Texas lottery drawings that paid out big jackpots are the focus of widening investigations

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two major lottery drawings in Texas that put nearly $180 million in the pockets of winning ticket holders have set off widening state investigations over concern that ticket sellers and buyers may have exploited the rules.

The Texas Lottery, one of the largest in the U.S., is facing mounting scrutiny from state leaders over how the winners of an $83 million jackpot this month and a $95 million prize in 2023 purchased their odds-defying tickets. Both are among the largest jackpots in the history of the Texas lottery.

At the heart of the issue, Texas officials say, is whether the games are on a level playing field.

On Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched his own investigation on top of one announced earlier this week by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Part of the issue lies with couriers, the companies that purchase lottery tickets for customers remotely. One was used by this month's winner.

“Texas citizens deserve far better than bad actors getting rich off of a lottery system that is open to exploitation, and we will hold anyone who engages in illegal activity accountable," Paxton said in a statement.

Here's what else to know about Texas' mega lottery winnings:

Couriers are companies that buy and send lottery tickets on behalf of customers online. The practice bypasses state law that requires tickets to be purchased in person. Couriers, which operate in 19 states according to a 2024 report from the Florida Office of Program Analysis and Government Accountability, do not have any regulatory oversight or licensing requirements in Texas.

Some lawmakers have expressed concern about children and people outside the state purchasing tickets.

The head of the Texas Lottery Commission said this month that the agency will ban couriers, walking back years of resistance to pushing them out of the market.

“Lottery courier services operating in Texas have been a significant concern for many of our stakeholders,” executive director Ryan Mindell said in a statement. “Previously, the agency interpreted its authority as not extending to the regulation or prohibition of these services.” The agency has since reconsidered after reviewing state laws, Mindell said.

Neither winner of the big drawings has come forward publicly and they are under no obligation to do so under Texas law.

The $83 million ticket was purchased by a customer at a courier store called Winners Corner in Austin on Feb 17. The chain has locations in six states.

The $95 million drawing from 2023 was won after the winners purchased nearly every possible number combination, according to Abbott's office. An investigation by the Houston Chronicle found the ticket was purchased at a retailer that added a dozen lottery terminals to print tickets the day before the drawing.

Experts told the newspaper that QR codes can be read by the machines to process large volumes of tickets in a short time. Normally, the QR images generate directly from the Texas Lottery Commission's mobile app.

One of the state's five lottery commissioners has since resigned amid the criticism and the commission said it will no longer allow tickets to be purchased through couriers.

“We do not engage in bulk ticket purchasing, we are not part of some organized crime syndicate,” Paul Prezioso, an executive at courier site Jackpot.com told lawmakers Monday. “We believe that a regulated courier industry is a net positive for the state of Texas."

The Texas Lottery is still in full swing and residents will be allowed to use courier services until the state's Lottery Commission changes the rules, which is expected to happen in April.

The commission's plan to ban couriers comes after years of insisting that the body had no authority over the companies. It also follows criticism from Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a former television sportscaster in Houston who earlier this month walked into a Winners Corner store with a camera rolling and began asking questions.

Texas gambling has had a complicated history in recent years. Efforts to expand gambling in the nation's second-most populous state have failed despite expensive lobbying blitzes to bring casinos to the state and legalize sports gambling.

Supporters have sought to put a constitutional amendment to voters, but the proposals have not gotten far in the Legislature.

The state lottery has brought in more than $40 billion in revenue and awarded more than $90 billion in winnings since its establishment in 1992, according to the commission's website.

Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

A Texas Lottery sales terminal screen is shown at Fuel City in Dallas, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A Texas Lottery sales terminal screen is shown at Fuel City in Dallas, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A Texas Lottery sales terminal shows the jackpot amounts up to win at Fuel City in Dallas, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Edith Patlan grabs printed tickets from a Texas Lottery sales terminal at Fuel City in Dallas, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Edith Patlan uses a Texas Lottery terminal to complete at purchase of lottery tickets at Fuel City in Dallas, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

After a series of blowouts to start the women's NCAA Tournament, things got a lot tougher to start the Sweet 16.

Duke reached its 12th Elite Eight by grinding out a 47-38 win over rival North Carolina in the lowest-scoring game in the Sweet 16 or beyond in women's March Madness history.

The Blue Devils move on to face top seed and reigning national champion South Carolina, which had a bit of a grind of its in own in beating Maryland 71-67.

LSU beat N.C. State 80-73, but didn't hit the go-ahead basket until there was 1:07 left. The Tigers are in the Elite Eight for the third straight year, which included a national championship two years ago.

They'll face top-seeded UCLA, which beat Mississippi 76-62 behind Lauren Betts' 31 points.

The second half of the Sweet 16 is Saturday, with UConn, TCU and Southern California among the teams vying for a spot in the Elite Eight.

UConn (33-3) vs. Oklahoma (27-7), Spokane, Washington. All-American Paige Bueckers closed out her final home game at Gampel Pavilion in style, matching a career high with 34 points in a thumping of South Dakota State in the second round. The road to her first national championship gets a bit tougher against the Sooners. Oklahoma rolled through its first two games and has a 136-68 rebounding advantage so far in the bracket.

Southern California (30-3) vs. Kansas State (28-7), Spokane. The big storyline is how the top-seeded Trojans will play without JuJu Watkins. The All-American tore the ACL in her right knee in USC's win over Mississippi State and is out for the season. The Wildcats reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002 with a 80-79 overtime victory over Kentucky.

TCU vs. Notre Dame (28-5), Birmingham, Alabama. The experienced Horned Frogs are in the Sweet 16 for the first time after beating Louisville 85-71 in the second round. TCU also has a win over Notre Dame already this season, rallying from 14 down to beat the Irish in the Cayman Islands. But that game came with a catch: Notre Dame was down to six healthy players due to injuries. The Irish now have their full complement of players to go against Sedona Prince, who had a monster game against them in the Thanksgiving tournament.

Texas vs. Tennessee, Birmingham. This all-Southeastern Conference Sweet 16 matchup will be a contrast in styles. The Longhorns like to play bully ball and have outrebounded opponents by nearly 10 per game this season. The Vols play a frenetic style and force 22.4 turnovers per game. Texas won the lone regular-season meeting 80-76 despite being outscored 27-3 from the 3-point arc.

Every game of the women’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule — on ESPN's networks and streaming services with select games on ABC.

The top four betting favorites at the start Sweet 16 week are (in order): UConn, South Carolina, UCLA and Texas, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

There were 31 automatic bids that went to conference champions and they were combined with 37 at-large picks by the NCAA selection committee. Selection Sunday unveiled the bracket matchups.

First- and second-round games concluded Monday on campuses across the country. Sweet 16 weekend (March 28-31) put games at two sites once again: Birmingham, Alabama, and Spokane, Washington.

The Final Four is in Tampa, Florida, on Friday, April 4, with the championship game on Sunday, April 6. A year ago, the championship game drew a bigger television audience than the men’s title game for the first time, with an average of 18.9 million viewers watching undefeated South Carolina beat Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

William & Mary center Jana Sallman (12) battles Texas guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, left, and forward Kyla Oldacre, right, for a rebound during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Austin, Texas, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo (3) gathers a loose ball ahead of Duke's Vanessa de Jesus (2) and Jordan Wood (13) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

TCU players celebrate after winning an NCAA college basketball game for the Big 12 women's tournament championship against Baylor Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

North Carolina State's Mallory Collier (42) and North Carolina's Maria Gakdeng (5) reach for a ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown