The probability of winning the jackpot for Lotto Texas is close to 26 million to one. A woman who beat those odds now finds herself suing the Texas Lottery Commission to receive her $83.5 million prize. At the heart of the lawsuit is the Commission's announcement banning the use of lottery ticket courier services, which came a week after Jane Doe's ticket became a winner.
The lawsuit alleges that Doe has not received payment despite being the sole winner of the February 17, 2025, Lotto Texas jackpot. It argues that Sergio Rey, the Acting Deputy Director of the Commission, is not protected by sovereign immunity. She seeks injunctions to keep Rey from disbursing her winnings in any manner but awarding them to her.
Funding via a Math Tax
Lotteries are an extremely effective way for states to generate revenue to be used for schools, public works, veterans' needs, and more. Since 1992, the Texas Lottery Commission claims to have raised over $40 billion for state projects, with two-thirds of ticket sales awarded to winners. While the chances of success are slim at best, there's no shortage of people willing to take a chance to beat the odds and change their lives forever.
The only lotteries available in Texas with longer odds than Lotto Texas are Mega Millions and Powerball, both of which are national. Lotto Texas has three drawings a week, with the jackpot awarded to anyone who matches the six balls chosen from a pool of 54. If nobody beats the one in 25,827,165 odds, the funds roll over into the jackpot for the next drawing.
In addition to purchasing lottery tickets at licensed retailers, many people make use of lottery ticket courier services. Most are apps that charge a small fee for each ticket purchased through them. While a handful of states have regulations in place for third-party lottery ticket courier services, Texas is not one of them.
That's a Texas-sized Rug Pull
On February 17, Jane Doe purchased a Lotto Texas ticket through a service called Jackpocket, which processed her ticket through Winners Corner in Austin. According to the lawsuit, Jackpocket queried the Texas Lottery Commission in 2018 about acquiring authorization or obtaining a license to operate as a lottery ticket courier service in the state. Told by the Commission that it didn't regulate courier services, Jackpocket began providing its services.
The numbers on Doe's lottery ticket through Jackpocket matched the six numbers of the Lotto Texas drawing. As the only winner, the entire $83.5 million jackpot was hers. She presented her ticket to the Texas Lottery Commission on March 17, where her win was validated. Doe claims that at no point was she told her ticket was anything but valid, but the Commission has refused to pay her and doesn't respond to her communications.
On February 24, 2025, the Commission announced that it would no longer allow lottery ticket courier services to operate within Texas. In addition, it threatened to revoke the lottery ticket sales agent license of any retailer that continued to work with them. This was declared to be effective immediately, a week after Doe's winning draw.
A New Millionaire Is Waiting
Under investigation by state officials, the executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission resigned without comment in April and was temporarily replaced by Rey. Texas Governor Greg Abbott suggested that law enforcement is looking into the legality of Doe's ticket purchase through Jackpocket.
Doe's lawsuit requests that the court cut through the stonewalling and obfuscation from both the state and the Commission to have her legally obtained winnings awarded. She's also seeking attorneys' fees and injunctions to keep Rey from allocating her funds elsewhere before payment. As the Texas Lottery Commission's website still displays a single winner on February 17, she's got a compelling argument.
Related Resources
- What Is Qualified Immunity? (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
- Do I Need a Lawyer if I Win the Lottery? (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
- Lottery Trusts (FindLaw's Trust Law)
