SB 28 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to a lottery game played or facilitated for play by telephone or through an Internet or mobile Internet application; creating criminal offenses.

SB 28 prohibits purchasing or facilitating the purchase of state lottery tickets via telephone, internet, or mobile applications. It specifically bans individuals from buying tickets online or through apps (a Class C misdemeanor) and bans selling or arranging such purchases for compensation (a Class A misdemeanor). The bill directly affects residents attempting to access lottery games digitally and businesses or individuals offering such services. It creates new criminal penalties under Section 466.318 of the Government Code, effective September 1, 2025. The law aims to enforce existing age and location restrictions for lottery play by closing digital loopholes.
Bill status passed 2 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Failed
Feb 2025
Governor
Introduced Feb 20, 2025 Last action May 6, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 1 edit · Feb 27, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted from an introduced version to an engrossed version, with minor spacing and punctuation adjustments. The substantive legislative content remains unchanged, including the new lottery game regulations and criminal offenses related to telephone or internet play.
TECHNICAL

Formatting changes including spacing, line breaks, and punctuation adjustments throughout the document to align with engrossed version standards

Floor votes · Senate Feb 27, 2025

How they voted

1020
Failed
Total votes 30
Feb 27, 2025
D Democratic10
10 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican20
20 Nay
100% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
31
Key actions
8
Committee
8
Amendments
2
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Committee
Referred to Licensing & Administrative Procedures
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Mar 4, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Feb 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Feb 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed to engrossment
upper
Feb 27, 2025
Amended
Amendment fails of adoption
upper
Feb 27, 2025
Introduced
Amendment(s) offered
upper
Feb 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Feb 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Feb 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Feb 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Feb 20, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
upper
Feb 20, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
16 primary · 10 co-sponsors

Sponsors