FORT WORTH, Texas - A district attorney in Texas has launched an investigation into kickback allegations against an official associated with the Texas Lottery Commission.

The probe was initiated after lottery watchdog Dawn Nettles was told by a reader of her tipsheet, the Lotto Report, that some winners had been steered to a particular financial planning firm, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Wednesday.

A persistent critic of the way the lottery operates, Nettles told the newspaper she has been contacted about the matter by an investigator for the Travis County, Texas, district attorney's office.

Lottery spokesman Bobby Heith told the newspaper officials at the agency take the allegations seriously but adds that so far nothing has been proven.

"We contacted the DA and our staff has been instructed to follow up on what Ms. Nettles has alleged," Heith said to the Star-Telegram.

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