Although its contract bars IGT Solutions Corporation from donating in Texas, a review of campaign finance records shows that IGT has influenced policymakers directly and indirectly.
IGT is the lottery operator for the Texas Lottery Commission and is responsible for everything from game systems and ticket management to technical support and marketing.
This year, IGT was a title sponsor of Gov. Greg Abbott’s State of the State address. While this might not seem like a big deal, it represents a reversal from a past practice of avoiding the appearance of impropriety.
In 2007, IGT sought approval for an exception to fund a concert act at then-Gov. Rick Perry’s inauguration party. At the time, the attorney general’s office, led by Abbott, ruled that footing the bill for a concert could violate the improper influence clause of IGT’s contract.
Still, the AG left the decision to the lottery commission, which bizarrely green-lit the expenditure. Ultimately, IGT decided against funding the concert.
That posture of restraint has vanished.
This week, the company confirmed during a Senate State Affairs Committee hearing it had been delivering scores of machines to illicit printing operations set up in contravention of state law and, in at least one case, for a bulk printing operation.
It would be one thing if IGT only flouted its contract with the state regarding indirect contributions, but in fact, it’s also contributing directly.
According to Transparency USA, IGT has donated more than $280,000 across several political caucuses since 2015.
The Texas Republican Caucus has been the largest benefactor, receiving $175,000.
Any violation of the improper influence provision can result in either immediate termination of the contract or contract sanctions of $10,000 for each occurrence.
The Texas Lottery Commission claims to have been oblivious to these violations. When asked if its vendor’s breach of contract would constitute concerning behavior, a commission spokesman did not respond. It’s unclear if the lottery commission will investigate or assess penalties for these infractions.
The Texas Lottery Commission is under increased scrutiny from lawmakers and law enforcement. This week, it was announced that the Texas Rangers would investigate two jackpot drawings and, at Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s request, the state lottery agency itself.
The governor’s office did not reply to a request for comment on IGT’s sponsorship of the State of the State address. Though he called for an investigation into the two drawings on Monday, Abbott’s posture toward the lottery’s unlawful expansion of powers has changed since 2016.
Before re-entering the lobby and signing a contract with IGT, Luis Saenz served as Abbott’s chief of staff until 2022. Saenz isn’t the only Abbott connection to IGT. John B. Scott, another member of IGT’s lobbying team, was Abbott’s deputy attorney general for civil litigation when Abbott was attorney general. Abbott later appointed Scott to secretary of state and, briefly, attorney general.
David Whitley, another of Abbott’s former top-level staff and an Abbott appointee (like Scott, Whitley was also appointed to the secretary of state position), is a lobbyist for Jackpocket, an online lottery reseller that sports betting company DraftKings acquired in 2024.
The Texas Senate in 2023 attached a rider to the state budget instructing the lottery commission to stop online lottery ticket resellers, or else their funding would be cut off. Abbott instructed the commission to ignore the legislature.
