Texas Judge Orders Lottery Commission To Freeze Woman’s Jackpot Win
Battle over $83.5 million hit continues, with judge instructing commission to not spend a dime of the contested winnings
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A Texas judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the almost certainly soon-to-be-disbanded Texas Lottery Commission and its executive director, demanding it not spend one cent of a contested $83.5 million jackpot won by a Houston woman.
The woman, who has not been named, spent $20 via the Jackpocket app, and her numbers hit in the Texas Lottery drawing on Feb. 17. The prize has not been paid because the Texas Rangers are investigating that drawing, as well as an April 2023 winning in which Rook TX, a consortium, purchased nearly every combination of numbers to take home a $95 million prize.
The judge, from Travis County, wrote in the ruling that the Houston woman “will be irreparably harmed if Defendant Sergio Rey, in his official capacity as acting executive director for the Texas Lottery Commission causes the $83,500,000 jackpot prize to be diminished, wasted, or paid to another before the merits of Plaintiff’s claims are fully and finally adjudicated,” according to KXAN, an NBC affiliate.
Meanwhile, on the same day the judge issued the ruling, Senate Bill 3070, which would dismantle the Texas Lottery Commission and transfer its duties to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, passed through the Senate and was sent to the governor’s desk. It’s widely believed Gov. Greg Abbott will sign the legislation, which may complicate the ruling.
The lawyer for the woman, Randy Howry, told KXAN that he believes the order to keep the money whole will apply should the governor sign the bill in the next few days. An evidentiary hearing for a temporary injunction on Thursday could result in the funds being frozen until either a trial or if the state releases the money to the winner.
“We’re doing everything we can to protect these funds,” Howry said.
How we got here
After the woman won the lottery, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick kickstarted an investigation into lottery courier services. His concerns stemmed from the April 2023 incident in which Rook TX allegedly got special treatment from the Texas Lottery Commission to facilitate ticket production in order to buy up every combination of numbers.
This legislative session, as a result, saw Texas legislators take on courier services, which were since banned in the state by the lottery commission. There was also a push to completely get rid of the Texas Lottery before the bill to simply dismantle the lottery agency was passed.
