$200 million scandal rocks Texas Lottery as Greg Abbott orders investigation
A massive scandal involving the Texas Lottery has sparked an investigation after two high-stakes cases raised suspicions of foul play, including a $95 million prize in 2023 and a recent $83 million win.
Is the lottery in Texas, USA, coming to an end? That is the big question hanging over the residents of the southern state. The scandal centers around an investigation into two cases involving massive sums of money: the first, involving $95 million in 2023, where a group purchased 25 million lottery combinations and cashed in the check two months later; the second case, which has rocked the state of Texas, is related to a ticket purchased by a courier service company that won a prize worth $83 million at the beginning of 2025.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, along with the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton, has launched an investigation amid suspicions of irregularities. The authorities are investigating the integrity of these prizes and the procedures followed by the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) in handling the inclusion of courier companies that buy lottery tickets online for third parties. The scandal surrounding the Commission led to the resignation of its Executive Director, Ryan Mindell, on Monday, April 21.
Could Greg Abbott eliminate the lottery in Texas?
The scandal, which has been described as "the biggest theft from the people of Texas," has created an uncertain future for the state’s lottery system. Following the investigation initiated by Governor Greg Abbott and the Attorney General, the Lottery Commission denied any wrongdoing.
However, state legislators are pushing for changes to the Commission’s funding and even the possibility of abolishing it altogether. The investigation will continue until those responsible are identified.
By April 2025, the "mega scam" has prompted the government to take actions such as banning bulk ticket purchases in Texas and eliminating the TLC budget for two years starting in September.
These measures could lead to the program’s closure unless a compromise is reached. In the meantime, the Commission announced that a new executive director will be selected at its next meeting, scheduled for April 29.
What is known about the 2023 Texas Lottery Scam?
In 2023, a London-based consortium led by businessman Bernard Marantelli purchased nearly 25,800 Texas Lottery tickets at $1 each and won the grand prize of $95 million along with several secondary prizes.
Marantelli and his partners carried out the scam by gaining access to official lottery ticket printing terminals and using them for one day to print lottery tickets. The grand prize, one of the largest in the state’s history, was claimed two months later in April 2023 by a company registered in New Jersey, named Rook TX LP, according to an NBC report. The "lucky" winners decided to take the payment in a lump sum, receiving $57.8 million after tax deductions. "All applicable laws, rules, and regulations were followed," said Marantelli’s legal representative.