Kristen Moriarty from Houston thought she had won the jackpot of a lifetime. She won $83.5 million through the Texas Lottery. But her luck quickly turned into a legal nightmare when it emerged that her winning ticket had been purchased through a lottery courier.
American legislation was in dispute over the legitimacy of such couriers. And that affected her directly. Her money was temporarily frozen and she was faced with a barrage of stress and legal proceedings.
She felt she had been unfairly punished. Moriarty had bought the ticket honestly, without bulk purchases or fraud. Yet she became part of a political battle that had nothing to do with her.
Payout follows agreement, but she will not receive the full jackpot
After months of uncertainty, Moriarty reached an agreement with the Texas Lottery Commission. Under this agreement, she would receive the lump sum amount, not the full jackpot value.
Before taxes, this amount was $45.8 million. After deductions, approximately $35 million remains.
That is still a lot of money, but it means a loss of nearly $50 million compared to the original jackpot amount.
Lottery couriers banned after major fraud incident
The Moriarty case came in the midst of another scandal. A group of players managed to purchase all 25.8 million combinations of another lottery through a lottery courier. They won $95 million.
Public outrage was widespread. Critics called the system unfair and dangerous. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick even called it ‘the greatest theft from the people in the history of Texas’.
In June, Governor Greg Abbott signed a new law. Senate Bill 3070 abolished the Texas Lottery Commission and banned lottery couriers in the state.With this step, the government hopes to restore trust in the lottery.