Texas Woman Who Won An $83.5 Million Lottery Jackpot Denied Winnings For Now

Imagine purchasing a lottery ticket and watching the numbers come in. All of a sudden you realize that you have won the jackpot. Pretty good feeling isn't it?

Then imagine being told that you may not get any of that jackpot at all due to the way you purchased the ticket, which was allowed during the time you played.

That is the story one Texas woman is living right now. She won a $83.5 million jackpot in February. But she purchased her ticket through a courier service, which at the time, was allowed to purchase lottery tickets. According to News Nation, a spokesman for Jackpocket said that they had been operating since 2019 in Texas and that they had been in compliance. But now the Texas Lottery Commission has told her that due to the Texas Rangers investigation of the lottery drawing.

Courier Service Controversy

Courier Services in Texas, like Jackpocket, which the woman used to purchase $20 of Texas Lottery tickets have been under fire from Texas lawmakers during the legislative session. Lawmakers have claimed that courier services were never supposed to be legal in Texas. Weeks ago, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would make courier services for the lottery illegal. After her jackpot winning and after another controversial winning from 2023, the Texas Lottery Commission banned courier services.

Jackpot Winnings in Limbo

The woman who won the jackpot in February, along with her attorney went to Austin on Tuesday to present her ticket. That's when she was told that no winnings would be paid out until after the investigation. According to News Nation, that isn't good enough.

“How unfair would it be if she’s not paid her winnings?” Howry questioned. “Is that going to give confidence to those other people out there who want to play the Texas lottery?” He added if the winnings are not paid out within three days he and his client will consider all options, including litigation.

The jackpot winner told News Nation that she hopes the matter will be resolved soon.