The Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans are close to announcing plans for instant-win games through the Texas Lottery.
After Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Thursday that an announcement would be "coming pretty soon," a spokesman for the Texas Lottery Commission said negotiations are being finalized for separate games featuring each of the state's NFL teams.
The NFL cleared the way for teams to have licensing agreements with their state-sponsored lotteries during team owners meetings in May. The New England Patriots and Washington Redskins already have announced their deals.
"We're real excited to be working with two such great organizations in the state of Texas," said Bobby Heith, director of media relations for the Texas Lottery Commission. "Until those negotiations are complete there's not more we can say. We're working diligently to complete them."
Gary Grief, the Texas Lottery Commission's executive director, mentioned the NFL team negotiations on Thursday during the commission's monthly, all-staff meeting.
Jones declined further comment until the official announcement.
NFL teams also are now allowed to wear a small patch with a corporate logo on their practice jerseys. The Texans and Green Bay Packers are among teams that have shown interest, and Jones made it clear the Cowboys are interested, too.
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"We'll take a look at that, certainly," he said. "That's our style. ... We have some aggressive cats back there in marketing."
