The swiftness with which Jackpocket is able to buy and upload a picture of a lottery ticket is impressive. These steps, Sullivan said, greatly reduce the risk of underage play.

(It is illegal to purchase lottery tickets with a credit card in Texas.) Jackpocket also requires that players scan or provide information from a state-issued ID that is then verified and cross-referenced against other information during a third-party background check. AutoLotto did not respond to a request for comment.īoth apps use geolocation through a user's phone to ensure they are in a state where the app is legal, while user-provided bank card information and phone numbers offer ways to verify that a user is 18 or older and that they are paying with a debit card. Austin-based AutoLotto launched its app in 2017, but it offers to purchase only Powerball and Mega Millions tickets and does not offer a group pooling feature like Jackpocket. Jackpocket is not the first app available in Texas for those who want to order lottery tickets. The company, which employs more than 50 people, hopes to expand to New York and New Jersey later this year, he said. He said Jackpocket chose Texas as its third and latest market because of its sizeable population. Though the company was created six years ago, Sullivan said it launched in Minnesota and New Hampshire in 2018.

The Texas Lottery has its own app on which players can upload ticket information, check lottery numbers and find retailers, but the app does not allow for purchasing or ordering tickets, which is the case for most state lottery apps.

Sullivan, 35, said the company has raised $30 million in venture capital and seen its ticket sales triple since last fall.īecause Jackpocket is a courier service, it is not regulated by the Texas Lottery Commission.

Texas lottery jackpocket