Texas Lottery Chief Resigns Amid Jackpot and Courier Controversy

A Sudden Exit

His resignation, announced without comment, comes as the agency faces two big investigations into jackpot integrity and courier services, ordered by Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“I think that when I became executive director, there were certainly things that I wanted to change about the tone, tenor, and approach of the agency,” Mindell said during a March House Licensing Committee hearing.

The move follows intense scrutiny over a $95 million 2023 jackpot and an $83 million February win, both tied to controversial practices.

Mindell’s exit, just days after his one-year anniversary, coincides with lawmakers’ threats to defund the TLC, which funnels $2 billion yearly to schools.

Sergio Rey, TLC’s CFO, steps in as acting director, with a new director search set for April 29, the same day a courier ban kicks in.

Jackpots Under Fire

The TLC’s troubles stem from two massive jackpots. In April 2023, Rook TX, a New Jersey entity, won $95 million by buying nearly 25 million Lotto Texas tickets.

A Houston Chronicle probe sparked fraud allegations, and a class-action lawsuit claims Rook TX colluded while TLC ignored money laundering.

The February 2025 $83 million win, bought via courier Jackpocket, is on hold pending probes. Lawmakers, like Senator Paul Bettencourt, grilled Mindell, hinting at manipulation.

Courier services, which buy tickets online for customers, are a sore spot. Texas law requires in-person purchases, but couriers like Jackpocket, handling $550 million in sales since 2019, skirted this.

Mindell, who once said TLC lacked authority to regulate couriers, banned them in February. The Coalition of Texas Lottery Couriers slammed him for making them “scapegoats” for TLC’s “questionable activities. The Senate passed a courier ban, but the House budget’s zero-funding threat looms larger.