Winner Of $83.5 Million Texas Lottery Jackpot May Never Get Her Money
The woman, who bought 20 tickets using the since-banned Jackpocket app, has hired a lawyer while Texas Rangers continue their investigation
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Everything is bigger in Texas, including, as it turns out, the lengths the Texas Lottery Commission will go to to keep the seemingly-innocent winner of February’s $83.5 million jackpot from her money.
The woman — who wishes to remain anonymous — told Nexstar that the Texas Lottery Commission informed her that she may never see her winnings as the Texas Rangers continue to investigate the drawing.
“I’m being treated as the bad guy,” the woman told the news site, according to its affiliate, KXAN.
The woman bought $20 worth of the Texas Lottery tickets for the Feb. 17 drawing using DraftKings-owned Jackpocket, a lottery courier app.
And that’s when things went off the rails.
Battle for the lottery
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick kicked it off when he conducted an impromptu investigation into lottery courier services using his camera phone, after the $83.5 million winning ticket was sold at Winner’s Corner in Austin. Patrick “revealed” that the store was owned by Jackpocket, a lottery courier service under DraftKings ownership.
Patrick issued an ultimatum, threatening to shut down the Texas Lottery if courier services weren’t banned, pointing out that the lottery is currently undergoing “sunset” review this legislative session. Less than two weeks later, the Texas Senate passed a bill outlawing couriers.
The response was immediate. Texas Lottery Commissioner Clark Smith stepped down. After previously disclaiming the ability to regulate couriers, the Texas Lottery Commission declared that they “are not allowed under Texas law” and implemented an immediate ban, with Executive Director Ryan Mindell enforcing the new policy.
The TLC escalated its actions, announcing investigations into all courier services operating in Texas and restricting lottery terminals to a maximum of five per retail location.
Governor Greg Abbott then directed the Texas Rangers to investigate both the recent $83.5 million jackpot and a previous $95 million jackpot.
“Texans must be able to trust in our state’s lottery system and know that the lottery is conducted with integrity and lawfully,” Abbott stated.
The situation intensified when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched his own investigation, suggesting that the winnings in these cases could be “unlawful.”
No guns, but lawyers and money
The woman has unsurprisingly hired an attorney, according to Nexstar, and he believes his client is entitled to her winnings.
“We played by all the rules, and we’re still playing by all the rules and we expect that my client should be paid,” Randy Howry said.
The entire courier controversy started back in 2023, with the $95 million win. That jackpot was claimed by a group that bought nearly every possible combination of numbers, sparking claims by Texas legislators that this was a money laundering scheme.
“If they had any qualms about that they should have done something then,” the woman said.
The woman was in Austin on Tuesday to collect her winnings, but was told the commission would not make any decisions until the Texas Rangers complete their investigation.
“How unfair would it be if she’s not paid her winnings?” Howry said. “Is that going to give confidence to those other people out there who want to play the Texas lottery?”
