App to Play Lottery Launches in Texas as Mega Millions Soars to $475M

Jackpocket Increases Contributions to State Beneficiary Programs

NEW YORK--()--Jackpocket is betting more people in Texas will want to Texas Two Step with the public launch of its flagship app, which offers players a secure way to order official state lottery tickets for well-known favorites like Powerball, Mega Millions, Pick 3 and Daily 4, Texas Lottery-specific Lotto Texas and Texas Two Step, and many more games. By allowing players to participate in the lottery from the convenience of their phones, Jackpocket increases Texas Lottery revenues, which directly benefit the Foundation School Fund, supporting public education, the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans' Assistance (FVA), and other state programs. The launch comes as Mega Millions climbed to an estimated $475 million for the drawing on Tuesday, June 4.

“We’re excited to introduce the lottery to a younger, mobile-first demographic, and encouraged that, since our soft launch earlier this year, an overwhelming 73% of our players in Texas are 45 and younger,” said Jackpocket Founder and CEO Peter Sullivan. “Jackpocket players have contributed nearly $1 million to the state’s beneficiaries already, and we’re looking forward to furthering these contributions in support of the Texas Lottery’s commitment to improving public education, veterans’ assistance and other programs across the Lone Star State.”

In 2018, the Texas Lottery transferred over $1.4 billion to the Foundation School Fund, administered by the Texas Education Agency. The funding is used for teacher salaries, bilingual education, special education and more. Since the FDA's inception, over $113 million has been awarded to organizations across Texas, helping over 250,000 veterans and their families with financial assistance, transportation, housing, and mental health services.

Jackpocket soft launched the app in Texas in January 2019. Less than two weeks later, a Jackpocket player in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area won a $150,000 prize playing the Powerball. Included in the public launch of Jackpocket is the newly unveiled “Private Pools” feature, allowing players to create personalized, private lottery groups. Last month, two aircraft mechanics and friends of 10 years from Greenville, Texas, won a $50,000 prize when their pool, “Brothers,” drew four of five numbers for the Powerball.

About Jackpocket

Jackpocket is the first third-party app in the U.S. that offers players a secure way to order official state lottery tickets, such as Powerball, Mega Millions and more. As a no-cost, no-integration, turnkey platform, Jackpocket helps lotteries drive incremental revenue—benefiting essential state programs such as public education, veterans assistance, natural resources and more—while attracting new customers like millennials who otherwise would not be active lottery players.

Jackpocket’s mission is to create a more convenient, fun and responsible way to play the lottery. Through the app, players can place orders for their favorite games, check lottery results, join lottery pools with other Jackpocket players, and turn on autoplay so they never miss a drawing. And by being the first company to automatically lock a player’s identity to their ticket serial number, Jackpocket makes the lottery even more secure. Jackpocket is currently available in Minnesota, New Hampshire and Texas, and expanding to many new markets in 2019. Download the app on iOS or Android, and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Contacts

Media
Sarah Arvizo
press@jackpocket.com