Massive $83.5 million prize to be awarded to winner of February's Texas Lottery drawing
Last week, the Texas Lottery reached a settlement with Kristen Moriarty, who won an impressive $83.5m in February 2025. The win, however, was not without controversy, stemming from Moriarty's use of a lottery courier service.
Lottery courier services, third-party companies that purchase physical lottery tickets on behalf of customers, have been a subject of debate in Texas. These services, such as Jackpocket, gained prominence for their convenience, scanning and uploading tickets bought through affiliated retail outlets. However, concerns arose when groups started using couriers to buy massive quantities of tickets, like in a 2023 case where a single group purchased 99% of the 26 million possible tickets in a drawing, winning a $95 million jackpot.
This practice was perceived as undermining the lottery's integrity, making it less of a chance-based game and more a "rich get richer" scenario. The controversy intensified with Moriarty's win, which was initially blocked due to investigations and political backlash. The Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) faced criticism for allowing practices that some found objectionable.
As a result, Texas passed Senate Bill 3070 in mid-2025, dissolving the TLC and transferring lottery management to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The bill explicitly banned lottery courier services to protect lottery integrity and consumer fairness. A cap on individual ticket purchases was also imposed, limiting each customer to 100 tickets.
Moriarty's lawyer defended her throughout the proceedings, stating she played the lottery like a typical player and should be paid. Despite the controversy, Moriarty will receive $45.8m before taxes as a result of the win. She expressed sadness, stress, and anger about the situation becoming political.
The history of lottery courier services in Texas is marked by rapid growth fueled by convenience but culminated in legal controversy and legislative action due to their impact on large prize wins. With the services leaving the state, the Texas Lottery may face another story about a syndicate winning in the future. Moriarty lost faith in elected officials due to the controversy surrounding her win.
In summary, lottery courier services in Texas facilitated unprecedented large-scale ticket purchases for jackpots but led to legal crackdowns due to fairness and regulatory concerns, significantly impacting the handling and payout of large lottery prizes and prompting major structural changes in the state's lottery system.
[1] Texas Senate Bill 3070 [2] The Rise and Fall of Lottery Courier Services in Texas [3] The Controversial Win of Kristen Moriarty and the Future of the Texas Lottery [4] Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick Questions the Legality and Fairness of Lottery Couriers [5] The Impact of Lottery Courier Services on the Integrity of the Texas Lottery
[1] The rise and fall of lottery courier services in Texas, such as Jackpocket, were marked by convenience but culminated in legal controversies over their impact on large prize wins, like the $83.5m win by Kristen Moriarty.
[2] Following the controversy surrounding Moriarty's win, Senate Bill 3070 was passed, transferring lottery management away from the Texas Lottery Commission, and explicitly banning lottery courier services to protect the lottery's integrity and maintain consumer fairness.
