Rules where you live
Lottery pool rules in Texas
What a pool in Texas needs to know, each fact with its official source and the day we checked it. Another state
The short answer for Texas
- What we found in the law and the lottery's own guidance
- The Texas Lottery's FAQ says players may play as a group. Texas pays one claimant; the agreement names who claims and how the pool splits it. The Texas Lottery pays one claimant per ticket, so a group names one person to claim. Government Code 466.3054 makes it a felony to run a pool for financial gain and either use the money for anything but tickets or keep a share of the prize as pay for running it. Since June 20, 2025, Section 466.318 also bars anyone from buying or ordering a ticket by phone or through an app.From our Texas page, reviewed Oct 5, 2026
- Pool creation on ShareTheWinning
- Open
Facts we read on official pages, not legal advice.
ShareTheWinning runs your lottery pool on the record: who's in, every ticket, every share. Free.
Pool rules in Texas
- Minimum age
- 18 or olderLottery game page · checked Oct 1, 2026
- Group purchase cap
- Texas retailers may not sell one person more than 100 tickets in a single transaction, so a larger pool needs more than one.Texas Government Code 466.255 · checked Oct 5, 2026
- Who the lottery pays
- Texas pays one claimant; the agreement names who claims and how the pool splits it. The Texas Lottery pays one claimant per ticket, so a group names one person to claim.Texas Lottery FAQ · checked Oct 5, 2026
- Claim deadline
- 180 days after the drawingTexas Lottery FAQ · checked Oct 8, 2026
- Can the winner stay anonymous?
- Only for prizes of $1 million or more: the winner may choose on the claim date to keep identifying information private. City or county of residence may still be released, and a winner paid in installments may be named from the 30th day after the claim.Texas Government Code 466.411 · checked Oct 8, 2026
- Multi-draw, Powerball
- Up to 15 drawings per ticketTexas Lottery Powerball page · checked Oct 4, 2026
- Multi-draw, Mega Millions
- Up to 10 drawings per ticketTexas Lottery Mega Millions page · checked Oct 4, 2026
- Where to claim
- The Texas Lottery claim offices, with addresses and hours, are listed under Claim offices on our Texas page.Texas Lottery claim offices · checked Oct 5, 2026
- State withholding
- None: the lottery withholds no state taxState withholding table · checked Oct 1, 2026
Rules change. The official lottery and the state are the authority; check them before you play or claim.
Facts, not advice: we read each one on the official page linked beside it. Pool creation is open wherever a lottery runs, except Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (not open yet). The five states without a lottery stay closed. Responsible play
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