AUSTIN – The Texas Lottery Commission today announced that Ryan Mindell, the agency’s deputy executive director, was named a recipient of a 2023 Powers Award during the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries’ (NASPL) annual seminar, which is being held this week in Denver, Colorado.
“I want to congratulate Ryan on this prestigious honor,” said Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery. “Ryan is focused on the mission of the Texas Lottery, to generate revenue for public education and veterans’ services, and he constantly strives to find innovative ways to further that mission. All of Ryan’s many accomplishments have directly contributed to continued records being set at the Texas Lottery, and I can attest to the fact that he possesses all the traits that the Powers Award represents.”
Each year, the Powers Awards are presented in recognition of the significant contributions lottery and lottery vendor employees have made through exceptional job performance. These awards are named in honor of the late Edward J. Powers, the “Father of U.S. Lotteries.” Powers spent more than 25 years in the lottery industry helping to define the most effective organizational structures that have become a blueprint for today’s lotteries. The drive, commitment, and integrity Powers demonstrated set the standard of excellence exhibited by lottery and vendor employees nominated for this award.
Mindell has been with the Texas Lottery Commission since 2016, previously serving as deputy general counsel and lottery operations director before moving into his current role in September 2022. A leader in the industry, frequently called upon to present at national meetings and conferences, Mindell has recently worked closely with the NASPL organization, industry vendors, and other lotteries to lead modernization efforts for the North American lottery market, most notably in the development of a universal API (Applied Program Interface), an initiative that will allow retailers’ point-of-sales networks to be seamlessly integrated with lottery gaming systems. In doing so, this innovation will open up opportunities for significant retailer expansion, and will ultimately put the lottery product front and center both in-lane and at self-checkout, an initiative critically important to the future of the lottery industry.
Mindell’s other many accomplishments include enhancements to the development of the annual game plan for the Texas scratch ticket portfolio, serving as co-chair for the Texas Lottery’s 30th Anniversary celebration, developing new and unique ways to provide relief for Texas scratch ticket budget challenges, overseeing the addition of Monday drawings for both Powerball and Lotto Texas and the negotiation and implementation of a new gaming system and new mobile app.
About the Texas Lottery
Beginning with the first ticket sold in 1992, the Texas Lottery has generated $37.3 billion in revenue for the state and distributed $82 billion in prizes to lottery players. Since 1997, the Texas Lottery has contributed $31.4 billion to the Foundation School Fund, which supports public education in Texas. As authorized by the Texas Legislature, certain Texas Lottery revenues benefit state programs including the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance. Since the first veterans-themed scratch ticket game was launched in 2009, the Texas Lottery has contributed more than $217 million for programs supporting Texas veterans.
The Texas Lottery provides several entertaining games for lottery players including Powerball®, Mega Millions®, Lotto Texas®, All or Nothing™, Texas Two Step®, Pick 3™, Daily 4™, Cash Five®, and scratch ticket games. For more information visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, or at texaslottery.com. PLAY RESPONSIBLY.