TX Scratch Ticket Results 2017 - 2025 (55 Cities) Updated

A comparison of Katy and El Paso sales volumes and prizes from 2017 to 2025:

Katy: Sales volume: $295.7 million; Total in prizes: $17.7 million (13 winning tickets) 

El Paso: Sales volume: $591.5 million; Total in prizes: $6.142 million (12 winning tickets)

*The chart above was created using data obtained from the Lottery and Charitable Bingo Division – Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, following a public records request. Data for scratch ticket sales of $200,000 and above was received dating back to 1993, but only sales volume data was provided from 2017 to 2025 for the 55 cities listed; the chart reflects that information. 

A CRISP-DM-aligned TTPS research methodology was used to analyze the data using Claude.ai, along with a manual data analyst check. 

"Note that Boerne's 31.14% is driven entirely by a single $20M jackpot against a small $87M sales base — it is a genuine data point but a significant outlier that pushes the mean from 2.37% (33 cities) up to 3.05%."

Questions for Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Lottery and Charitable Bingo Division:

Can you share specific details about the randomized process? 

How does Brightstar Lottery track the  rolls of scratch tickets that include a major prize winner? 

Is anyone at the Texas Lottery’s office familiar with this randomized process, or are these questions  that only Brightstar Lottery personnel can answer?

We reached out to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), to learn more about the randomized process for distributing scratch tickets to retailers throughout Texas.

Response:

“Top prizes in scratch ticket games are randomly placed throughout the entire print run of a scratch ticket game during programming and production. Ticket packs are distributed to retailers statewide through a secure, randomized process that does not target specific retailers or geographic locations. Retailers receive ticket packs based on orders placed through the lottery’s distribution system, which accounts for factors such as sales volume and inventory levels. As tickets are sold, retailers reorder and restock from the remaining inventory within a game’s overall print run. Because prize placement is random and the distribution is driven by retailer demand and ongoing replenishment, some areas may see more winning tickets over time, particularly in areas with higher overall ticket sales and more frequent inventory turnover.

The Texas Lottery’s contracted lottery operator, Brightstar Lottery (formerly GTECH and IGT), has overseen sales and scratch ticket distribution since the Texas Lottery’s inception in 1992 and administers this process in accordance with established controls and oversight requirements designed to ensure the security and integrity of lottery games. Any suggestion that the Texas Lottery or its operator knows where winning scratch tickets are located or directs their placement to specific locations would be incorrect.”

Reply to follow-up questions:

“Prize structures and odds for Texas Lottery® scratch ticket games are established in advance, and when a game is designed and programmed for printing, prizes are securely embedded across the full print run in a way that ensures they are randomly distributed.

While the Texas Lottery’s operator tracks ticket inventory for security and validation purposes, that tracking is neither connected to nor capable of identifying packs that contain specific prize amounts, including top prizes, or determining where winning tickets are located or ultimately will be sold. Winning scratch tickets and their associated retailer can only be identified upon validation after purchase and play.”

They have declined a request for an interview.