Austin store that sold $83.5M winning lottery ticket under investigation by Dan Patrick

AUSTIN, Texas - Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is conducting his own investigation into the Texas Lottery.

This comes after a winning $83.5 million lottery ticket was bought at a retail store in North Austin. 

What we know:

The lucky winner matched all six numbers in Monday's Lotto Texas drawing; 19, 21, 25, 45, 47, 52. 

The winning ticket was sold at the Winners Corner TX LLC store on Rockwood Lane.

The winner picked their own numbers and chose the cash option.

RELATED: Lotto Texas ticket sold in Austin wins $83.5 million prize

The estimated $83.5 million jackpot was the fifth-largest in the history of Lotto Texas.

The prize has been growing since June 2024.

Investigation into Austin lottery courier store

What we know:

This is not the first time someone walked away a winner after buying a ticket at the Winners Corner TX LLC store on Rockwood Lane.

The store has been on top for the number of winning tickets sold, including in December 2024 when someone bought a winning lottery ticket of $2 million.

In March 2021, a Texas Two-Step ticket sold there also won. It was worth more than $2 million as well.

The business is considered a lottery courier, which allows Texans to buy tickets online, then a courier will send a representative to physically purchase the ticket in person at one of the lottery retailers.

Although many question the ethics and legality of how these lotto companies work, the most recent win was concerning to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

On Tuesday, Patrick went to investigate Winner's Corner in person.

"Do you not see an issue where the public might lose confidence if the courier service somehow happened at this one location in the entire state of Texas sold an $83 million winning ticket, and they also own the location that printed the ticket?" Patrick asked the store employee.

Other legal disputes over lottery couriers

What we know:

Lottery couriers have been legal in the state since 2019.

On Feb. 14, the Texas Lottery Commission asked the Attorney General's Office if it has the authority to regulate transactions between couriers and customers.

There is also an active lawsuit involving the Texas Lottery Commission.

Former executive director of the Lottery Commission Gary Grief and a courier are being accused of money laundering, fraud, and manipulating the outcome of lottery games. However, they denied their involvement.

Grief's attorney sent a statement:

"Gary Grief served the Texas Lottery Commission as Executive Director for approximately 15 years. He is proud of what he and his dedicated staff accomplished during those years. Gary adamantly denies being part of any dishonest, fraudulent or illegal scheme during his tenure and looks forward to cooperating in any official inquiry addressing the allegations being made."

The current lawsuit has sparked skepticism among people who are following the number of lucky tickets that are bought at these courier lotto stores.

However, the Texas Lottery claims it has "cleaned house."