Texas women sued state lottery after not receiving controversial $83.5 million jackpot

A woman in Texas sued the state’s lottery commission for not paying $83.5 million in awards, according to court documents obtained by CNN, three months after the number on her ticket matched the winning number.

“Every Texan knows what it means when a lottery is – if you win, you should be paid,” the lawsuit said. “When you win a lottery, you should not need a lawsuit to get paid. But that's exactly what's happening here.”

The woman purchased her tickets through a lottery courier service, which allow customers to actually purchase tickets using mobile apps or other online interfaces.

The lawsuit alleges that the woman, known only as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, purchased tickets for the Lotto Texas lottery game on February 17 through an app called Swadpocket, whose numbers matched the 10:12 pm CT that day.

A week after DOE won the vote, then-Texas Lottery Commission executive director Ryan Mindell announced action like Doe used by Doe, under Texas law. The ban came into effect on May 19, according to a spokesperson for the Lottery Commission. Mindell resigned in April.

“We all know that the Commission does not allow changes to the rules after the drawing is over. However, the Commission obviously attempts to do so, and at least some degree, rely on this factual fact announcement to continue to refuse to pay the plaintiff's lottery prizes simply because she uses the lottery courier service to purchase the winning tickets,” the lawsuit.

A spokesman told CNN in an email Saturday that the committee “does not comment on pending litigation.”

The lawsuit also claims that the DOE's unpaid bonus could be used to pay other Texas lottery winners, or could be redistributed and redirected to “other committee liability or purpose,” which could potentially reduce the amount owed to her.

The woman's attorney also filed a temporary restraining order and demanded an interim injunction to stop Sergio Rey, acting deputy executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission, thus leaving the lawsuit unreceived.

A court document said: “If Mr. Rey is not restricted and prohibits payment or reduction of the plaintiff's bonus, the plaintiff will suffer damages which will not be measured by any certain monetary standards and will be held before notice and will be held in the plaintiff's temporary application for temporary imprisonment.”

CNN has approached Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office, Grand Prix and Rey.

What is lottery express service?

Lottery courier services are third-party suppliers who purchase lottery tickets on behalf of customers, coordinate physical tickets purchased through brick and mortar stores usually own and notify the buyer if they win.

Courier services are usually operated online or through applications, providing a convenient way to play games. Some couriers even offer national lottery games such as Mega Millions and Powerball.

Lottery couriers operating in Texas since 2019 became a focus in April 2023, after an entity purchased 25 million lottery tickets in less than 72 hours, CNN Affiliate WFAA reported.

The Governor's Office release said the entity purchased “nearly every possible combination of digital.” The WFAA said investors doubled their funds because the jackpot was high and the winner took $57.8 million before tax.

According to a report released in 2024 by Florida Program Analysis and Government Accountability, courier services operate in 19 states.

According to a 2024 Texas report, only three states (New York, New Jersey and Arkansas) regulate the express delivery service industry. The report found that there is no such regulation in Texas, and no courier is required to obtain a license or license for the Texas lottery.

Victor Matheson, a professor of economics at Holy Cross College, said buying through a lottery courier has two advantages for customers.

“It makes it easy for buyers to buy tickets without having to go to regular lottery retailers, which also has the potential to allow out-of-state buyers to buy tickets in any lottery tickets across the country,” Matheson said in February.

Matheson added that the service may have disadvantages such as fees, legality issues, and lack of restrictions on purchasing tickets. Other legal issues include the regulation of interstate sales when each state controls its own lottery games, sales for minors, purchases of ticketing groups and other issues.

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