The Texas Lottery on Monday banned online lottery ticket sales by third-party courier services after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and lawmakers had questioned the practice. The policy is effective immediately and “aligns with legislative efforts to address serious concerns raised by players and state leadership regarding the integrity,

The Texas Lottery Commission’s executive director said Monday he would move to ban couriers from buying lottery tickets after finding that state law bars the practice, an about-face from the agency’s yearslong claim it had no control over such third-party sales.

Major changes are coming to the way millions of Texans play the lottery in our state. On Monday, the Texas Lottery Commission announced it will ban lottery courier services, which allow people to order tickets online or through an app.