Texas Lottery app: checking and claiming, not buying
No, you can't buy Texas Lottery tickets online. The lottery's own FAQ says state law doesn't allow it. Its app checks tickets and can pay some prizes, which is more than most. Everything here comes from the lottery's own site, read on 28 October 2026.
The short answer, in the lottery's words
The Texas Lottery's FAQ says: "State laws and regulations do not permit the sale of tickets by mail, phone, or Internet. Also, federal laws and regulations may restrict such sales. You must buy your tickets from a licensed retailer here in Texas." It also says you "Must be 18 years or older to purchase a ticket."
That's as clear as a lottery gets. In Texas the ticket is bought from a licensed retailer, on paper.
What the app does
The download page lists the app's jobs: "Scan the barcode on the front of your draw game and scratch tickets for winning status," "Get updates on current jackpot amounts," "View winning numbers for all Texas Lottery draw games," "Enter promotional second-chance drawings," "Locate licensed Texas Lottery retailers" and "Find your favorite scratch tickets." Buying isn't on the list.
The useful part is the claim. Most lottery apps tell you that you've won and then send you to an office. Texas lets you collect a mid-size prize from the phone.
The mobile claim
The lottery's claim your prize page lists the Mobile App as the way to claim a prize from $600 to $5,000, and its mobile claims page explains how. You scan the ticket with Check My Ticket, log in or register, and "a player will receive the prize payment by direct deposit using Zelle®." The claim page adds the conditions: you must be 18 or older, you submit one ticket per claim, you keep the paper ticket until the claim is paid, and you register with your legal name, mailing address, Social Security number and citizenship or residency. Its advice is to "Make sure your financial institution accepts Zelle® payments prior to submitting a mobile claim." Claims sent between 10 pm and 2 am "will experience a delay in processing."
Everything else goes the old way.
| Prize | Where the lottery says to claim |
|---|---|
| $599 or less | Any retailer (which may pay but isn't required to), a claim center, Austin headquarters, or by mail |
| $600 to $5,000 | The mobile app, or a claim center |
| $600 to $999,999 | A claim center, Austin headquarters, or by mail |
| $1 million and up | Claim centers or Austin, by size; all Lotto Texas, Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots "must be processed at Texas Lottery headquarters in Austin" |
A draw-game prize is forfeited after "the expiration of the 180th day following the draw date." By mail, "Risk of loss remains with the claimant," and mailed claims can take up to 4 weeks.
What the lottery says about couriers
Some companies have offered to buy Texas tickets for people over the internet. The lottery published a policy statement on courier services, headed "EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 24, 2025," which calls couriers "unregulated companies that take lottery ticket orders from customers online" and says the commission "believes couriers are not legal under Texas law." It says retailers that work with couriers could lose their licenses, and that the statement "will be followed by an administrative rulemaking proceeding." I couldn't find on the site today where that rulemaking ended up. I'm not giving you a legal opinion either way; I'm telling you what the lottery said, and that's enough for me to buy at the counter.
My read
As the lottery describes it, the Texas app is a checker with a cash window. The scanner, the numbers and the retailer map are what you'd expect. Being paid up to $5,000 by direct deposit without a drive to a claim center is the part I'd actually use, and it's better than most states give you.
What I'd watch is the Zelle condition. The payment only goes one way, so check that your bank takes Zelle before you claim, not after. And hold on to the paper ticket until the money is in your account; the lottery says so, and I'd have said it anyway.
What's unclear is the courier rule's status, and the site doesn't say how long a mobile claim usually takes to pay. If either matters, I'd call the number on the claim page, 800-375-6886.
For how online sales work in states that do sell online, see buying lottery tickets online, and for scams that use the lottery's name, lottery scams. The other state guides are on the buy online page.