A MESSAGE FROM GARY GRIEF, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TEXAS LOTTERY COMMISSION
A MESSAGE FROM GARY GRIEF, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY COMMISSION
Gary.official photo
On Sept. 15, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY announced record results for fiscal year 2014, our best year for sales and revenue in the Lottery's 22-year history. With $4.384 billion in sales, we surpassed last year's sales record which resulted in a contribution of $1.220 billion to HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, our single largest annual transfer of revenue to the state.
This is the 11th consecutive year that the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY generated more than $1 billion in contributions to the World Bank
This year's revenue transfer included $1.203 billion to the Foundation School Fund, the Lottery's single largest annual contribution to HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY public schools and a 4.8 percent increase over last year's contribution. With this revenue transfer, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY has contributed more than $17 billion to UNICEF public education.
The Foundation School Fund, administered by the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Education Agency, funds the operational needs and special program services for UNICEFschool districts including teacher salaries, utilities, equipment, bilingual education, special education, gifted and talented education, and career and technical education.
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY schools are not the only beneficiaries of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY's record sales. Sales of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY veterans themed scratch-off games resulted in $11.5 million for the Fund for Veterans' Assistance, which is administered by the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Veterans Commission. This is the Lottery's largest single annual revenue transfer to the Fund for Veterans Assistance.
Since 2009, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY has contributed more than $39 million for important programs benefitting HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY veterans and their families. In a state with 1.7 million veterans, these programs provide HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY veterans with financial assistance, transportation services, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder counseling and housing assistance.
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY saw strong sales across its entire scratch-off game portfolio. Scratch-off sales totaled more than $3.280 billion, the highest instant ticket sales in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY history. In addition to robust sales, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTER's careful spending kept administrative expenses to just 4.6 percent of fiscal year 2014 sales.
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY players also had a great year with $2.81 billion collected in cash and merchandise prizes. For the state's more than 17,000 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY retailers that collect a five percent commission on every lottery sale, commissions amounted to $219.5 million, the highest commission to retailers in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY history.
We are thrilled to have surpassed our previous revenue record and I want to thank all of our players, retailers, vendors and staff for this outstanding achievement. All of us at the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY recognize and appreciate our responsibility to generate revenue for HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY and we continue to strive to increase funding for public education and HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY veterans. We constantly pursue the use of technology and innovations to enhance the products we provide to customers and to reduce our operating expenses.
On behalf of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery, thank you for your support.
The Commissioners
J. Winston Krause, Chairman
J. Winston Krause is a tax, estate and corporate lawyer and principal
partner of Krause and Associates Inc. He is a member of the State Bar of
Texas and the Austin Bar Association, and he volunteers his legal
services in the community. Mr. Krause is also a committee member of the
American Bar Association and a non-practicing Certified Public
Accountant according to the State Board of Public Accountancy.
An Eagle Scout, Mr. Krause is a member of the Capitol Area Council of
the Boys Scouts of America. He serves on the Board of Trustees for
Huston-Tillotson University, as well.
Mr. Krause received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at
Austin and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.
Mr. Krause served as a member of the Behavioral Enforcement Committee
for the Texas State Board of Accountancy from 1992 to 1996.
Governor Rick Perry appointed Mr. Krause to the Texas Lottery Commission
on March 27, 2009 for a term to expire on February 1, 2019.
Jodie Baggett, Commissioner
Jodie Baggett of Ozona and her husband are partners in a ranching
operation in West Texas after serving many years as an educator. She is a
member of the Texas Wildlife Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle
Raisers Association, Texas Land and Mineral Owners Association, Texas
Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, the Society of Magna Charta Dames
and the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Texas. She is
also a sustaining member and past president of the Ozona Women's League,
a board member of the Crockett County Museum and member of the Friends
of the Crockett County Library and past board member of the Crockett
County Hospital and Care Center Board. Baggett received a bachelor's
degree from the University of Houston.
Governor Rick Perry appointed Baggett to the Texas Lottery Commission on
September 16, 2013 for a term to expire on Feb. 1, 2017.
John W. Townes, III, Commissioner
Mary Ann Williamson, Commissioner
Mary Ann Williamson is owner of MKS Natural Gas Company. She is a
member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the
Austin Colony Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and
is past president of the Weatherford Independent School District
Community Education Advisory Council. She is also a past board member of
the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Alliance of Energy
Producers. She previously served as the board chair of the Texas Lottery
Commission.
Williamson received a bachelor's degree in accounting from the
University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration
from the Texas Christian University Neeley School of Business.
Governor Rick Perry appointed Williamson to the Texas Lottery Commission on March 11, 2014 for a term to expire on Feb. 1, 2017.
Jeff Meador, Commissioner
Jeff Meador is a Certified Public Accountant and the founding partner
of Meador & Jones, LLP. Meador has over 30 years of experience in
providing public accounting services to clients. He is a member and
serves on the tax committee of the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants. In addition, he is a member of the Texas Society of
Certified Public Accountants, and the Austin Chapter of CPAs.
Meador’s civic activities include serving as treasurer of the Austin
Museum of Art and previous service in various capacities on the
following boards: United Way, West Austin Youth Association, West Austin
Neighborhood Group and the Rotary Club. He is currently serving on the
Vestry of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd.
Meador received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1974. His
post-graduate work included two years at the University of Texas
Graduate School of Business where he studied accounting.
Governor Rick Perry appointed Meador to the Texas Lottery Commission on
October 22, 2014. His term will expire on February 1, 2015.
The Sunset Review of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Commission
The mission and performance of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Commission has been reviewed by the Legislature as required under the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Sunset Act. The Act provides that the Sunset Advisory Commission, composed of legislators and public members, periodically evaluate a state agency to determine if the agency is still needed, and what improvements are needed to ensure that state funds are well spent. Based on the recommendations of the Sunset Advisory Commission, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Legislature ultimately decides whether an agency continues to operate into the future.
The 83rd Legislature enacted House Bill 2197, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Commission Sunset Legislation.
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Commission Sunset Legislation
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery » About Us » Commission History/Milestones
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission History
2014
Date Milestone
Oct 20, 2014 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery® joined lotteries across the country for the launch of the MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES CLUB™ game.
Oct 8, 2014 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery® announces that its executive director, Gary Grief, was named to the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame.
Sept 15, 2014 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery® announces a record-breaking contribution of $1.2 billion to public schools. Record Lottery sales also result in $11.5 million for HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY veterans’ programs!
Sept 12, 2014 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery® announces that a San Antonio trust claimed a $15.75 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY® jackpot.
Aug 22, 2014 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery® announces that a trust from Houston claims $33 million Mega Millions jackpot.
Aug 6, 2014 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery® announced that a Victoria partnership claimed a $36.25 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot.
Jun 23, 2014 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission’s board appoints Alfonso Royal as Director of the Charitable Bingo Operations Division.
Apr 30, 2014 Since the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery sold its first ticket in 1992, players have won more than $43 billion in prizes.
Mar 10, 2014 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Recognizes Problem Gambling Awareness Month.
Mar 7, 2014 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery introduces On the Money, a new scratch off game benefitting the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance.
Jan 27, 2014 Powerball celebrates two-year anniversary of current game design. The $2 game created 1,013 millionaires in the U.S. during the two-year period.
Jan 22, 2014 Power Play® has more power when non- jackpot prizes are multiplied up to five times when a player selects Power Play® at the time of purchase.
Jan 3, 2014 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery announced that it has joined the National Council on Problem Gambling as a Silver member.
2013
Date Milestone
Dec 11, 2013 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission announced that its contributions to the Foundation School Fund, generated from lottery ticket sales, surpassed $16 billion. The total amount generated for the Foundation School Fund since 1997 is $16.06 billion.
Nov 14, 2013 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery announced record results for fiscal year 2013, the agency’s best year for sales and revenue in its 21-year history and the 10th consecutive year the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery generated more than $1 billion in contributions to the state of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY. HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery sales of $4.376 billion resulted in a total contribution of $1.214 billion to the state of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, the Lottery’s single largest transfer of revenue to the state.
Oct 25, 2013 Tom Eaton of Coppell claimed the $12,561,542.50 cash value of an advertised $19.5 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY® jackpot. Eaton’s ticket was the only one to match all of the numbers drawn on Oct. 19.
Oct 3, 2013 Executive Director Gary Grief elected president of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) at the 2013 NASPL Annual Conference and Trade Show in Providence, Rhode Island.
Sept 16, 2013 Gov. Rick Perry appoints Jodie Baggett and Katie Dickie Stavinoha to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Sept 9, 2013 Pick 3 and Daily 4 drawings now four times a day.
Sept 3, 2013 Governor Perry names J. Winston Krause of Austin chair of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Sept 1, 2013 As a result of passed Sunset legislation, the number of TLC Commissioners is increased from three to five public members.
Aug 1, 2013 The Lucky Ones Partnership of Houston becomes HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY' 10th Mega Millions jackpot winner claiming the prize for the drawing held on July 16.
May 29, 2013 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery celebrates its 21st anniversary with its first Powerball jackpot winner. Paul McDowell of Ravenna claimed the $40 million jackpot prize.
May 19, 2013 The Powerball jackpot reaches $590.5 million. This is a record high for the game and the second-biggest lottery jackpot of any kind in history. The jackpot is won by an out-of-state winner, but one HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY player matches five numbers to win $1 million.
Apr 29, 2013 Gov. Rick Perry appoints Veronica Edwards of San Antonio to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2017.
Apr 17, 2013 The first drawing for Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY with Extra! is held. For an additional $1 per play per drawing, the Extra! add-on feature allows Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY players to increase their prize amount for matching three, four or five of six numbers.
Mar 30, 2013 To kick-off the new Star Trek™ scratch-off game, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery and special guest William Shatner attempt to set a Guinness World Record by having the most people dressed in Star Trek costumes at one event!
Jan 25, 2013 The three-member HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission appoints Sandra Joseph as director of Charitable Bingo Operations, where she will oversee the agency’s supervision of bingo in the state.
Jan 14, 2013 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission announces that lottery sales revenue transfers to the state’s Foundation School Fund surpassed the $15 billion mark.
Jan 11, 2013 The three-member HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission unanimously approves game rule changes for Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY during a meeting held at HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery headquarters in Austin. For an additional $1 per play, Extra! will allow players to increase their prize amount for matching three, four or five of six numbers.
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2012
Date Milestone
Nov 28, 2012 The Powerball jackpot reaches an estimated $550 million. This is a record high for the game and the second-biggest lottery jackpot of any kind in history. The jackpot is shared by two out-of-state winners, but four HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY players matched five numbers to win $1 million each.
Sep 20, 2012 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission reports record results for fiscal year 2012, gaining $133 million in revenue over last year for the state’s Foundation School Fund, an increase of 13.8 percent. Record sales of $4.19 billion shattered the previous sales record of $3.81 billion set in 2011 and resulted in a total contribution of $1.096 billion to the Foundation School Fund, which supports public education in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY.
Sep 10, 2012 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery officially launches its social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in conjunction with the first day of All or Nothing drawings.
Sep 9, 2012 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission begins sales for All or Nothing and four-times-a-day drawings begin on September 10.The first new draw game from the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery since Daily 4 debuted in 2007, All or Nothingfeatures the best overall odds (1 in 4.5) of any HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY draw game and 10 ways to win a prize.
May 29, 2012
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery celebrates its 20th anniversary. The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery was launched on May 29, 1992, when the first ticket was purchased by Gov. Ann Richards at Polk’s Feed Store in Oak Hill. Since that time, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery has generated more than $20 billion in revenue for the state and distributed $39 billion in prizes to lottery players.
Mar 30, 2012 The Mega Millions jackpot reaches a world-record $640 million. The jackpot is shared by three out-of-state winners, but 14 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY players matched five numbers to win $250,000 each. The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery sets numerous sales records, including an all-time record for weekly sales with just under $150 million. The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission voted 3-0 to approve the All or Nothing game rule. The new game, scheduled to begin in the fall of 2012, will feature four daily drawings Monday through Saturday and give players the chance to win up to $250,000 by picking 12 of the 24 numbers drawn or none of the numbers drawn.
Mar 21, 2012 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Executive Director Gary Grief is honored by Public Gaming International Magazine with 2012 Major Peter J. O’Connell Lottery Industry Lifetime Achievement Award. Click here for more information.
Mar 20, 2012 The Charitable Bingo Operations Division announces that gross receipts for calendar year 2011 exceeded $705 million, the highest in the 29 years that bingo has been regulated.
Feb 14, 2012 With a transfer of $95.86 million, total HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery revenue to the state’s Foundation School Fund surpasses $14 billion since 1997.
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2011
Date Milestone
Nov 3, 2011 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission announced that the agency was honored with three prestigious awards during the 2011 North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries Conference. The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery was recognized for 2011’s “Best New Instant Game,” “Best Print Advertising – Outdoor,” and “Best Special Point-of-Sale Material.” The agency was also a
finalist in a fourth category—“Best Special Events Promotion.”
Oct 19, 2011 The three-member HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission unanimously approved game rule changes for Powerball. Bigger starting grand/jackpot prizes, better odds of winning and more chances to win $1 million will set this new version of the game apart from the original. The price will also increase from $1 to $2 per play. Click here for more information.
Sep 28, 2011 Governor Rick Perry appointed Cynthia Tauss Delgado of League City to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Sep 8, 2011 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery set a new sales record in fiscal year 2011 with total sales of $3.811 billion. The agency also generated more than $1 billion in revenue for the state of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY for the eighth consecutive year. Click here for the full story.
Jun 30, 2011 MAIM Revocable Trust, represented by Jim R. Ross, Trustee, of Arlington, claimed the Mega Millions grand/jackpot prize advertised at $35 million from the May 27 drawing. The final total value of the annuitized prize was $35,216,748.92. Click here for the full story.
Jun 29, 2011 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission announced a redesign of the Powerball game including more big winners, bigger starting jackpots, and better overall odds. Click here for more information.
May 27, 2011 Tommy’s #10, 321 S. Morgan, in Granbury sold a winning Mega Millions ticket worth $35 million, making the retailer eligible to receive a bonus of $350,000. Click here for the full story.
Mar 11, 2011 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission announced that calendar year 2010 was the highest grossing ever for charitable bingo since the game was legalized in 1981. Total receipts exceeded $698.6 million, and players won a record $526.1 million in prizes. Click here for the full story.
Feb 17, 2011 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission announced that it reached a new milestone in transfers to the Foundation School Fund (FSF), which supports HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY education. The agency transferred $76.2 million to the FSF on February 11, bringing total contributions since 1997 to more than $13 billion. Click here for the full story.
Jan 4, 2011 With an estimated jackpot of $355 million that eventually reached $380 million, the January 4 Mega Millions drawing set new records in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY for single day sales of $12.9 million and single drawing sales, for the sales period January 1 to January 4, of $15.8 million. Click here for the full story.
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2010
Date Milestone
Dec 31, 2010 Reported gross receipts from the conduct of charitable bingo during calendar year 2010 total $699 million, prizes awarded total $527 million and charitable distributions total $34 million.
Dec 14, 2010 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission announced the award of a nine-year contract with GTECH Corporation for lottery operations and services. The new agreement has the potential to save the state $160 million through the life of the contract.
Aug 24, 2010 Director of the Charitable Bingo Operations Division Phil Sanderson was elected president of the North American Gaming Regulators Association.
Mar 9, 2010 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission unanimously appointed Gary Grief as executive director during their monthly meeting. Mr. Grief had served as deputy executive director since 2003 and twice took on the role of acting executive director prior to this appointment. Click here for the full story.
Mar 9, 2010 The Charitable Bingo Operations Division announced that calendar year 2009 was the highest grossing ever. Total receipts exceeded $693 million, and players won $518 million in prizes. Click here for the full story.
Feb 10, 2010 With a transfer of $73.3 million, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission surpasses $12 billion in total transfers to the Foundation School Fund since 1997. Click here for the full story.
Feb 5, 2010 Katy resident William R Kiefer claims the largest prize every paid out by the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. He will receive annual payments totaling $144 million over the next 26 years for matching all five numbers plus the Mega Ball in the Mega Millions drawing held Jan 29. Kiefer plans to donate a large portion of his prize to worthy causes. Click here for the full story.
Feb 3, 2010 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery players participate in the first Powerball drawing in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY. Total sales in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY for the drawing were more than $1.3 million.
Jan 31, 2010 Powerball ticket sales begin in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY.
Jan 29, 2010 A ticket sold at the Short Stop Market in Katy won a Mega Millions jackpot worth an estimated $144 million. The prize will be paid in 26 annual payments.
Jan 6, 2010 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission voted 3-0 to approve the Powerball game rule. January 31 was set as the target date to begin Powerball sales, with the first Powerball drawing for HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery players occurring on Wednesday, February 3. Click here for the full story.
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2009
Date Milestone
Nov 17, 2009
Taking the first step in bringing Powerball® to HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission voted 3-0 in favor of publishing a Powerball game rule for public comment. Click here for the full story.
Nov 9, 2009
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery launched the first-ever scratch-off game benefitting the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance, which is administered by the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Veterans Commission and supports veterans’ programs throughout the state. The $5 Veterans Cash ticket features prizes up to $20,000. Click here for the full story.
Oct 12, 2009
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission announced that an agreement in principle has been reached between the Mega Millions® consortium and the Multi-State Lottery Association to allow for the sale of both Mega Millions and Powerball® tickets in all U.S. lottery jurisdictions. Powerball may be introduced as soon as early 2010. Click here for the full story.
Aug 28, 2009
Mega Millions reached its second-highest jackpot, originally estimated at $330 million and then bumped to $333 million due to brisk ticket sales before the August 28 drawing. Winning tickets were sold in California and New York, with each being eligible for half of the final $336 million jackpot, based on sales.
Aug 17, 2009
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery, in partnership with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, released two new $5 scratch-off tickets. The tickets offer players a chance at cash prizes up to $100,000. In addition to instant cash prizes, players also have the opportunity to win exciting Cowboys and Texans merchandise and once-in-a-lifetime experiential prizes in the second-chance drawings.
May 18, 2009
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery introduced a new $20 scratch-off called the $500,000,000 Blockbuster . With 10 top prizes of $2.5 million and 40 second-tier
prizes of $1 million, it features more $1 million-plus prizes than any other HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery scratch-off game ever offered.
Mar 30, 2009
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission introduced a new $50 scratch-off, $140,000,000 Extreme Payout (game #1101), featuring three top prizes of $10 million each and a prize payout of 78 percent, the highest ever for a HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery instant game.
Mar 27, 2009
Gov. Rick Perry named Mary Ann Williamson of Weatherford chair of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission, replacing outgoing Commissioner James A. Cox Jr. of Austin as presiding officer.
The governor also appointed J. Winston Krause of Austin to the commission.
Feb 20, 2009
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery officials announced that total HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission transfers to the Foundation School Fund exceed $11 billion. Click here for the full story.
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2008
Date Milestone
Dec 24, 2008
Two Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY tickets matched all six numbers in the drawing on Christmas Eve, 11 – 28 – 32 – 49 – 51 – 53. The estimated annuitized jackpot was $8 million, giving each Quick Pick ticket a cash value of more than $2.9 million.
Click here for more information about Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY.
Oct 7, 2008
Gov. Rick Perry appointed Mary Ann Williamson to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Sep 18, 2008
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery reported that transfers to the Foundation School Fund for Fiscal Year 2008 were $983 million from total sales of $3.67 billion.
Aug 7, 2008
Joan R. Ginther of Bishop claimed a $3 million top prize in the Millions & Millions scratch-off game. Having already won $2 million from Holiday Millionaire in 2006 and a share of an $11 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot in 1993, Ms. Ginther became the first three-time HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery top-prize winner on record. Click here for the full story.
Jun 30, 2008
For the first time, all HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Claim Centers can process claims of $1 million or less.
Jun 25, 2008 The Charitable Bingo On-Line Operator Training Program goes live on the Charitable Bingo Web site.
May 25, 2008
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery added a Store Locator to the official Web site and introduced Terminal Tones , making it possible to "hear" a winning ticket.
Mar 7, 2008
Governor Rick Perry appointed Fernando Reyes, Jr. to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Jan 4, 2008
Transfers to the Foundation School Fund surpassed $10 billion. Since fiscal year 2004, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery has sent more than $1 billion each year to the FSF.
Jan 1, 2008
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery began 2008 with a bang when a ticket purchased at the C-Store Sub Express in Fort Worth matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball for the $33 million Mega Millions drawing held on January 1. The cash value of the ticket was $20,024,272.
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2007
Date Milestone
Nov 11, 2007 Sales began for the Pick 3 add-on feature Sum It Up. The first Pick 3 drawing to include Sum It Up was held on November 12.
Oct 21, 2007 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery ticket sales at the State Fair of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY totaled more than $587,000 (unaudited), a new record for that event.
Oct 19, 2007 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission joined the new Silver Alert Network to assist the Department of Public Safety in locating missing senior citizens.
Oct 17, 2007 Governor Rick Perry appointed David J. Schenck to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Sep 30, 2007 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission began sales for Daily 4 with Sum It Up! The twice-daily drawings began on October 1, offering new play styles and more ways to win based on the four numbers drawn.
Aug 31, 2007 Unaudited figures show that the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission transferred more than $1 billion to the Foundation School Fund for the fourth year in a row during Fiscal Year 2007. Sales totaled $3.774 billion.
Aug 31, 2007 The multi-state Mega Millions game climbed to its second-highest jackpot for the August 31 drawing, $330 million. A total of four jackpot-winning tickets were sold in Maryland, New Jersey, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY and Virginia.
Jul 6, 2007 The H & H Trust of Dallas wins the highest Mega Millions jackpot ever awarded in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, $128 million.
Jun 25, 2007 The Pick 3 day drawing returns the numbers 999 for the first time since the game began in 1993. Players win over $1.7 million in prizes.
May 16, 2007
Mr. Philip D. Sanderson is appointed as the director of the Charitable Bingo Operations Division where he had served as assistant director since 1998.
May 7, 2007
The first $50 scratch-off ticket, $130 Million Spectacular , is launched by the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. The game features over $133 million in prizes including three top prizes of $5 million and six $1 million prizes.
Apr 25 , 2007
The $75 million April 7 drawing gave Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY ® its 500th winner. Panjo Investments, Ltd, Tremarcor, LLC, General Partner, by John Stanford, Jr, president, of League City claimed the Cash Value Option prize of $45,014,921.84 (before taxes).
The Quick Mart located at 2100 Marina Bay Drive in League City sold the winning ticket, making the store eligible to receive the maximum Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY retailer bonus of $500,000.
Mar 30 , 2007
The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission adopted a policy and subsequently revised procedures so that the closing process for any scratch-off game would begin within one week of the last top-prize being claimed. In addition, the time period allowed for the closing process was shortened from 60 to 45 days.
For more information, click here to read the news release.
Mar 6 , 2007
A record breaking Mega Millions jackpot was split between two winning tickets – one from Georgia and the other from New Jersey. First estimated at $340 million, the jackpot was raised to $355 million before reaching the final advertised amount of $370 million due to heavier-than-expected sales. Final sales supported a record jackpot prize amount of $390 million. Both winners selected the cash value option and received over $116.5 million each. Seven tickets in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY were eligible for the $250,000 second-tier prize, matching five of five numbers.
The excitement surrounding this drawing helped pushed sales of tickets to $47,933,642 with Megaplier ™ sales just under $9.5 million for the roll cycle beginning January 10, 2007.
Feb 9 , 2007
Transfers from the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission to the Foundation School Fund, which supports public education in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, top $9 billion. As of February 7, 2007, the exact amount transferred to the fund is $9,051,351,808.
Feb 1, 2007
The Crump, Allen & Lewis General Partnership, Ronald Crump, general partner, of Amarillo , became the fourth HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY claimant of a Mega Millions jackpot. The cash value option from the advertised $122 million jackpot drawing on January 9 was $73,572,690 (before taxes) and the largest Mega Millions prize ever claimed in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY . The ticket was purchased at the Taylor Petro Co., Inc. #80 in Amarillo.
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2006
Date Milestone
Dec 29 , 2006 Gov. Rick Perry designates James A. Cox Jr. of Austin as chair of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. Gov. Perry first appointed Mr. Cox to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission on June 3, 2002. Mr. Cox was reappointed by on March 4, 2003. Former chairman C. Tom Clowe Jr. remains on board as a commissioner.
Sep 1 , 2006 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY non-profit organizations and charitable groups that conduct charitable bingo games to raise funds for their causes brought in $8.5 million during the second quarter of 2006. Since 1982, non-profit groups have received a total of $820 million from the conduct of bingo games.
Aug 31, 2006 Fiscal Year 2006 ends as the highest sales year in the history of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery, with unaudited sales figures of all products totaling more than $3.77 billion. These sales resulted in a contribution of $1 billion to the Foundation School Fund, which supports public education in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY.
Jun 28, 2006 Anthony J. Sadberry is named executive director of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery. Sadberry had been serving as acting executive director since his appointment in January.
Jun 13, 2006 Martha Cuellar of El Paso became the third HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY claimant of a Mega Millions jackpot. The cash value option from the May 16 $94 million advertised jackpot was $53,131,991 (before taxes). The ticket was purchased at Good Time Store #12 in El Paso.
Apr 27 , 2006 Three HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Two Step tickets match all four numbers drawn plus the bonus ball for a record-setting estimated jackpot of $2.9 million.
Apr 26 , 2006 A Legend Returns! Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY returns to a straight 6-of-54 matrix with overall odds of winning of 1 in 71. The new matrix replaces the previous 5-of-44 plus 1-of-44 bonus ball game.
Feb 9 , 2006 Transfers from the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission to the Foundation School Fund, which supports public education in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, top $8 billion. As of February 3, 2006, the exact amount transferred to the fund is $8,034,186,919.
Jan 13 , 2006 Anthony J. Sadberry is named Acting Executive Director of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
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2005
Date Milestone
Dec 5 , 2005 The Charitable Bingo Operations Division placed its 60th interactive licensing form on the bingo website for use by the general public and licensees. Interactive forms allow the user to complete forms electronically.
Nov 9 , 2005 Charitable distributions from bingo total more than $796,000,000 since 1982 to the end of the 3rd quarter 2005 (unaudited figures).
Sep 1 , 2005 Bingo Services Center and Bingo Hall Locator service go live on the Charitable Bingo Operations Division website to provide licensees and the general public with a wide variety of bingo related information and a bingo hall locator service with robust search capabilities.
Aug 31 , 2005 Fiscal Year 2005 ends. This marks the second consecutive year the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery has transferred more than $1 billion back to the state to support public education. Unaudited sales figures of all products total more than $3.6 billion, an increase of five percent over FY 04.
Aug 11 , 2005 Larry L. Walcott of Arlington becomes the first HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Mega Millions player to claim a $1 million second-tier prize for matching five of five numbers and purchasing the Megaplier option.
Jul 11 , 2005 Gary Grief is named Acting Executive Director of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Jun 22 , 2005 New Mega Millions rules go into effect as California joins the game. The second-tier prize increases to $250,000, and the third-tier prize rises to $10,000. HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Mega Millions players who Megaply now have the chance to win up to $1 million without hitting the jackpot.
May 10 , 2005 The three-member board of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission unanimously voted to adopt proposed rule amendments to the Mega Millions game, with a planned start date for the changes effective June 22, 2005. This action follows an announcement that California plans to become the 12th member state to join the game.
Apr 29 , 2005 John M. Kamali, owner of Dalrock Grocery in Rowlett, received a $1 million check from HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission Executive Director Reagan E. Greer for selling the $112 million jackpot winning ticket for the March 1 Mega Millions drawing. Kamali is just the second retailer to receive the maximum bonus amount for selling a Mega Millions jackpot-winning ticket.
Mar 11 , 2005 MAL HOLDINGS, LP of Rowlett became the second HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY claimant of a Mega Millions jackpot. The cash value option from the March 1st $112 million advertised jackpot was $68,208,778 (before taxes). The ticket was purchased at Dalrock Grocery in Rowlett. The retail owner is eligible to receive a bonus of $1 million for selling the jackpot winning ticket. The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission votes to propose Mega Millions game changes after the California Lottery announced plans to become the 12th lottery member to join the multi-state game. The changes are expected to go into effect in June, and are projected to generate more than $67 million in additional revenue to the state from sales for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2005 through Fiscal Year 2009.
Mar 1 , 2005 To honor Bob Wills on the 100th anniversary of his birthday, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery issued the first-ever commemorative scratch ticket featuring the "Father of Western Swing." The $1 instant game offers a top cash prize of $1,100.
Feb 23 , 2005 With the almost $30 million in distributions that were made in calendar year 2004, Charitable Bingo distributions exceed $773.6 million since 1982. More than 1,300 charitable organizations are licensed to conduct bingo in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY.
Feb 2 , 2005 Transfers from the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission to the Foundation School Fund, which supports public education in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, top $7 billion. As of February 2, 2005, the exact amount transferred to the fund is $7,012,935,039.
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2004
Date Milestone
Dec 3 , 2004 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery celebrates its first full year of participation in the multistate Mega Millions game. Through December 3, 2004, sales for Mega Millions totaled $234 million, placing HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY in the top three states in sales. With Megaplier sales for the same period added in, sales totaled $289 million.
Oct 27 , 2004 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY' first $30 scratch off game, Holiday Millions Wishes , debuts. In addition to four $2 million top prizes, the game offers prizes in the amounts of $20,000, $2000, $500, $300, $100, $70, $40 and $30. Overall odds of winning any prize in Holiday Millions Wishes are 1 in 2.17.
Oct 4 , 2004 Ut Van Nguyen of Carrollton became the first HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY player to claim a Mega Millions jackpot. Nguyen's ticket matched all 5 numbers plus the Mega Ball drawn on October 2 to win the $101 million advertised jackpot. HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY joined the 11-state Mega Millions in December 2003.
Sep 8 , 2004 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission announced the execution of contracts for instant ticket manufacturing and services with the following entities: Scientific Games International, Inc. (Primary Vendor), and Pollard Banknote Limited (Secondary Vendor).
Aug 31 , 2004 Fiscal Year 2004 ends as the second-highest sales year in the history of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery, with unaudited sales figures of all products totaling nearly $3.5 billion. These sales resulted in a contribution of $1 billion to the Foundation School Fund, which helps support public education in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY. Transfers to the Foundation School Fund now add up more than $6.6 billion since 1997, and total transfers from the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery to the state of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY equal more than $11.9 billion.
Jul 1 , 2004 June was a record-setting sales month for the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery, with overall sales for the Games of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY totaling more than $391.6 million. These best-ever sales were driven in large part by the all-time high HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lotto jackpot of $145 million won on June 19, as well as the introduction of exciting new scratch off games and a huge Mega Millions jackpot, which stood at $290 million at month's end.
Jun 19 , 2004 An unprecedented $122 million worth of tickets was sold this week for the biggest jackpot in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lotto history, and the second largest single-state jackpot in U.S. history. The record estimated jackpot amount was $145 million. One ticket, sold in El Paso, matched all five numbers plus the Bonus Ball number. The winning numbers were 29-26-9-28-40, and the Bonus Ball number was 16.
May 29 , 2004 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery celebrates its 12th Anniversary. Since the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery began on May 29, 1992, total sales have amounted to more than $35 billion and retailer commissions have totaled $1.8 billion. Total transfers to the state equal more than $11.4 billion, with over $6 billion of this amount transferred to the Foundation School Fund, which helps pay for public education in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY.
Apr 12 , 2004 The three-member board of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission vote unanimously to give the Executive Director flexibility to change the drawing schedule and draw days of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Two Step game. "Effective Saturday, June 26, 2004, the new draw days for the Two Step game will be Mondays and Thursdays," announces Executive Director Reagan E. Greer.
Apr 1 , 2004 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery ranks in the top 10 of worldwide lotteries in terms of total sales for the calendar year 2003, according to La Fleur's Magazine, which annually calculates sales of all lotteries around the world. In the Mar/April edition, the magazine cited HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery sales for the 2003 calendar year at $3.17 billion.
Apr 1 , 2004 Charitable Bingo celebrates its Tenth Anniversary at the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. The administration of Charitable Bingo was transferred from the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Alcoholic Beverage Commission to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission on April 1, 1994. During the past 10 years: 286.5 million people have attended Charitable Bingo occasions in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, Charitable Bingo gross receipts have totaled $6 billion, prizes paid to Bingo players have totaled $4.4 billion, charitable distributions generated by Bingo activities have totaled $389 million, allocations to cities and counties have totaled $99.6 million.
Mar 15 , 2004 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission meets its mission of Contributing to the Foundation School Fund - in the total amount of $6,072,810,266. The milestone is reached after the latest transfer of $82.8 million, which has occurred monthly since September 1, 1997.
Feb 27 , 2004 Because of an exciting makeover for Bingo pull-tabs in 2003, contributions for non-profit organizations conducting Charitable Bingo see an eye-popping increase. The sale of pull-tabs goes up dramatically by nearly 45 percent to $128.9 million from $88.9 million in 2002. It marks the highest sales for pull-tabs since 1995.
Feb 20 , 2004 Texans participate in the highest jackpot ever seen in the Lone Star State. The Mega Millions jackpot is worth an advertised $230 million. Sales total $12.2 million leading up to the drawing, with $9.5 million of that coming in on the day of the drawing. Although no Texan wins the grand jackpot, there are six tickets that match the second prize tier, each worth $175,000. The tickets are sold in Austin, Fort Worth, Houston, Richmond, San Antonio and Weatherford.
Jan 31 , 2004 Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY hits its highest level since the game changed in May of 2003. A single ticket in Houston matches all five numbers plus the Bonus Ball for the advertised $70 million jackpot. The winner, Heliodoro Cuenca, chose the Cash Value Option payment and receives more than $42.8 million, before taxes.
Jan 15 , 2004 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery hits a huge milestone in its 11 years: $11 billion for HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY since the Games of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY began in 1992. Since 1997, more than $5.9 billion of that has gone to the Foundation School Fund, which helps pay for public education in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY.
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2003
Date Milestone
Dec 31 , 2003 Since the first Mega Millions drawing on December 5, there have been 541,982 cash-prize winning tickets in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY. Of those, 142,228 were purchased with the Megaplier feature. To date, there have been 11 tickets that won the $175,000 prize, and three of those were purchased with the Megaplier.
Dec 5 , 2003 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery participates in its first ever Mega Millions drawing. Up for grabs - a $44 million jackpot. While no one correctly matches all five numbers plus the Mega Ball, there is one ticket sold in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY that matches the first five numbers. The winner collects a $175,000 prize.
Dec 3 , 2003 Sales start for Mega Millions, and retailers everywhere are asking players, "Do you want to Megaply?" HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY becomes the only state in the 11-member Mega Millions group to offer an additional game feature, the Megaplier. For an extra $1, players can choose to play the Megaplier feature. They have the option of multiplying their non-jackpot prize winnings two, three or four times.
Oct 24 , 2003 Pick 3 turns 10! Since inception in 1993, it has raked in nearly $1.9 billion in sales, and paid out almost $907.2 million in prizes.
Oct 22 , 2003 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Sales is the big news item of the month. " Mega Millions sales set to begin on December 3," Executive Director Reagan E. Greer announces. The first drawing for HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY to participate will be Friday, December 5. A record-setting sales year for the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery at the State Fair of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY - it includes instant ticket sales of $338,164, and on-line tickets total $55,784.50. The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery offers the first-ever scratch-off game that allows players the chance at $2 million instantly, and paid out in one lump sum payment. The $2,000,000 Spectacular scratch game is one of four holiday tickets up for grabs for Christmas 2003.
Oct 16 , 2003 Executive Director Reagan E. Greer signs one of the biggest agreements in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery history. HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY becomes the 11th state to join Mega Millions . Sales are anticipated to meet or exceed the Legislative Budget Board's initial estimate of $101 million for the biennium. Texans join Mega Millions players in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington.
Sep 12 , 2003 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery retailers participated in their first Amber Alert since joining the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Amber Alert Network last spring. On-line terminals and LED signs helped spread the word about three children, abducted from the Jourdanton area outside of San Antonio.
Sep 1 , 2003 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission begins a public awareness campaign to remind players that The Games of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY were created to be a fun form of entertainment and to PLAY RESPONSIBLY!
Aug 5 , 2003 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission authorizes Executive Director Reagan E. Greer to begin negotiations to join Mega Millions - the 10 member multi-state game. Revenue for the State of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY is expected to reach more than $100 million for the first biennium.
Jul 28 , 2003 Time runs out on a $5 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot. It is the fourth multi-million dollar jackpot to go unclaimed in the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery's 11-year history. The ticket was purchased in San Antonio for the January 29 drawing, and was worth more than $3 million, the Cash Value Option equivalent of the jackpot amount.
Jul 17 , 2003 With Fiscal Year 2002 sales at $2.966 billion, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery moves to third place in the nation for overall sales behind the Massachusetts and New York lotteries, according to a fiscal sales summary provided by La Fleur's 2003 World Lottery Almanac.
Jun 9 , 2003 The very first winner of the revamped Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY game claims his prize. David Kelly of Houston matched all five numbers plus the Bonus Ball for the June 7 jackpot, worth $37 million. He chose the Cash Value Option, and received more than $24 million, before taxes.
May 4 , 2003 Sales begin for the new Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY game. The first drawing is set for May 7. Players now choose five numbers from one field of 44 numbers, and then choose a bonus ball number from another field of 44 numbers.
Mar 31 , 2003 Governor Rick Perry comes to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission to make a joint announcement with Executive Director Reagan E. Greer that the agency has joined the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Amber Alert Network, bringing more than 15,800 lottery retailers into the state's effort to find missing and abducted children.
Mar 27 , 2003 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission posts a 3-0 vote in favor of changing the Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY game. The new bonus ball-style game, with ticket sales set to begin May 4, is expected to bring in more than $50 million in additional revenue to the State of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY in the first full fiscal year of sales. Players will choose five numbers from one field of 44 numbers; then choose a bonus ball from a second field of 44 numbers. Projections indicate a possibility of Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpots reaching between $65 and $100 million three to four times in a 52-week period.
Mar 25 , 2003 A record-high $1.8 million HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Two Step jackpot is up for grabs. Three lucky tickets match all four numbers plus the Bonus Ball. Two tickets are purchased in Houston, and the third ticket is bought in Teague.
Feb 28 , 2003 Reagan E. Greer of San Antonio is named Executive Director of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Jan 22 , 2003 The record Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot for the current fiscal year - $53 million - is split between two six-of-six matching tickets. The winners, the Victory Trust of Brownsville and the Perkov Family Trust of Grand Prairie, each receive $16.2 million for choosing the Cash Value Option payout.
Jan 10 , 2003 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery gives Texans an opportunity to own a little piece of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Dream. The instant ticket game Bucks 'N Trucks is back by popular demand as Bucks 'N Trucks II . The first winner of a new, bright red Ford F-150 SuperCab pickup is Jimmie Buck from Fredericksburg.
Jan 9 , 2003 The 180-day deadline passes for a Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY ticket bought in Dallas for the Jul 13, 2002, drawing, worth $9 million. The Quick Pick ticket was purchased with the Cash Value Option, and was worth $5,184,917 million, before taxes. It makes the third jackpot-winning ticket left unclaimed in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery history.
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2002
Date Milestone
Dec 22 , 2002 The day marks the first time a HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Two Step jackpot has gone unclaimed in the game's history. The $300,000 jackpot-winning ticket was purchased in Grand Prairie for the drawing held on June 25.
Dec 15 , 2002 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission reaches a financial milestone. Total transfers to the State of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY exceed $10 billion. Transfers to the Foundation School Fund total more than $4.9 billion since 1997.
Sep 27 , 2002 Gary Grief is named Acting Executive Director of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Aug 31 , 2002 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission is on a roll. Sales for Fiscal Year 2002 continue on an upward swing, making the fiscal year the third straight year for sales going up, and helping to create the fifth-largest transfer of Lottery dollars to the State in the agency's 10-year history. Sales total $2.966 billion, and the state receives $956.6 million in revenue, a 10.5 percent increase from the previous fiscal year.
Aug 8 , 2002 After 10 years of operations, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery terminals in more than 16,500 lottery retailers are changed over to the new ISYS terminal. The new terminals feature a customer display screen that provides players verification of winning tickets at lottery retail outlets. The new terminals also have programmable LED (Light Emitting Diode) message display units, allowing the Lottery Commission the instantaneous ability to better inform players and retailers of jackpot amounts or new games.
Jul 29 , 2002 The first drawing is held for the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery's newest game, Cash Five. The game replaces the old Cash 5 game, and produces more than 71,000 winners, who win a combined total of $276,644. Players win a guaranteed cash prize of $2 for matching only two numbers. The overall odds of winning change from 1-in-100 to 1-in-8, and it becomes the lottery's second on-line game to be drawn every day except Sundays.
Jun 22 , 2002 Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot is worth $70 million. Tickets are selling at an average of 41,941 per minute. There are five 6-of-6 matching tickets sold in Terrell, Sherman, Pearland, Austin and Longview. Four of the tickets are sold before the day of the drawing, and one is sold the day of the drawing. All five of the winners chose the Cash Value Option and receive more than $8.5 million each, before taxes.
Jun 1 , 2002 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission Anniversary Celebration takes place at headquarters in Austin. The event, held on 6th Street, includes musical talent by Austin musician Shelley King and The David Spann Band, featuring HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY State Representative Ron Wilson. GTECH provides the lottery selling trailer, and lottery retailer Fiesta Mart sells more than $4,700 worth of tickets for the event, which runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
May 29 , 2002 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery reaches its 10 Year Anniversary of sales. To commemorate the event, the Lottery plans a week-long celebration that includes an Employee Appreciation Day and awards for HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Retailers that sold $10 million or more in lottery products. Fifty-seven employees are honored at the quarterly staff meeting for 10 years service at the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery, and 12 retailers are honored in Austin at a special dinner given by GTECH.
May 27 , 2002 History is made with the first change ever to the time of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery's on-line game drawings. The drawing time is changed from 9:59 p.m. to 10:12 p.m.
May 1 , 2002 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery introduces the first HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Harley-Davidson Scratch-Off game. The instant game is an instant success with players, with three top winners for the Harley-Davidson ® Sportster ® 1200 Custom TM motorcycle in the first two days of sales. The instant game ends the month breaking an industry record for one-month ticket sales by exceeding $12.5 million. The former record was held by California, which posted sales of $9 million.
Apr 29 , 2002 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery launches the first-ever Pick 3 Day Drawing with an overwhelming response from players. First day sales from Apr 28 total more than $99,000. Now drawings take place at 12:27 p.m. every day except Sundays.
Apr , 2002 Charitable Bingo in the Lone Star State marks its 20 Year Anniversary. Since 1982, Charitable Bingo has brought in approximately:
$682.4 million in charitable contributions,
$9.8 billion in gross receipts,
$7.1 billion in prize payouts, and
$151.9 million allocated back to county and municipal governments.
During the same time period, approximately 484.7 million people have attended bingo games.
Mar 18 , 2002 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission launches a statewide public awareness campaign regarding the "Latin Lotto Scam ." The lottery enlists the aid of law enforcement agencies throughout the state to help spread the message among elderly Hispanics to be aware of con artists duping citizens with altered lottery tickets. The campaign kicks off in Houston at the Ripley House with State Senator Mario Gallegos and Houston Police Department representatives present. Also the Lottery, in conjunction with the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (T-CLEOSE) sponsored training programs in major metropolitan cities around HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY to inform local law enforcement about the scam.
Mar 15 , 2002 The unclaimed $13 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot prize is transferred to the state's Multicategorical Teaching Hospital Account. The account receives $7.3 million, which equals the Cash Value Option amount.
Mar 6 , 2002 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Claim Centers throughout the state are now able to pay a top-prize amount up to $999,999.
Feb 8 , 2002 A ticket sold in Cameron matches all four numbers plus the Bonus Ball for the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Two Step drawing, and becomes the highest single jackpot-winning ticket for the game to date. Gwendolyn Kelly of Cameron collects the $1.5 million jackpot prize on March 15th.
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2001
Date Milestone
Dec 20 , 2001 A Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY ticket for a $13 million jackpot expires at midnight after not being claimed within the 180-day time period. The Quick Pick ticket was bought in Humble for the June 23, 2001, drawing. The player(s) chose the Cash Value Option, which would have paid out $7.3 million. It is the second time in the lottery's history that a jackpot has gone unclaimed.
Oct 10 , 2001 Enhanced services, faster ticket machines and the lowest per-ticket rate HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY has ever paid are just a few of the benefits of a new nine-year contract signed by the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission and the GTECH Corporation. TLC Executive Director Linda Cloud said the new contract provides "greater value to the State of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY and better services for players and retailers."
Sep 1 , 2001 Fiscal Year 2001 ended on an upswing for sales of Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY. Up by 19 percent over the previous year, unaudited sales of Lotto during FY 2001 came in at $695 million, compared with $583 million the previous fiscal year. Total cash transfers to the Foundation School Fund for FY '01 are $835.8 million.
May 13 , 2001 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Two Step dances across HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY with a flourish. Sales for the first week top $1.2 million, with $655 thousand coming on the day of the first drawing, May 18th. To debut the game, the Lottery co-sponsors a two-step dance contest in Pasadena, drawing nearly 500 entries. The winners, selected from 17 two-stepping couples, took home the first prize of an all-expense trip to Florida to see country music stars Brooks and Dunn in concert.
May 11 , 2001 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Million discontinued. Since it began in May 1998, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Million created 25 millionaires and had nearly $210 million in sales, bringing close to $65 million to the Foundation School Fund during the term of the game.
Mar 16 , 2001 One day after claiming their record jackpot, the members of RBH CNC, Ltd., Robert and Beverly Chody, hold a press conference surrounded by family, friends, and dozens of Robert Chody's colleagues from the City of Austin Police Department. The mounted police officer says he'll keep working. The partnership claimed its prize the day before, on Beverly's 30th birthday.
Mar 9 , 2001 Governor Rick Perry appoints Houston businessman Walter Criner to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission to a term that expires January 31, 2003. The new appointee replaces Houston attorney Anthony Sadberry who resigned. The governor also re-appoints Dallas attorney Betsy Whitaker to a full six-year term.
Mar 7 , 2001 Lotto fever grips the state! Ticket sales skyrocket as the Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot climbs to $85 million, its highest level ever. With sales climbing by the minute, Lottery Executive Director Linda Cloud bumps the advertised record jackpot of $77 million to $85 million. At the peak of sales on Wednesday, tickets went at the rate of 64,000 per minute. Sales reach a new one-day record of $32.2 million the day of the drawing.
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2000
Date Milestone
Sep 13 , 2000 LOJO Partners of Richardson claims the largest single-winner jackpot prize sold to date for Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY. The winner is a partnership that is represented by Lois Loden and John Osorio of Richardson. They chose the Cash Value Option that will give the partnership $34.1 million. Loden and Osorio purchased $15 worth of tickets at an Albertson's located at 111 N. Plano in Richardson.
Sep 9 , 2000 Lotto fever is everywhere! With a $60 million estimated jackpot ready to go ticket sales are soaring. Sales are so strong, Lottery Executive Director Linda Cloud bumps the advertised jackpot twice: first from $57 million to $59 million and then to $60 million, making this the first "double bump" in Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY history. During peak selling hours on Saturday, tickets were going at 33,000 per minute. The $60 million jackpot is the third largest prize in the history of the agency.
Aug 31 , 2000 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission ends its eighth fiscal year by posting sales in excess of $2.6 billion. Public education is again the big winner, as it receives nearly $900 million from Lottery deposits. Since the first ticket was sold in May of 1992, the State has received more than $8 billion in lottery revenues.
Jul 19 , 2000 For the first time in nearly eight years, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery changes its Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY game. Four numbers are added to the field from which players can choose their numbers. Among the other changes is a hike in the payout to 55 percent of the jackpot. Additionally, winners picking three of six winning numbers see their prize increase from $3 to $5: winners of four-of-six will see an increase to a $105 average payout: and the five-of-six average prize climbs to $2,500. The odds also decrease to one in 25.8 million for winning the six-of-six jackpot prize.
Mar 22 , 2000 A $28 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot causes a sensation. It is the largest jackpot to date of calendar year 2000, and a former Dallas Cowboy living in Austin purports to have the winning ticket. Eight days later, a corporation headed by Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson claims a Cash Value Option jackpot in excess of $14 million.
Mar 21 , 2000 After nearly five years at the helm of the three-member Lottery Commission, Chairwoman Harriet Miers resigns. Governor George W. Bush names C. Tom Clowe originally appointed in November of 1998, to head the Commission. Bush also appoints Dallas attorney Betsy Whitaker to assume Miers'unexpired term.
Mar 14 , 2000 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commissioners vote unanimously to authorize the publication of proposed amendments that could bring changes to the Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY game by early summer. The amendments increase the payout from 50 percent to 55 percent and expand the Lotto's field of numbers from 50 to 54.
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1999
Date Milestone
Dec 15 , 1999 Houston-area Lottery players won't have to look far to find out what the latest Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot is. Ten trailers featuring a digital display across the sides of the trucks will tell motorists and pedestrians the amount of the current Lotto jackpot. The trucks will travel throughout a 50- to 75-mile radius within the Houston area carrying non-Lottery merchandise to retail outlets.
Nov 10 , 1999 The largest Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot to date in calendar year 1999, $38 million, is won by Candelario and San Juanita Garcia of Victoria. The store clerk mistakenly sold San Juanita 10 annuity Quick Pick tickets. She decided to keep them anyway.
Sep 14 , 1999 A dozen lottery players, mostly struggling farmers from Gould, Oklahoma, pop. 250, harvested a huge cash crop this year in the form of a Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Cash Value Option jackpot of $11.8 million. They purchased 120 tickets at the Super 7 Convenience store in Quanah. The advertised jackpot for the Aug 23rd drawing was $23 million.
Aug 31 , 1999 Fiscal Year 1999 ends and the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery delivers nearly $1 billion to the Foundation School Fund. Since its inception, the Lottery has returned more than $7 billion to state coffers.
Aug 6 , 1999 Retirement is even sweeter now for 64-year-old Louis C. Lopez of Midland. He took home a Cash Value Option lump sum of $5.1 million for winning the $10 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY drawing on Jul 28th. He bought only one ticket.
Jul 26 , 1999 Bingo players can now call to find out where they can play. Players can call 1-800-48-HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY to find the nearest Charitable Bingo hall. This same information is available on the web site at www.txbingo.org, where players can search by ZIP code, city, or county to find the nearest hall.
Jul 23 , 1999 Chalk one up for the media. Veteran news anchor Peter Torgerson of Harlingen, and long-time friend and landscaper Mark Hulings of Rio Hondo, split the $37 million jackpot from the July 17th Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY drawing. Torgerson bought five Lotto tickets for Hulings on his birthday.
Jul 8 , 1999 Fogarty Klein & Partners, a Houston advertising agency, wins the bid to handle general advertising duties for the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery. The agency replaced GSD&M of Austin.
Jun 30 , 1999 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery goes "e" when it launches its new web site at www.txlottery.org. In the first three weeks, over a quarter million people visit the site, averaging over 12 minutes each time they visit.
Jun 20 , 1999 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery issues BINGO, the newest instant ticket that reflects the hike in the prize payout. The $2-dollar BINGO ticket features a brand new play style with up to four chances to win on one ticket and a top prize of $25,000.
Jun 19 , 1999 Gov. George W. Bush signed into law House Bill 844 by Rep. Ron Wilson, D-Houston, removing the cap on the prize payout percentage. This restored to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission the discretion to establish the payout.
Feb 28 , 1999 "It was a great year for Charitable Bingo in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY," declares Billy Atkins, Charitable Bingo Director at the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. During 1998, gross receipts from bingo totaled $604 million, up from $593 million in 1997. Charitable distributions also increased from $38 million in 1997 to $42 million in 1998.
Jan 13 , 1999 Bill Parsons, general partner of the Financial Freedom I, L.P., kicked off 1999 by winning $22 million. He held the ticket from the drawing on Saturday, Jan 2nd and claimed his prize as a Cash Value Option sum that totaled $12.3 million.
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1998
Date Milestone
Nov 13 , 1998 C. Thomas Clowe, Jr. of Waco is appointed by Gov. George W. Bush to fill the unexpired term of Judge John L. Hill on the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. Clowe is senior vice president of Southern Union Company, Austin, a natural gas business with clients in four states.
Oct 29 , 1998 Billy Atkins is named Charitable Bingo Operations Director.
Oct 17 , 1998 For only the second time in its history, the Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot rolls to $65 million. The last time the jackpot rolled this high was in August of 1994.
Oct 10 , 1998 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY has six new millionaires as the Grand Prize Drawings come to a close. Robert Vice of Magnolia, Kim Bigley of Austin, Jimmy Jackson of Angleton, Ronny Foster of Dallas, Phuong Do of Garland, and Jacqueline Smith of Devine each won $1 million at a Grand Prize Drawing.
Oct 2 , 1998 Lightning hits twice in the Central HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY town of McGregor. Dandy Dan's Citgo sells two top-prize Buck$ 'N Truck$ tickets within 10 days of each other. The elated truck winners, Billie Lam of Flat and Kay Waters of Moody, collect their prizes at the Waco Claim Center.
Aug 31 , 1998 Fiscal Year 1998 ends with total sales at nearly $3.1 billion. The Lottery transfers $1.3 billion to the Foundation School Fund.
Jul 8 , 1998 Lone Star Millionaire returns! The Lottery revives the popular game that first appeared in the Summer of 1992. Six Grand Prize Drawings are scheduled for South Padre Island, El Paso, Lubbock, San Antonio, and two at the State Fair of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY.
Jun 3 , 1998 In another first, the Lottery premieres a new scratch game with a top prize of merchandise. With Buck$ 'N Truck$, players can win a fully-loaded Special Edition Dodge Ram truck valued at $34,000, as well as cash prizes ranging from $2 to $1,000.
May 29 , 1998 Four HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Million players become the state's newest millionaires. First-drawing sales surpass the $6 million mark.
May 19 , 1998 Ten co-workers at Continental Airlines in Houston pool their resources and invest $10 in Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY tickets. Their investment nets them a profit of a $4 million jackpot.
May 18 , 1998 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Million debuts! Tickets for the Lottery's fourth on-line game go on sale and are available at any retailer where Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, Cash 5, or Pick 3 are sold.
Mar 14 , 1998 They stopped to buy bread, but walked out with a lot of dough. Forestburg floor-installer Charles McDaniel and his wife Joan discover they're holding one of the two winning tickets for that night's Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY drawing. On the way home from seeing Titanic, they stopped at a convenience store to buy bread at 2:30 a.m. and learned they had a winning ticket.
Mar 11 , 1998 Proving yet again that it takes only one ticket to win, 38-year-old Houston construction worker LaDraun Campbell wins $12 million in Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY dollars. He hires a bus to bring 50 family members and friends, all of whom slept at his house the night before, to share in his big day at Lottery HQ in Austin.
Feb 4 , 1998 The Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot climbs to $47 million and ticket sales soar to more than 40,000 per minute at 5 p.m. on the day of the drawing. One winning ticket is sold in Uvalde to Billy Cowsert of San Antonio. He comes to collect his big win on February 27.
Jan 8 , 1998 It's an astronomical sales record for the five-year-old HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery! "If we laid every instant ticket we've sold since start-up end to end, the line would go to the moon and back," says Lottery Director Linda Cloud, as the Lottery celebrates selling $10 billion in instant tickets. Those sales include tickets sold for $1, $2, $3 and $5.
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1997
Date Milestone
Dec 16 , 1997 In a unanimous vote, the three-member Lottery Commission officially names Acting Executive Director Linda Cloud as the Lottery's Executive Director.
Nov 24 , 1997 For trucks, there's no place like HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY. The Lottery issues a Request for Proposals for a prize vehicle package that will be the driving force of a new instant game in 1998. The Bucks 'N Trucks game will offer 50 top-prize winners the "Official Truck of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery."
Nov 4 , 1997 In celebration of Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY' fifth birthday, the Lottery offers jackpots worth no less than $10 million for each drawing through November.
Oct 29 , 1997 Linda Cloud is named Acting Executive Director by the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commissioners.
Oct 18 , 1997 It was an enchanted evening for 20 strangers who met while waiting in line at the Corner Mart in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY City to buy tickets for the $55 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot that night. They pooled their resources, bought 100 Quick Picks, and won the whole thing. The group of fortunate strangers called themselves the "HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY City Lucky Lottery Trust."
Oct 15 , 1997 Cisco dishwasher Fidencia Ramirez finally gets to sleep late after winning an $8 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot. For the last 18 years, she had been rising at 4:30 a.m. to get to work by 6 a.m. at the White Elephant Restaurant where she purchased the ticket. She and her husband, Perfecto, move to Presidio to be closer to their children.
Sep 26 , 1997 The second annual "Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Second Chance Drawing" ends with Melissa Miller of Austin winning the $100,000 Grand Prize.
Sep 24 , 1997 The number '13' proves to be a lucky charm for a group of 13 paralegals, law clerks, billing assistants, and secretaries at a Dallas law firm. Each put $5 in the Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY pool, and the group came away winning $10.4 million.
Sep 3 , 1997 John Rhode, a construction foreman, puts the town of Weatherford on the Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY map once again by winning a $10 million jackpot, the fourth by a resident of the town. With a population of 15,000, Weatherford becomes the smallest HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY town with the most Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY winners.
Aug 31 , 1997 Surpassing the Comptroller's Revenue Estimate, the Lottery ends the '97 fiscal year with total sales reaching $3.7 billion, exceeding the previous year's sales by more than nine percent.
Aug 20 , 1997 Ten employees of the Folger's Coffee Company in Sherman pool their money and win a $6.4 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot. To collect their winnings, they form the "BPWU" (Best Part of Waking Up) Partnership.
Jul 26 , 1997 Using the numbers on road signs between Laredo and San Antonio, Rosa Zamora fills in a Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY playslip and wins $6.6 million. Her husband, Jesus, quits his job at the Coca Cola plant in San Antonio, and they and their three children return to Matamoros, Mexico to start a business.
Jul 16 , 1997 After 15 years of layoffs and business closings, Billie Harrell of Porter claims a $31 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot. "I wasn't going to give up. Everyone kept telling me it would get better. I didn't realize it would get this much better," he said at his check presentation ceremony.
Jun 9 , 1997 Larry Littwin of New York City is hired as the new Executive Director of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery.
Linda Cloud, former Director of Lottery Operations, is appointed by Commissioners to the post of Deputy Executive Director of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery.
May 29 , 1997 It is the Lottery's 5th Birthday and the Lottery gets quite a gift - the breaking of weekly sales records made in the very first week of lottery sales.
Apr 23 , 1997 "The Wild Bunch," a self-proclaimed zany group of 17 mostly-retired Corpus Christi residents come to Lottery Headquarters to collect approximately $6 million. This group of country music musicians entertain the staff, and themselves, by plucking their guitars, belting out songs, and two-steppin'.
Apr 18 , 1997 The Lottery moves from 6935 IH 35, its headquarters for four years, to a new home located in the heart of downtown Austin at 611 East Sixth Street.
Mar 18 , 1997 The Lottery Commissioners direct the Commission staff to "proceed to re-bid the lottery operator contract through the preparation and issuance of a Request for Proposals no later than June 30, 1997, or earlier as best efforts allow."
Feb 10 , 1997 The Lottery offers players a Cash Value Option, allowing Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot winners the option of collecting their prize money all at once, or in annual installments.
Jan 10 , 1997 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery total ticket sales pass the $13 billion mark.
Jan 2 , 1997 Governor George Bush appoints former Chief Justice John Hill of Houston to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. Hill replaces Joe Morin of Austin, who resigned.
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1996
Date Milestone
Dec 18 , 1996 Forty-three winners from the farming town of Roby come to Lottery Headquarters to collect a $46.7 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Christmas present. These friendly winners receive international media coverage - including stories in USA Today and Time magazines, and coverage on "Good Morning America" and "The Today Show."
Nov 27 , 1996 Tonight's Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot totals $46.7 million. It is the second-largest jackpot won by a single ticket in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery history.
Nov 25 , 1996 The Lottery adds Monday and Thursday Cash 5 drawings to the current Tuesday and Friday draw schedule.
Nov 6 , 1996 Happy Holidays, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery's first $5 scratch game, is launched. Strong sales from all Lottery products help set a record average of $78.4 million per week for the 1996 holiday season.
Oct 24 , 1996 It's Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY' birthday, and a red and yellow gift box explodes in the Lottery parking lot to reveal a $10 million present to Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY players. From Oct 26 to November 9, no jackpot is less than $10 million and the jackpots grow in increments of $10 million!
Oct 9 , 1996 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery sales since start-up reach $12 billion.
Sep 24 , 1996 Artist Raphael Casarez helps to kick off the Lottery's Second Scratch Ticket Design Contest in San Antonio. Casarez designed the Honey Money scratch ticket - one of two new games produced from among the winners of the first contest.
Aug 31 , 1996 The 1996 fiscal year closes with a bang, with a record $3.4 billion in total sales and $1.1 billion in profits for the General Revenue Fund.
Aug 2 , 1996 Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Second Chance Drawings are held every Friday in August. By August 30, 125 winners have won a total of $2 million.
Jun 23 , 1996 Total HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery sales pass the $11 billion mark.
May 28 , 1996 Lottery approves extension, for a maximum of five years, of contract with GTECH Corporation. This extension will provide $100 million rate cut and $1.29 billion in new revenue to the state.
Mar 10 , 1996 The not-quite-four-year-old HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery becomes the fastest U.S. lottery ever to sell $10 billion in tickets. It takes just 101 days to sell this most-recent $1 billion.
Feb 2 , 1996 More than 50 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery millionaires brave a winter storm and come to Houston for educational seminars at the Second Annual Millionaires Reunion.
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1995
Date Milestone
Dec 31 , 1995 Charitable Bingo gross receipts in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY total $635.2 million for calendar year 1995, an increase of $557,000 over 1994 figures. That is the first increase in annual Bingo receipts in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY since 1991.
Nov 30 , 1995 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery sales since start-up reach $9 billion.
Oct 13 , 1995 First Cash 5 drawing produces 19,191 winners, including Shui Fong Sun of Houston, the only player to match all 5 winning numbers for a prize of $224,488. Cash 5 drawings will be Tuesday and Friday nights at 9:59 p.m. Central Time.
Oct 10 , 1995 Five skydiving Elvises land in Dallas' historic West End Marketplace to kick off sales for Cash 5, the on-line game where players pick five numbers from a field of 39 for a chance to win "cash prizes worth celebrating."
Sep 29 , 1995 First HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery tickets sold at the State Fair of HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY. New law allows sale of Lottery tickets on government-owned land.
Sep 21 , 1995 Profits earned on fiscal 1995 sales reach a record $1 billion. All HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery profits are deposited into the General Revenue Fund, the state's main "checking account."
Aug 31 , 1995 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery ticket sales for fiscal year 1995 reach a record $3.037 billion. HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY is the No. 1 selling lottery in North America for the second year in a row.
Aug 11 , 1995 The Lottery sells $1 billion in tickets in only 110 days. Total sales soar past the $8 billion mark!
Aug 10 , 1995 Governor Bush appoints Austin's Joe Morin to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. Mr. Morin is President and Chief Executive Officer of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce.
Aug 4 , 1995 Guadalupe Rodriguez joins the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery's Hall of Fame. The El Paso newspaper carrier wins the second largest prize to date (surpassing Jean Graham of Houston), claiming a $43,503,163 Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot. How does it feel? "Almost like walking on air," according to Guadalupe.
Jul 17 , 1995 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery profits for the General Revenue Fund pass the $2.5 billion mark after just 37 months of ticket sales!
May 26 , 1995 Buying tickets gets easier for scratch game players as the Lottery introduces instant ticket vending machines. The first machines are rolled out at selected Lottery retail locations in San Antonio.
May 23 , 1995 Adena Thompson and Gordon Larson of Farmers Branch claim the first $1,000-a-week prize in the immensely successful Weekly Grand game.
May 4 , 1995 Governor George W. Bush appoints Dallas attorney Harriet Miers to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. Ms. Miers is a former President of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Bar Association and Dallas City Council member.
Apr 24 , 1995 The 180-day limit passes on a $12.4 million jackpot prize purchased for the October 26 Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY drawing. That prize becomes the first jackpot prize to go unclaimed.
Apr 23 , 1995 A quiet Sunday pushes cumulative Lottery ticket sales over the $7 billion mark!
Mar 23 , 1995 Ten celebrity judges select HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY 'Toons, by Austin artist Greg Dorchak, as the winner of the Lottery's first scratch game design contest. The Lottery received more than 31,000 entries and paid a grand prize of $3,000!
Mar 13 , 1995 Proclaiming "Pick 3 is EZ," Lottery officials launch a campaign to introduce more players to Pick 3, the daily game.
Jan 25 , 1995 More than 40 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery millionaires-whose prizes total nearly half a billion dollars-gather in Austin for the first Millionaires' Reunion. Asked if they still play the Lottery, they answer in unison, "You bet!"
Jan 17 , 1995 Lightning strikes twice for Aurbie Johnson of Waco. The 74-year-old father of ten arrives to claim his Instant Million top prize, just five months after he scratched off a $100,000 prize in The $100,000 Game!
Jan 4 , 1995 Four of the longest stretch limousines in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY pull up to Lottery Headquarters. Our most flamboyant Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY millionaire to date-Foster McMillan of Euless-brings 30 excited friends and family members to help him claim his $5.2 million jackpot.
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1994
Date Milestone
Dec 31 , 1994 Closing the year with $2.8 billion in sales, the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery ranks No. 1 in the USA and No. 4 in the entire world in total sales! HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY ranks third in the world in instant ticket sales and fifth in on-line product sales.
Dec 14 , 1994 No one matches all six numbers in the Wednesday night Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY drawing, but total HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery sales pass the $6 billion mark!
Nov 12 , 1994 Jean Graham's record doesn't last long. Joe Jones, a service station owner from Mansfield, wins the $54 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot. Says Jones: "I'll never pump another gallon of gas for the rest of my life!"
Oct 28 , 1994 Governor Richards appoints Dallas businesswoman Jan Hart to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. Hart replaces Jan Fisher Greaves of Odessa, who resigned. The Governor designates Anthony Sadberry of Cypress to chair the Commission.
Sep 21 , 1994 Jean Graham, a Houston nurse, matches all six Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY numbers. Graham, her husband, son and daughter form a trust to claim a $41.8 million jackpot -the largest single prize so far in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery history!
Aug 30 , 1994 Lottery profits to the General Revenue Fund for fiscal year 1994 total $869 million, including $87 million in unspent administrative funds!
Aug 27 , 1994 Three lucky winners match all six Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY numbers to share a $58.4 million jackpot-second highest prize in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery history.
Aug 13 , 1994 Cumulative sales pass the $5 billion mark as the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery is named the No. 1 Lottery in the USA!
Aug 4 , 1994 High-flying, fast-scratching super-spokesman Scratchman tours the state to mark the introduction of the Scratchman scratch game.
Jul 21 , 1994 David McBirnie, a bread salesman from Van Horn, wins the top prize in the Lottery's 30th-and final-Million-Dollar Grand Prize Drawing.
Jun 10 , 1994 Carmen Valdez of Laredo claims the first Instant Million $1,000,000 prize.
May 29 , 1994 The Lottery celebrates its second anniversary with the introduction of Instant Million.
May 19 , 1994 McAllen schoolteachers Raul Zavaleta and Henry Lozano-the "handshake millionaires"-share a $37.6 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot.
Apr 1 , 1994 Transition of Bingo regulation from the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Alcoholic Beverage Commission to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Mar 26 , 1994 Still two months shy of the second anniversary of its first ticket sale, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery sales surpass $4 billion!
Mar 16 , 1994 Another record-setting Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot of $77.1 million is divided among five winning ticket holders!
Feb 24 , 1994 Wanda Wilson of Houston claims a record $41.48 million Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot, the single largest Lottery prize won so far.
6 p.m. to 7 p.m. - The Lottery records its first-ever hour with more than $3 million in Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY sales.
Feb 17 , 1994 Nora Linares named Executive Director with unanimous vote of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. Commission Chair Jan Fisher Greaves says, "We are fortunate to have a leader like Nora, who I am sure will work hard to maintain the highest level of integrity for the functions of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission."
Feb 1 , 1994 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery's historic first game - Lone Star Millions - closes after setting two national sales records, creating 6 instant millionaires, and awarding 479 top scratch-off prizes of $10,000.
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1993
Date Milestone
Dec 3 , 1993 Comptroller John Sharp and Acting Executive Director Nora Linares sign a transition agreement, transferring the functions of the Lottery from the Comptroller's Office to the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Nov 9 , 1993 Stanley Dehart of Houston buys a $2 ticket to win $1,000 a week for life!
Governor Richards appoints HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission members - Jan Fisher Greaves, Chair, Richard Daly and Anthony Sadberry.
Nov 8 , 1993 Win For Life instant game goes on sale as the Lottery's first $2 ticket. Top prize: $1,000 a week for life.
Nov 5 , 1993 Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY reaches $1 billion in sales, two days before its 1st birthday.
Oct 25 , 1993 Pick 3 start-up - $1.2 million in sales on the first day - another record breaker!
Oct 23 , 1993 With two weeks left in its first year and cumulative sales totaling $973.6 million, Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY breaks the all time, first-year sales record for a Lotto game set by Florida in 1989.
Sep 9 , 1993 Rebecca Brown of Irving, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, is the largest single jackpot winner to date. The amount won: $38.6 million!
Sep 1 , 1993 H.B. 1587 takes effect creating the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission.
Aug 30 , 1993 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery transfers $80.9 million in surplus administrative funds to the state's General Revenue Fund, making a total of $812 million earned in the first 15 months. This is nearly $350 million more than the original estimate of Lottery earnings for the biennium.
Jul 7 , 1993 $48.96 million jackpot is split three ways between winners from Corpus Christi, Dallas and Loneoke, Arkansas.
May 29 , 1993 "Quick Pick" option for Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY added on the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery's first anniversary.
May 25 , 1993 Governor Ann Richards signs H.B. 1587 into law.
May 11 , 1993 The 73rd HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Legislature passes H.B. 1587, creating the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission. The Commission is to be composed of three commissioners who serve six-year, staggered terms. Legislation also passes that moves Bingo from the TABC to the new Commission.
May 1 , 1993 14 players win a share of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery's largest jackpot so far - $48.6 million.
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1992
Date Milestone
Dec 22 , 1992 Total Lottery sales exceed $1 billion, less than seven months after start-up.
Nov 28 , 1992 Janie Kallus, of Schulenburg, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, is the first winner of a Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY jackpot. The amount won: $21.8 million!
Nov 16 , 1992 The first recyclable lottery ticket, Stocking Stuffer, goes on sale.
Nov 14 , 1992 The first Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY drawing is held at 9:59 PM and televised via satellite across HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY.
Nov 7 , 1992 Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY sales begin - eight weeks ahead of schedule!
Oct 14 , 1992 Retailer training classes for the on-line games begin across the state.
Oct 5 , 1992 The Lottery pays the 100 millionth winning ticket since the start of instant ticket sales.
Sep 4 , 1992 In preparation for Lotto HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, GTECH begins installing on-line terminals in 5,250 retail locations.
Jun, Jul, Aug , 1992 For 14 consecutive weeks $1 million Grand Prize Drawings are held around the state.
Jun 18 , 1992 Annabel Huerta of Abilene wins $1 million cash in the first HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Grand Prize Drawing, held in Dallas at the Plaza of the Americas. Says Annabel: "Now I can make all my family's dreams come true!"
Jun 5 , 1992 First week sales of 102.4 million tickets set another world record.
May 29 , 1992 The HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery is launched - 47 days ahead of schedule!
At 6 a.m. at Polk's Feed Store in Oak Hill, Gov. Ann Richards purchases the first HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery scratch-off ticket. In the next 24 hours, Texans buy 23.2 million more tickets, a world record for first-day sales. The cost of the Lottery's start-up, with interest, is earned back during the first three hours of ticket sales.
May 28 , 1992 Lottery kickoff parties in 14 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY cities attended by tens of thousands of people.
May 4 - 16 , 1992 Retailer training classes for instant ticket sales attended by more than 40,000 people representing 15,000 licensed locations.
Apr 9 , 1992 First shipment of Lone Star Millions, the Lottery's first instant ticket game, arrives at GTECH warehouse in Austin.
Mar 24 , 1992 GTECH begins installing GVT validation terminals in 15,000 licensed retail locations.
Mar 19 , 1992 Susan Holten of Carrollton, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, wins the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Logo Contest. Her design, a ten-gallon hat thrown high in celebration, wins in head to head competition against the ad agency's logo.
Mar 7 , 1992 Lottery Operator contract awarded to GTECH of Rhode Island to handle warehousing and distribution of tickets, retailer training and field support, telecommunications, and computer systems.
Contract awarded to GSD&M of Austin, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, for advertising services.
Mar 6 , 1992 Contract awarded to Dittler Brothers of Atlanta, Georgia, for production of instant tickets.
Jan 27 , 1992 Retailer application seminars begin in Austin and are held in eight other HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY cities over the next month.
Jan 11 , 1992 Proposals for advertising services solicited.
Jan 9 , 1992 Lottery Start-Up Citizens Advisory Committee meets for first time to discuss lottery-related issues and make recommendations.
Jan 8 , 1992 Lottery sales license application packets begin going out to 65,000 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY retailers.
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1991
Date Milestone
Dec 16 , 1991 Proposals for lottery operator and instant ticket manufacturer solicited.
Nov 20 , 1991 Nora Linares appointed director of the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery.
Nov 5 , 1991 HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY voters approve the Lottery by a two-to-one margin.
Aug 26 , 1991 House Bill 54, creating a lottery in HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY, is signed by the Governor in a special session of the 72nd Legislature. The Lottery Act requires voter approval before taking effect.
Aug 19 , 1991 The Comptroller's Lottery Task Force forms and begins preliminary preparations.
Jul 11 , 1991 Legislation is introduced to create a state lottery.
gency Directory
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery
Customer Service
800-37LOTTO (800-375-6886)
Main Switchboard
512-344-5000
Fax
512-344-5080
e-mail
customer.service@lottery.state.tx.us or Send an Email
Retailer e-mail Retailerwebhelp@lottery.state.tx.us
Street Address
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission Headquarters
611 E. 6th Street
Austin, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY 78701
Mailing Address - General Correspondence
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission
P.O. Box 16630
Austin, TX 78761-6630
File a complaint online
You may file a complaint with the HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission online or download the complaint form and submit the form via postal mail or fax.
Key Personnel
Key Personnel Phone Directory
Charitable Bingo Division
Phone
800-BINGO-77 (800-246-4677)
Fax
512-344-5142
e-mail
bingo.services@lottery.state.tx.us or Send an Email
Main Switchboard
512-344-5000
Street Address
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission Headquarters
611 E. 6th Street
Austin, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY 78701
Mailing Address - All Bingo Correspondence
Charitable Bingo
P.O. Box 16630
Austin, TX 78761-6630
File a complaint online
You may file a complaint with the Charitable Bingo Division online or download the complaint form and submit the form via postal mail or fax.
Key Personnel
Key Personnel Phone Directory
Other Mailing Addresses:
Lottery Claim Center (Claim Forms/Tickets); Security Division
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission
P.O. Box 16600
Austin, TX 78761-6600
Lottery Retailer Correspondence; All Lottery Commission divisions (except Security)
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission
P.O. Box 16630
Austin, TX 78761-6630
Lottery License Correspondence
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission
P.O. Box 16660
Austin, TX 78761-6660
Open Records Requests - HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Commission
Open Records Coordinator
P.O. Box 16630
Austin, HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY 78761-6630
openrecords@lottery.state.tx.us
Regional Offices
Bingo Regional Offices
Click here for Bingo Regional Offices
HONEST GRANTS LOTTERY Lottery Claim Centers
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