‘In Texas, a deal is a deal, unless you are the Texas Lottery,” the lawsuit states.
Texas Lottery executive director resigns
Texas Lottery Executive Director Ryan Mindell’s resignation comes after questions about the legitimacy of the Texas Lottery earlier this year.
Fox – 7 Austin
A Texas lottery player is pursuing legal action against state officials, alleging she hasn’t received her multi-million-dollar prize months after winning.
The unnamed woman is suing Sergio Rey, the acting deputy executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission. In the lawsuit filed on May 21 and obtained by USA TODAY, she claims she was not paid “as the rightful and undisputed winner” of a $83.5 million prize.
The woman initially purchased a ticket in the “Lotto Texas” lottery game on Feb. 17 through the mobile app Jackpocket.com, which secured her ticket from a licensed retailer in Austin. According to the filing, the courier service has been used for years “to lawfully purchase Texas lottery tickets.”
After finding out she had the winning numbers, the woman went to the Texas Lottery Commission on March 18 to claim her prize. The win was also highlighted on the Texas Lottery official website.
“The Commission conducted its ticket validation procedures and determined that Plaintiff was the lawful bearer of the winning ticket,” the document states. “At no time has Sergio Rey or the Commission or anyone purporting to act on the Commission’s behalf advised (the woman) that the winning ticket is invalid, inauthentic, obtained by fraud, has an illicit chain of custody, or that any other unlawful conduct was involved in (the woman’s) procurement of the winning ticket.”
In a statement to USA TODAY, the Texas Lottery said it “does not comment on pending litigation.”
Woman’s lawsuit calls Texas Lottery’s failure to pay ‘illegal’
According to the lawsuit and local news station KVUE, days after the woman bought her winning ticket, Ryan Mindell, the now-resigned executive director of the Texas Lottery, ruled that lottery ticket courier services are prohibited.
The rule change prompted the commission to “refuse to pay (the woman) her lottery winnings” due to how she purchased the ticket, the lawsuit says, alleging that the lack of action is “illegal.”
“They are simply stonewalling the winner, stalling and not being responsible or acting with any integrity,” the filing continued.
The woman is requesting the full prize amount, coverage of attorney costs and permanent injunctive relief.
“In Texas, a deal is a deal, unless you are the Texas Lottery,” the lawsuit states.
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.
