Compliance Updates
Texas Lottery Moves to Ban Lottery Courier Services
Texas Lottery Commission Executive Director Ryan Mindell on Monday, Feb. 24, issued a Policy Statement, announcing that lottery ticket courier services are not allowed under Texas law and that the agency will move forward with proposed rule amendments prohibiting lottery courier services within the state.
The Policy is effective immediately and aligns with legislative efforts to address serious concerns raised by players and state leadership regarding the integrity, security, honesty, and fairness of lottery operations. Under the proposed amendments, a retailer that works in concert with a courier service would have their lottery ticket sales agent license revoked. The rule amendments will be formally proposed by agency staff to the Commission board at an open meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, with the intent for the amendments to be adopted at an April open meeting following a 30-day public comment period.
Couriers are unregulated companies that take lottery ticket orders from customers online. Upon receipt of funds from a customer, the courier purchases lottery tickets from a licensed lottery retailer with whom the courier has a private business arrangement. In practice, the courier and the retailer are often located in the same building or office. The courier transmits a scanned image of the ticket to the customer and retains the ticket until it is determined to be a winning or non-winning ticket. Couriers charge a fee for their service to purchase and manage their customers’ tickets. These activities all occur without the oversight of a regulating authority to ensure that the public is protected from potential crime and other harms.
“The Texas Lottery was established to provide a secure and transparent system for players to purchase tickets in person from licensed brick-and-mortar retailers for the purpose of generating revenue for public education and veterans’ services in a responsible manner. Lottery courier services operating in Texas have been a significant concern for many of our stakeholders. Previously, the agency interpreted its authority as not extending to the regulation or prohibition of these services. Since I became executive director less than a year ago, I have been keenly focused on making changes to improve the public’s perception of Texas Lottery games and how they are played and operated. In recent days, our agency conducted a review of our authority under the State Lottery Act. As a result of this review and information from recent retailer investigations, the Commission will revoke the license of a retailer that works with or assists a courier service and we are moving to prohibit courier services in Texas to ensure all ticket sales comply with state law and agency regulation as well as to maintain public trust,” said Mindell.
The impact of lottery courier services has raised public concerns regarding consumer protection, compliance with state law, the proliferation of crime, and the potential for unauthorized expansion of lottery sales. In recent years, scrutiny over the role of these services has increased, with calls for regulatory action to ensure all ticket purchases remain within a clearly defined, secure, and enforceable legal framework.
“Our priority is to protect the security and integrity of the Texas Lottery and the public’s confidence in our games. By this rule proposal, the agency will take decisive action to ensure that ticket sales remain in full compliance with state law. Maintaining a well-regulated lottery system that serves the people of Texas is essential to fulfilling our mission of responsibly generating important revenue for public education and veterans’ services in our state. I look forward to adopting these rules and continuing our commitment to the people of Texas. The Texas Lottery Commission is dedicated to upholding the integrity of lottery operations and will work in full cooperation with the Legislature to implement any further changes deemed necessary,” Robert G. Rivera, Chairman of the Texas Lottery Commission, said.
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Vixio, a leading provider of regulatory intelligence solutions, is proud to announce its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Outlook, which found that regulators are cracking down on money laundering weaknesses with severe consequences, totaling over €36m in fines from March 2024 to March 2025 in Europe alone.
Vixio’s AML Outlook examines the challenges of complying with AML requirements in jurisdictions around the world, outlines regulators’ efforts to thwart criminal activity, and considers how payments and gambling firms can prevent being caught up in money laundering scandals.
The report found that in the last year, in the European area alone, there have been around 30 enforcement actions from regulators fining payments and e-money firms for falling short in their adherence to AML/CTF rules.
Financial institutions found to have money laundering weaknesses face profound consequences, with prosecutors and regulators alike generally unwilling to be empathetic on this matter. For example:
- In March 2025, Germany’s regulator, BaFin, fined Ratepay €25,000 over suspected money laundering.
- In February 2025, Estonia’s Money Laundering Data Bureau revoked B2BX Digital Exchange OÜ’s licence for failing to implement proper customer due diligence, transaction monitoring and risk assessments.
- The Bank of Lithuania, meanwhile, revoked Foxpay’s licence in November 2024 for systemic AML/CTF and governance failures, including fund mismanagement and conflicts of interest.
John Gidla, Head of Payments Compliance, Vixio, explains, “Although AML compliance involves significant costs for payments firms – including investment in transaction monitoring systems, customer due diligence (CDD) processes and ongoing staff training – the consequences of failure can be significant. In addition to financial penalties, failing to prevent money laundering can severely damage a firm’s reputation, leading to loss of customers, partners and investor confidence. Maintaining a strong compliance framework is crucial for preserving trust and long-term business viability.”
Until now, the EU’s AML enforcement has been more fragmented, but the EU’s new Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) could be a significant step towards addressing AML enforcement and closing gaps that criminals have been exploiting for years.
Regulatory scrutiny means that firms need to implement know your customer (KYC) procedures, monitor transactions on their systems for suspicious activity and report concerns through suspicious activity reports (SARs) to the relevant authorities.
The post Vixio Finds Over €36m in AML Fines Issued in Europe in the Last Year appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is pleased to announce a partnership with Letzz, an AI-powered compliance workspace designed for online gambling, to modernise regulatory monitoring and enhance strategic compliance across Europe’s fragmented online gambling landscape.
Through this partnership, EGBA will implement Letzz‘s AI-powered tool to enhance its own regulatory monitoring capabilities. Launching this week, the Letzz platform offers operators real-time, expert-validated insights and automated regulatory news scanning, creating a single, reliable source of information for compliance management.
“We are committed to promoting the highest standards of compliance across Europe’s online gambling sector,” said Maarten Haijer, Secretary General at EGBA. “With 27 countries in the EU, each with their own gambling laws and a myriad of requirements, accessible tools like Letzz can help both associations like EGBA and operators better understand the complex landscape of regulatory obligations.”
“We founded Letzz with the belief that compliance should be a competitive advantage, not just a necessity,” said Daniel Gambin, Co-Founder and CEO at Letzz. “Our partnership with EGBA allows us to bring this vision to a wider audience of operators who share our commitment to excellence in regulatory compliance. By transforming compliance from a challenge into a strategic business asset, we’re helping operators stay abreast of the latest regulatory changes.”
The collaboration reflects EGBA’s commitment to promoting a well-regulated online gambling market with the highest compliance standards.
Source: egba.eu
The post EGBA boosts regulatory monitoring with compliance workspace Letzz appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Fast betting content, data and live streaming provider becomes a Tier 1 Anti-Corruption Supporter to the Esports Integrity Commission helping drive match-fixing and fraud out of the industry
BETER, the award-winning provider of fast betting content, data and live streaming for esports and sports, has joined the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) as a Tier 1 Anti-Corruption Supporter.
As a member, BETER will assist the ESIC in identifying and investigating suspicious betting activity while also supporting the Commission’s wider goal of combating match fixing and betting fraud across the esports industry.
BETER is well placed to support the Commission, given its standard-setting approach to ensuring integrity across its fast-betting products and solutions.
As part of its supporter role, BETER will contribute to ESIC’s monitoring and intelligence functions, actively cooperating in the detection and investigation of suspicious betting activity. This includes visibility across its flagship ESportsBattle tournaments, delivering over 36,000 monthly esports events that are thoroughly monitored 24/7 by BETER’s Integrity team. .
The Integrity team ensures that all of BETER’s in-house events are conducted to the highest standards. This is achieved through rigorous e-learning sessions for all athletes participating in its contests, a 24/7 whistleblowing platform, the Integrity BOOTCAMP program, a comprehensive reporting system, partnerships with law enforcement agencies and sporting bodies/federations, and more.
Thanks to this robust integrity ecosystem, only 0.01% of events have been flagged for investigation as suspicious over the past 12 months.
Andrii Nekrutov, Chief Integrity Officer at BETER, said: “BETER’s strict measures and strong commitment to fair play principles in our ESportsBattle tournaments provide us with the qualities needed to be a strong and reliable member of the Esports Integrity Commission.
“We are one of the most experienced esports betting content providers with educational programs and approaches that are unrivalled when it comes to integrity and fairness.
“The team looks forward to working with the Commission to improve the esports ecosystem by eradicating match-fixing and bolstering principles of fair play. We have done a great job of this with our esports tournaments and believe we can help do the same for the wider industry.”
Stephen Hanna, Chief Executive Officer at the Esports Integrity Commission, added: “BETER’s membership to the Esports Integrity Commission is a testament to the company’s alignment with our mission to uphold and promote the highest standards of integrity, transparency and fair play within the global esports ecosystem.
“By becoming a member, BETER joins a growing community of industry leaders dedicated to fostering a safe, transparent and sustainable future of esports.”
The post BETER joins the Esports Integrity Commission appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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