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Former Texas Lottery Chief Reindicted on Abuse-of-Office Charge Tied to 2023 Lotto Draw

The case could force a public accounting of whether state help for a mass ticket buy crossed legal lines.

Overview

  • Gary Grief, reindicted Wednesday by a Travis County grand jury, received a court summons and is due in court June 26, and records show a summons also went to the state agency now running the lottery.
  • The new count mirrors an earlier filing and alleges he misused government property tied to the April 22, 2023 Lotto Texas drawing, with the value set at $300,000 or more under a first-degree felony.
  • Grief’s attorney called the case political and said he cooperated with Texas Ranger investigators, while prosecutors have not provided additional detail beyond the brief charging language.
  • The reindictment follows an April case that an assistant district attorney quickly dismissed under prosecutorial discretion after a prior grand jury vote.
  • The investigation centers on a 72-hour push in which a syndicate used dozens of terminals at four retailers to buy nearly every number combination, leading to a $57.8 million payout to Rook TX and legislative action in 2025 that dissolved the lottery commission and moved oversight to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.