The Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) has announced that Ryan Mindell, Executive Director, is stepping down with immediate effect.
This was shared by Robert Rivera, Chairman of the Commission, who added that Sergio Ray, acting Chief Financial Officer, will serve as the Deputy Executive Director until the Commission discusses potential replacements at its meeting on April 29.
In fact, this date holds additional significance, as it is when the TLC is expected to officially enforce a ban on lottery couriers from the state. What’s interesting is that while Rivera left out the exact reason for Mindell’s leave, it is viable to assume that lottery couriers are somehow embroiled in this.
Controversy magnet
Lottery couriers offer to buy tickets from retail locations on behalf of their customers – a service that was allowed to flourish by the Texas state back in 2019 under then-serving TLC Director Gary Grief.
This practice has seen some controversy, however. Criticism of couriers ramped up in 2023 when a group of wealthy individuals spent $25m on a bulk order to cover all possible combinations, eventually winning the Texas $95m jackpot.
Suspicions of foul play further intensified when in February 2025, a lottery courier service drew a major winning ticket for a customer from a Texas retail location it actually owns. While no foul play has yet been identified and the possibility of this being a coincidence remains, the legality and transparency of lottery couriers are now leading daily discussions.
TLC launched an investigation into the case, but it might’ve been too little too late, as Texas lawmakers’ trust in the Commission was already shaken, evident from the recent Texas budget vote setting aside $0 for TLC funding.
In addition, rising political scrutiny saw two counter-investigations into the TLC being launched in February.
The first one is led by Attorney General Ken Paxton and his office, investigating whether any federal laws have been broken by TLC regarding the two wins mentioned earlier.
The second, more major investigation, was ordered directly by Texas Governor Greg Abbott who requested the Texas Rangers, Department of Public Safety, to investigate TLC’s dealings with lottery couriers all the way back to 2016.
This fallout saw Clark Smith, an ex-TLC Commissioner, abandon ship the same month of February.
Grief, although retiring in February 2024 after a 14-year tenure, was still subject to a lot of scrutiny. In a report into the TLC, the Sunset Commission – a state agency that reviews the efficiency of other Texas state agencies – said that Grief “seemed quite comfortable operating in the gray areas of the State Lottery Act”.
Most notably, the report stated that Grief had inculcated “TLC lacks authority” as the standard response on the topic of regulating couriers, despite the State Lottery Act granting the Commission “broad authority to exercise strict control and close supervision” over all lottery operations in the state. This meant that lottery couriers were left to self-regulate.
Rivera, the same person who announced Mindell’s departure, said this about Grief prior to his retirement: “Gary leaves an indelible legacy of growth and excellence at the Texas Lottery. His leadership, passion, and dedication have been instrumental in advancing our mission. We thank him for his outstanding service and wish him a fulfilling retirement.”
Interestingly, the Sunset Commission also highlighted that Mindell had raised concerns about Grief’s decisions on several occasions, on which Grief “chose not to act on”.
A key difference in Grief’s and Mindell’s governing of the TLC is namely the change of attitude towards lottery couriers. While Grief had previously said that the Commission had no authority to comment on the space, Mindell released an official policy statement confirming that the TLC will work towards the prohibition of such services in Texas.
However, given his sudden departure from the Commission, it remains to be seen whether this promise will come into fruition.
Couriers respond
Meanwhile, lottery couriers have responded to Mindell’s resignation. The Coalition of Texas Lottery Couriers accused him of “abruptly changing his mind” in favour of a ban after ‘years of denial’ that the TLC had such authority.
The group also directly blamed him for the 2023 $95m jackpot buyout incident.
“Under Mindell’s watch, the agency (TLC) inaccurately and unfairly allowed lottery couriers to become the scapegoat for its own questionable activities, including providing lottery terminals to an international syndicate that gamed the system and won a $95m jackpot in April 2023,” the statement said.
In light of his resignation, the couriers coalition is now calling for a restart in the communication with the TLC, which it said is hoping to finally establish a regulatory framework that protects lottery couriers and their customers alike.