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A Texas woman is suing the state lottery commission, claiming she won an $83.5 million jackpot but never received funds.
Court documents filed in Montgomery County on May 19 claim that the woman, identified as Jane Doe, bought a lottery ticket on February 17 for the “Lotto Texas” game using the courier service Jackpocket.
State residents can purchase lottery tickets over the phone or online from an authorized retailer, which then purchases tickets on the customer’s behalf. The third-party companies are not regulated in Texas. Only three states — New York, New Jersey and Arkansas — regulate lottery courier services.
In her complaint, the woman says she bought a winning ticket through Winners Corner, a lottery retailer in Austin.
On the night of her purchase, her ticket numbers were drawn for the jackpot prize of $83.5 million, the lawsuit states. She then presented her ticket to the Texas Lottery Commission on March 18. At no point did officials claim her ticket was invalid, the filings claim.
But the excitement was short-lived.
A week later, officials said they would be banning the purchase of lottery tickets through unregulated lottery ticket courier services “effective immediately.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also announced law enforcement officials could be investigating the woman’s winning ticket.
“Texans must be able to trust in our state's lottery system and know that the lottery is conducted with integrity and lawfully,” the governor said in a statement in February.
He directed the Texas Rangers “to fully investigate these incidents and identify any potential wrongdoing.”
The lawsuit claims the state lottery commission is “not allowed to change the rules after the drawing” and is attempting to refuse to pay the woman’s winning amount by implementing a retroactive ban.
Texas Lottery executive director Ryan Mindell resigned in April amid a flurry of investigations.
“The proliferation of couriers in the state has raised serious concerns that the integrity, security, honesty, and fairness of lottery games is being undermined by the continued activity of courier services,” he said in a statement at the time.
Interim executive director Sergio Rey is named in the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for the commission told NBC News that the lawsuit is “being reviewed under the Commission’s claim validation requirements and is the subject of external investigation.”
“The agency does not have additional information to provide, as it does not comment on pending litigation and investigations,” the spokesperson added.
The Independent has requested additional comment from the agency.
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