A Texas lottery player has taken legal action against the Texas Lottery Commission for withholding her $83.5 million jackpot, which she won through an online ticket purchase via a third-party courier.
What Happened: The unidentified woman filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, three months after the Feb. 17 Lotto Texas drawing. She utilized the Jackpocket Lottery app to purchase $20 worth of tickets from a licensed retailer in North Austin.
The winning numbers for the draw were 19, 21, 25, 45, 47, and 52. The woman tried to claim her prize from the Texas Lottery Commission on March 18 but has yet to receive her winnings. She maintains that her ticket was correctly validated by the commission, affirming her as the rightful winner of the jackpot.
As per the lawsuit neither the commission nor anyone representing it has indicated that the winning ticket is invalid or fraudulently obtained, reports KVUE.
The woman alleges that the commission is withholding her winnings on the grounds that her method of play, using a third-party courier, was deemed “illegal.”
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The Texas Lottery Commission has recently suggested a prohibition on couriers from state lottery drawings, citing concerns about fairness and integrity. The commission has expressed concerns that most couriers and the licensed retailers they collaborate with are based in the same location.
The Jackpocket app is a property of sports betting company DraftKings. The Texas Lottery Commission has been the subject of multiple investigations from the state attorney general’s office, and its executive director, Ryan Mindell, stepped down on April 21.
Why It Matters: This lawsuit comes at a time when the Texas Lottery Commission is already under scrutiny from the state attorney general’s office.
The proposed ban on couriers from state lottery drawings and the recent resignation of its executive director add to the complexity of the situation.
The outcome of this lawsuit could potentially impact the future of online lottery ticket purchases and the role of third-party couriers in the process.
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