The Coalition of Texas Lottery Couriers (CTLC), a body representing the interests of lottery couriers in the Lone Star State, has released a statement regarding its products amid pushback from the state regulator. The CTLC refuted the Texas Lottery Commission’s (TLC) claims that its members may have violated 13 regulations, highlighting couriers’ compliance.
Lottery Couriers Did Not Advertise Illegally
According to the CLTC, couriers did not violate the prohibition on allowing players to play the lottery via telephone. This rule effectively requires all tickets to be bought in person. However, lottery couriers use an app and not phone calls, and all tickets are purchased by real lottery courier employees at licensed retailers. Therefore, there are no tickets sold via phone.
The CLTC added that couriers do not violate prohibitions on ads that unduly influence a person to purchase a lottery ticket. It added that lottery couriers have been operating legally and responsibly for years and that the TLC had never before expressed concerns about their ads.
The CLTC further denied the notion that couriers violate the prohibition on the purchase of a ticket by officers and employees of TLC vendors. It added that regulated couriers have better control of transactions than licensed retailers do.
In addition to that, the coalition denied that couriers violate the prohibition on selling tickets at a steeper price. It clarified that customers are required to pay a convenience fee for the service instead.
CTLC Says Members Did Not Violate Sale-Related Laws
The CTLC furthermore added that couriers do not violate the prohibition on the sale of tickets by an unauthorized person since they do not technically resell tickets. They also do not violate prohibitions on selling tickets at unauthorized locations since all orders placed through coalition members’ platforms are fulfilled at licensed lottery retailers.
Speaking of which, couriers do not violate prohibitions on the sale of lottery tickets on credit cards or via other unauthorized methods either. The CTLC clarified that its members only accept the payment methods approved by the Texas Lottery.
In addition to that, the CTLC refuted claims that its members sell tickets to underage customers and emphasized that all lottery couriers check the identities of their clients.
The Coalition Refutes Claims Its Members Facilitated Bulk Purchases
In the meantime, the CTLC said that couriers do not violate prohibitions on establishing a group purchase or pooling arrangement for financial gain either. Bulk purchases are currently prohibited and CTLC members have never engaged in the facilitation or fulfillment of such purchases.
The Coalition added that couriers do not violate prohibitions on influencing the selection of a winner of a lottery game and pointed out that its members have no mechanisms to influence the selection of a winner.
The CTLC continued that couriers do not violate the prohibitions on claiming a lottery prize by fraud and neither do they violate prohibitions on encouraging another person to assign or transfer the right to claim winnings.
Finally, the CTLC said that its members do not breach the rules on using an unauthorized quick response code to enter draw game plays. The coalition elaborated that couriers use IGT-developed QR codes generated by the Texas Lottery’s digital platform to generate the physical tickets customers have purchased.
The CTLC’s statement comes amid a strong pushback against lottery couriers amid fears that they undermine the integrity of state lotteries.