Brightstar Lottery has secured a major new contract, and a very regulatory significant one in the US gambling after a huge saga played out in Texas this year.
The NYSE Lottery technology group has signed a two-year deal with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the newly appointed regulator of the Texas Lottery.
Brightstar will provide lottery technology and services to the Texas Lottery and the department overseeing it. The deal comes close to the end of a significant year for Brightstar, a year which marked a major turning point for its business.
The firm initiated a rebrand from its former identity of IGT back in June. This followed the divestment of IGT Gaming and Digital to Apollo Global Management, which continues to function under the name IGT.
Brightstar chose its new identity based on its new focus of working only with lotteries. It began moving quickly to maintain contracts held under its IGT operating era, such as with the Missouri Lottery, and the deal with the Texas Lottery continues this.
“Brightstar has a successful history of supporting the Texas Lottery, and we are pleased that our contract was extended,” said Scott Gunn, Brightstar Chief Operating Officer North America Lottery. “We look forward to continuing to work productively with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.”
New daws for Brightstar … and Texas
The past year has not just been a huge turning point for Brightsar but also for the lottery system in the state of Texas, which has been facing unprecedented regulatory and political scrutiny.
This all stemmed back to a 2023 incident in which a group of individuals bought over 99% of winning combinations to win a $95m jackpot. This buyout incident sparked scrutiny over the integrity of the Texas Lottery system, and in particular the role of couriers within it.
Piling on further pressure was an incident in February 2025 in which a woman won $83.5m from a ticket purchased via the Jackpocket.com lottery courier app, picked up at a store owned by DraftKings, owner of Jackpocket.com.
Concerns over the integrity of the lottery system led to extensive legislative debate, with some state politicians going as far as suggesting the abolition of the Texas Lottery – though given the lottery brings in over $2bn in state income each year this was always very unlikely.
Ultimately, the state government opted to take its wrath out on the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC), which was replaced as regulator by the TDLR in September.
The woman who won the $83.5m jackpot also ultimately secured a $46m settlement with the Texas Lottery, which had been withholding her winning ticket throughout the period of legislative scrutiny.
Brightstar Lottery’s partnership with the TDLR and Texas Lottery will run until 31 August 2028.
Brightstar – cash comes first
The Texas deal marks a significant commercial objective for Brightstar and its return as a standalone lottery technology supplier.
H2 trading saw Brightstar underline its new cash-generating efficiencies from global lottery contracts (tech and management), generating a period income of $93m – versus $46m losses recorded by 2024 comparatives.
Of significance, Brightstar CEO Vince Sadusky notes by year end trading Brightstar will have rewarded investors with $1bn cash reward, maintaining its first pledge as a “cash-rich and investor-first business.”