending religious groups wanting to abolish the lottery, CT, but it should be noted that one of the more vocal opponents of the lottery is the Texas chapter of the NAACP. They're the ones saying it's a tax on the poor and discriminates against minorities .

I'm not too worried about it; if 60%+ of the voters wanted the lottery in '91 (voting for an amendment to the Texas Constitution), I don't see how that numb... [ More ]

Comment #17

rcbbuckeye — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 17:07:56 GMT

Boy, ain't that the truth.

Comment #16

Piaceri — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 16:50:37 GMT

Can we send the rest of the Katrina refugees, too? We can bring some with each charter bus headed to the casinos. We need room for our new Central American 'refugees'.

Comment #15

PrisonerSix — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 16:15:55 GMT

That is how Louisiana got its lottery, the legislature, even those opposed, decided to put it on the ballot and let the people decide, and 61% of us said yes. If Texas decides to shut down its lottery, Louisiana is more than happy have the money, we were before Texas started a lottery, and our casinos are happy to take Texas money too.

Comment #14

rcbbuckeye — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 13:21:46 GMT

The same could be said for taxes.

Comment #13

CDanaT — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 13:10:20 GMT

Pia, I agree 110%.....but alas, some of the bibe thumpers down here get their panties in a knot

Looking at the chart above and revenue generated makes clear sense why you would want to do that? Don't those idiots in Austin have more pressing issues to deal with than a voluntary revenue generator that puts more and more $$ in the kitty every year ?

Guess a few would rather force more taxes down everyones throat, then have the lottery that gives them a chance to get something back... I... [ More ]

Comment #12

lottolaughs — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 12:43:01 GMT

It's gobbling up folks' money that they could otherwise use to buy food, pay health insurance or send their kids to camp.

This is kinda lame. The same could be said for any lottery.

Comment #11

sully16 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 12:13:07 GMT

Exactly.

Comment #10

savagegoose — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 12:10:52 GMT

a pick 3 paying 900 not 500 would help the poor more than what these twits can come up with

Comment #9

Piaceri — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 12:08:22 GMT

Actually, it's too much common sense for politicians. The govt actually did it's job with the Sunset Review Commission who gave the Texas Lottery a go-ahead with a few organization changes. This is strictly politicians who think they know what's best for us little people who don't have enough sense to make our own decisions.

This is the part of politics I despise more than anything. Who are these people that think they can regulate and make our personal decisions? This isn't costing the state... [ More ]

Comment #8

JonnyBgood07 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 11:31:17 GMT

Put removal on the ballot. If the voters still want it, then keep it. Govt can't regulate what people do with their own money. If that money is not spent in Texas, it spends in OK or LA

You'd think the issue should be that simple...that's too much common sense for local or state govts.

Comment #7

Tialuvslotto — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 11:13:41 GMT

Agreed. Do these dudes in Austin think that the numbers won't make a resurgence if the lottery goes away? Except the $$$ will go to criminals rather than to the state.

Winning the lottery is all some people have to hope for in their lives.

Comment #6

LottoMetro — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 04:58:11 GMT

I was thinking the same thing. Getting rid of a lottery doesn't get rid of the players and their interest. They will just take their money elsewhere.

Comment #5

Piaceri — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 04:36:14 GMT

Good grief. Leave it alone already. Texas voters voted the lottery in with a 3/5 vote. Put removal on the ballot. If the voters still want it, then keep it. Govt can't regulate what people do with their own money. If that money is not spent in Texas, it spends in OK or LA. Already billions of Texas dollars go into the casinos in OK LA.

The Sunset Committee review recommended continuance with some minor changes. This attack by the legislature is purely govt regulation of individual private ch... [ More ]

Comment #4

Stack47 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 04:10:17 GMT

Some believe the lottery was a trick and the state of Texas was sold a bag of goods that hasn't delivered, said Rob Kohler, a consultant with the Dallas-based Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which opposes gambling.

This is just one of several groups either believing they could run the lottery much better or believe the lottery should be abolished all together. In January the lottery commission purposed a Keno type game called Texas Triple Chance which opp... [ More ]

Comment #3

spartan1707 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 03:10:08 GMT

With over a Billion in sales and given to the state for state run programs. Only those who are not on the take will push this issue period! Those state reps who are given hush money aka funding for reelection will oppose it this who want it will say it hurts poor people. Then say how are you gonna replace a billion dollar aid for programs

Comment #2

mypiemaster — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:49:49 GMT

You can never hold Texas down

I don't see anybody holding a gun to anybody's head and demanding that they play the lottery. It's a matter of choice.

Comment #1

MADDOG10 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:48:48 GMT

I'd love to see this committee squirm, when they ask where they're going to replace the Billion dollars that the lottery generates.

Is it game over for the Texas Lottery?

Lottery Post — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:31:25 GMT

Some Texas lawmakers say it may be time to scratch out the lottery.

More than two decades after Texas voters legalized the game of chance in the state, a group of lawmakers will soon start reviewing whether to end at multibillion-dollar industry that pumps more than $1 billion a year into schools.

Critics say they fear that the game financially hurts some of the most vulnerable Texans and doesn't do enough to help the state. Supporters disagree and question where $1 billion a year can be f... [ More ]