Winner of an $83.5 million Texas lottery jackpot last month still waiting for payout

A woman who won an $83.5 million lottery jackpot in Texas last month is still waiting for her payout as officials sort out whether the way she purchased the ticket will prevent her from collecting the winnings.

The winner, who has not yet been publicly identified, purchased tickets for the Feb. 17 lottery using Jackpocket, a courier service, which Texas lawmakers are attempting to ban, the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) said. The agency said Wednesday the winner has come forward.

She told “Top Story with Tom Llamas” on Wednesday that she spent $20 to buy lottery tickets on the app. She said she chose to purchase that way because it’s more convenient, and she considers it safer than going to the store to buy lottery tickets in person.

She also said she has used the app to buy lottery tickets before, and when she has won, she has been able to collect her winnings without any problems.

The woman’s claim is being reviewed as an investigation into her ticket purchase is pending, the TLC said, noting that payment timelines can vary “depending on the circumstances of each claim.” 

The TLC statement said the courier company purchased the winning ticket for last month’s jackpot at a location in northwest Austin.

“I was surprised,” the woman said of learning her winnings were being investigated, “because at the time, everything was OK. You could use these courier services to purchase the tickets.”

The Texas Senate passed a bill on Feb. 27 that would ban courier services in the state, defined by the TLC as “unregulated companies that take lottery ticket orders from customers online.”

The bill is has been referred to a House committee.

One week after the winning ticket was drawn, the TLC said purchasing lottery tickets through a courier service is illegal under Texas law and that the agency would move forward with banning such services in the state, effective immediately. It was not clear in the statement whether the policy would be applied retroactively.

The policy “aligns with legislative efforts to address serious concerns raised by players and state leadership regarding the integrity, security, honesty and fairness of lottery operations,” TLC said in a statement.

Other Texas officials also announced investigations into whether the winner’s ticket purchase was legal.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Rangers to investigate this incident, as well as a “bulk purchase” of lottery tickets in April 2023 to “identify any wrongdoing” in either case, the governor said in a statement.

Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement on Feb. 26 his office would be investigating the same two lottery incidents.

“I just feel like I’ve been caught up in now this political tornado of controversy that I don’t think I need to be involved in,” the woman said.

Jackpocket has since ceased operations in Texas, according to a Feb. 26 release from the company, which states it has always complied with the TLC’s guidance. 

It currently operates in 15 other states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, according to Jackpocket’s website.

The app allows for lottery players to purchase lottery tickets online for an additional fee. Once the customer pays, the app dispatches a courier, who goes to the store to purchase lottery tickets and then sends scanned images of the tickets to the customer, but holds onto the ticket until the drawing.

The woman’s lawyer, Randy Howry, said that for six years, the TLC has allowed customers to purchase lottery tickets using courier apps, and they have paid out “hundreds of millions of dollars,” in prize money, he said.

Howry said the TLC told him that it has completed its investigation and has identified the woman as the winning ticket holder but that it isn’t going to make a decision about whether it will pay her until the governor’s and attorney general’s investigations are also complete.

“She played by all the rules,” Howry said. “Now it’s time for her to be paid.”