By Michael Shapiro
The Chron
Brownsville resident resident Gary Williams thought he hit a mini-jackpot last Friday night.
Williams, 67, is the owner of Gordon's Bait & Tackle, a convenience store and gas station opened in 1957 (and later purchased by his father, Gordon in 1972). The shop now has a claim to fame across the Lone Star State, as it sold a $78 million Lotto Texas ticket in November 2025. The ticket was officially claimed by an anonymous winner on May 8, and that evening , Williams received a call from his sister and shop co-owner Amanda Burress.
"Amanda called me up real late at night and told me [about the winning ticket] and I got real excited," Williams told Chron. "I thought we were going to get a real nice payout since we sold the ticket."
Williams' assumption was quickly proven incorrect. He says he spoke with a Texas Lottery representative the following day, in which he was informed his shop would receive a grand total of $0 for selling the winning lottery ticket. Williams was perplexed, and fairly so.
Texas Lottery rules award $250,000 to retailers who sell the winning ticket in a given Powerball and Mega Millions games (the previous rule awarding one percent to retailers ended in August 2018). But that rule doesn't apply to Lotto Texas games, like the one purchased by the anonymous winner in Brownsville. A lottery representative explained the discrepancy to Williams and his sister, who weren't exactly thrilled with the news.
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Texas Lottery rules award one percent of prize money to retailers who sell the winning ticket in a given Powerball and Mega Millions games. But that rule doesn't apply to Lotto Texas games.
"Well, we're real upset about it," Williams said "My sister said she wish she took the receipt and threw it onto the highway so cars could drive over it. That's how upset we are."
Williams lamented the lack of payout Tuesday, noting he's sold lottery tickets at Gordon's Bait & Tackle for 30 years in the hopes of someday cashing in alongside a lucky lottery winner. But Williams doesn't plan to stop selling Lotto Texas tickets anytime soon, even after his recent disappointment. He now hopes for another winning ticket to be sold at his shop, in which he'll then earn something money can't buy.
"Oh we'll keep selling 'em," Williams said. "Maybe we can get some good karma from this."
Williams, 67, is the owner of Gordon's Bait & Tackle, a convenience store and gas station opened in 1957 (and later purchased by his father, Gordon in 1972). The shop now has a claim to fame across the Lone Star State, as it sold a $78 million Lotto Texas ticket in November 2025. The ticket was officially claimed by an anonymous winner on May 8, and that evening , Williams received a call from his sister and shop co-owner Amanda Burress.
"Amanda called me up real late at night and told me [about the winning ticket] and I got real excited," Williams told Chron. "I thought we were going to get a real nice payout since we sold the ticket."
Williams' assumption was quickly proven incorrect. He says he spoke with a Texas Lottery representative the following day, in which he was informed his shop would receive a grand total of $0 for selling the winning lottery ticket. Williams was perplexed, and fairly so.
Texas Lottery rules award $250,000 to retailers who sell the winning ticket in a given Powerball and Mega Millions games (the previous rule awarding one percent to retailers ended in August 2018). But that rule doesn't apply to Lotto Texas games, like the one purchased by the anonymous winner in Brownsville. A lottery representative explained the discrepancy to Williams and his sister, who weren't exactly thrilled with the news.
Texas Lottery rules award one percent of prize money to retailers who sell the winning ticket in a given Powerball and Mega Millions games. But that rule doesn't apply to Lotto Texas games.
"Well, we're real upset about it," Williams said "My sister said she wish she took the receipt and threw it onto the highway so cars could drive over it. That's how upset we are."
Williams lamented the lack of payout Tuesday, noting he's sold lottery tickets at Gordon's Bait & Tackle for 30 years in the hopes of someday cashing in alongside a lucky lottery winner. But Williams doesn't plan to stop selling Lotto Texas tickets anytime soon, even after his recent disappointment. He now hopes for another winning ticket to be sold at his shop, in which he'll then earn something money can't buy.
"Oh we'll keep selling 'em," Williams said. "Maybe we can get some good karma from this."
1 comment:
The fish that got away 😞
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