A single ticket sold in Colleyville, just outside of Fort Worth, matched all six numbers in the massive $95 million Lotto Texas jackpot on April 22, the Texas Lottery announced, as reported by KSAT.
The winning numbers are 3, 5, 18, 29, 30, and 52. The winner, a limited partnership called Rook TX from New Jersey, cashed in not only on the jackpot but also on 289 out of a possible 288 second prizes, according to a Houston Chronicle investigation.
The pot had been fattening up since no one had hit the big one in 93 previous draws, but as it turns out, the real kicker might be a display of numbers crunching rather than sheer chance; the evidence suggests that Rook TX could have secured the win by legally scooping up nearly every possible number combo. The winning strategy involved playing with high stakes and a system where the odds had been tilted, as the Texas Lottery saw a surge in ticket sales right before the drawing – a staggering 28 million tickets, which dwarfs the usual 1 to 2 million, with most sold at outlets affiliated with online app companies.
The colossal Lotto Texas jackpot awarded on April 22 was cashed for a lump sum, marking the game's largest win since 2010 when the advertised jackpot had hugged an estimated $97 million close, and with this latest episode, Rook TX chose to remain behind a veil of anonymity with the Texas Lottery allowing winners of this stature to duck out from the public eye, with the Texas Lottery Commission emphasizing that “lottery drawings are random and independent events that provide every ticket holder has an equal chance to win regardless of the number of players, tickets purchased or the jackpot’s history."
The plot thickens with state records swinging the spotlight on Lottery Now, a Colleyville storefront affiliated with a digital courier service, where the golden ticket was sold, and which, intriguingly enough, only deposited its stakes on Lotto Texas. By the drawing date, it had multiplied its capacity to churn out tickets from one to thirteen printers, then, in a turn of events that could make a few brows rise, the store dialed back to only three machines shortly after the jackpot win. Lottery Now CEO Kevin Kramer and another company official Rich Wheeler assured the public that all rules were followed, according to the Houston Chronicle, leaving many wondering whether the house always wins or if, sometimes, the players can change the game.
