A LOTTERY law is set to add massive restrictions to the game, and will ban the sale of online tickets.
The new legislation will kick in on September 1 in Texas and will entirely dismantle the state’s lottery commission.
The new law puts the Texas lottery at risk[/caption]
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s range of new laws will take effect in a few days, including on the lottery, schools and taxes.
Texas will restrict the sale of lottery tickets and will also do away with third-party courier sales.
This means that lottery players will no longer be able to buy lottery tickets through an app on their phone.
Couriers work with licensed lottery retailers to buy tickets for customers.
In turn, the couriers take a small cut of the sale.
Under the new law, the state lottery will be placed under the control of the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation.
Texans will still be able to play the lottery, but they will have to purchase tickets in stores.
The new law also prohibits lottery players from buying tickets on behalf of other people.
This will be a Class A misdemeanour and carries a penalty of up to a $4,000 fine or one year in prison, according to Texas law.
Even though the new law does not end the lottery system in Texas, it does set into motion the possibility of this happening by 2029.
The new law will be tasked with “assessing whether the department has sufficient tools, programs, and procedures to ensure the integrity of the state lottery program.”
SCHOOL LAWS
From September 1, public schools in the state will be required to show the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
The state will also allow schools to implement a voluntary period of prayer time for students, as well as Bible readings.
Students will only be able to sign up for this with permission from their parent or legal guardian.
Lucky lottery numbers – fact or fiction?
The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively with professor of mathematics at Davidson College, Tim Chartier, who revealed the truth behind lucky numbers.
Scooping up a jackpot prize in a lottery game such as Powerball or Mega Millions involves correctly guessing a series of numbers.
Many players swear by certain numbers, sticking with digits such as birthdays, anniversaries, or ages – but do these numbers statistically carry the luck that players believe they do?
According to Chartier, they do.
“I think a number is lucky if you have fun playing it and it improves your experience of winning,” he said.
“The big lotteries are, statistically speaking, a chance to dream of being a multi-millionaire or even billionaire. If playing a certain number heightens that experience, then yes!”
However, the lottery expert clarified that aside from the feel-good implications of playing your “lucky numbers,” no number is truly lucky when it comes to the lottery.
“All numbers are equally likely,” said Chartier.
He explained that even though all numbers are equally likely, some may seem to appear more often.
For example, rolling a six-sided die six times does not guarantee that you will roll each number exactly once.
Texas will also not allow students to use phones and smart watches during the school day.
TAX LAW
Legislators have also introduced a new property tax package, increasing the homestead exemption from property taxes to $140,000 from $100,000.
This means that if a household earns over that threshold, it will not have to pay taxes on its property.
For those aged 65 or older, the exemption has increased from $10,000 to $60,000.
ABORTION AND SEXUALITY LAWS
Other laws include clarifications on when doctors can perform abortions, and if the state will fund the procedure if it’s out-of-state.
From Labor Day, women will not be funded if they seek an abortion outside of Texas.
Previously, the local government in San Antonio had set aside $100,000 for this purpose.
Texas will also define a “man” and a “woman” as someone who possesses the reproductive organs necessary to reproduce.
DEI will also be limited further, with programs based on gender and sexuality to be ended.
From September 1, public schools in the state will be required to show the Ten Commandments in every classroom[/caption]
