Former Texas Lottery chief heads to court. Here’s how the agency’s troubles unfolded

The case centers on a $95 million jackpot drawing where a group of gamblers spent millions buying nearly every possible combination of tickets. Texas Rangers investigated how that massive purchase happened, what the commission knew, and whether the agency helped make it possible. The indictment names not just Grief but the commission itself, which no longer exists.

The scrutiny that followed stretched well beyond one jackpot. Investigators and lawmakers took a hard look at the commission's relationships with private lottery courier businesses, those third-party services that buy tickets on behalf of customers for a fee. That examination eventually contributed to the abolition of the Texas Lottery Commission entirely.

For Texans who bought scratch-offs and lotto tickets for years trusting the system was clean, the criminal court phase adds a sharper edge to what had already been an ugly story. A first-degree felony in Texas carries serious prison time. Grief is not facing a slap on the wrist.

It took more than three years for this case to reach criminal court, and the agency it targets no longer exists to defend itself.