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Myth Busters

Myth Busters features responses to some of the most common misconceptions about the lottery. If your question is not answered here, check out our FAQ page for additional help.

Myth:Texas Lottery® tickets may be purchased with a credit card.

Fact:Credit cards are never accepted for lottery purchases. The only acceptable forms of payment are: cash, debit card, check and Texas Lottery issued coupons and vouchers.

Myth: Texas Lottery money does not go towards education.

Fact: All Texas Lottery net proceeds go to the Foundation School Fund to help support public education in Texas and to the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans' Assistance (FVA). Since 1997, the Texas Lottery has contributed $25.9 billion to the Foundation School Fund and since 2009, the Texas Lottery has contributed more than $145 million for veterans’ programs.
More information on Supporting Education

Myth: The Texas Lottery is paying out less money than it did when it began in May 1992.

Fact: In fiscal year 1992, 45 percent of each dollar in sales went towards prizes. In fiscal year 2008, 62 percent of each dollar in sales went towards prizes, representing a 17 percent increase in prizes.
Check out our Winners Gallery

Myth: The Texas Lottery selects the numbers they want to win.

Fact: The Texas Lottery is committed to the fairness of its games. The drawing process is completely random. All drawing machines are rotated monthly and the designated ball sets are selected randomly before each drawing. The drawings are supervised by Texas Lottery Security and are certified by an Independent accounting firm. All drawing results are also reviewed by an independent statistician. The drawings are held in our studio in Austin and we welcome the public to come and view a drawing live! Players may also view the drawings live using our Web cast feature.
More information on our drawing procedures

Myth: Retailers know which scratch tickets are winners.

Fact: Unless the latex on the scratch ticket is removed, a retailer cannot determine if a ticket is a winner. Players should check their tickets to ensure that the scratch material is intact and has not been tampered with or removed at the time of purchase.
More information on our Scratch tickets

Myth: You must be a Texas resident to claim a prize.

Fact: There are no restrictions or limitations concerning citizenship when it comes to playing or winning the Texas Lottery; however, the tickets must be purchased from a licensed retailer in Texas.
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions

Myth: There are never any Mega Millions or Powerball winners from Texas.

Fact: Mega Millions and Powerball are multi-state games played in over 40 states. Since joining Mega Millions in December 2003, Texas winners have been paid out more than $1 billion in Mega Million prizes. Since joining Powerball in February 2010, Texas winners have been paid out more than $400 million in Powerball prizes.

Myth: The Texas Lottery continues to sell scratch tickets after the top prizes are claimed.

Fact: After all top prizes for a scratch ticket game have been claimed, we send a message over the terminals to all retailers telling them to immediately stop selling that game. We then have the remaining tickets for that game picked up.
More information on Scratch tickets

Myth: If a Lotto Texas jackpot winner dies, the annual payments stop.

Fact: Upon the death of a prizewinner who claimed a lottery installment prize for games in his or her individual capacity, the Texas Lottery Commission will pay the remaining installment payments to the estate of the deceased winner. This would apply to games that have installment prizes such as Weekly Grand, Lotto Texas, Monthly Bonus, and Mega Millions
More information on claiming your prize

Can't find your answer here? Contact us at:

  • Texas Lottery questions: 800-375-6886
  • Charitable Bingo questions: 800-246-4677

You can also email us your questions at customer.service@lottery.state.tx.us