Community

For one Houston resident, a routine stop at a West Houston Kroger ultimately came with a life-changing result.

The winner has claimed the $7.5 million estimated annuitized Lotto Texas jackpot from the Sept. 5 drawing, according to the Texas Lottery. The winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased at Kroger 161, 14344 Memorial Drive, at Country Place Drive near Dairy Ashford in West Houston.

The location puts the winning ticket squarely in the Memorial area, not far from Stratford High School and neighborhoods where thousands of residents make everyday grocery runs.

The winner selected the cash value option when the ticket was purchased and received $3,971,819.05 before taxes, rather than taking the estimated $7.5 million annuitized jackpot over time.

The Texas Lottery did not identify the Houston claimant by name in the information released about the prize.

Winning Lotto Texas Numbers Matched All Six

The ticket was a Quick Pick, meaning the numbers were generated automatically rather than selected by the player.

Those six numbers were: 14, 17, 25, 26, 30 and 37.

The ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Sept. 5 to capture the Lotto Texas jackpot.

The win closes a jackpot run that began with an advertised $5 million prize for the Aug. 12 drawing. The jackpot rolled through 11 drawings before the ticket sold in Houston matched all six numbers on Sept. 5.

The Texas Lottery publicly announced on Sept. 8 that the jackpot-winning ticket had been sold at the Memorial Drive Kroger. At that point, the winner had not yet claimed the prize.

Now, the mystery surrounding whether someone would step forward is over.

West Houston Kroger Also Gets a Bonus

The jackpot is also bringing a smaller financial benefit to the store where the ticket was purchased.

Kroger 161 will receive a $25,000 retailer bonus for selling the jackpot-winning ticket through the Texas Lottery's Retailer Bonus Program.

For West Houston residents familiar with the shopping center and Memorial Drive area, the location is another reminder that some of the state's biggest lottery prizes can begin in otherwise ordinary places.

Houston and the surrounding area have seen several major Texas Lottery wins over the years, including multiple million-dollar prizes claimed by Houston-area residents. The Texas Lottery's 2026 news release archive alone includes million-dollar claims involving residents of Houston, Cypress, Pasadena, Sugar Land, Conroe and other Greater Houston communities.

How Lotto Texas Works

Lotto Texas is one of the state's long-running draw games.

Players choose six numbers from 1 through 54, or they can use Quick Pick to have the numbers automatically generated. Drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:12 p.m. Central Time.

Players can also pay an additional $1 per play for the Extra! feature, which can increase certain non-jackpot prizes by as much as $10,000.

Jackpot winners generally have a choice between an annuitized prize and a cash value option. In this case, the Houston winner had selected the cash option, resulting in the nearly $3.972 million pre-tax payment.

The difference between the advertised $7.5 million jackpot and the cash payout reflects the way lottery jackpots are calculated. The advertised annuitized amount represents payments made over time, while the cash value represents the amount available as a lump sum.

Texas Lottery Has Been Operating Since 1992

The Houston jackpot also comes during a period of significant change for the state lottery system.

The first Texas Lottery ticket was sold in 1992, launching what has since become one of the state's most recognizable gaming programs.

Since then, the Texas Lottery says it has generated more than $43 billion in revenue for the state while distributing more than $98 billion in prizes to players.

Public education has been one of the largest beneficiaries. Since 1997, more than $37 billion in Texas Lottery revenue has been contributed to the Foundation School Fund, which supports public education across Texas.

Lottery revenue also supports the Fund for Veterans' Assistance. Since the first veterans-themed scratch ticket launched in 2009, the lottery says more than $308 million has been contributed to programs serving Texas veterans.

The lottery program is now administered by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, or TDLR. State procurement documents show TDLR overseeing lottery operations and seeking vendors to support functions ranging from ticket sales and prize processing to retailer management and lottery gaming systems.

Texas Lottery games currently include Lotto Texas, Powerball, Mega Millions, Texas Two Step, Cash Five, Pick 3, Daily 4, All or Nothing and scratch ticket games.

A Multimillion-Dollar Win That Started With a Grocery Store Ticket

For most shoppers passing through the Kroger at Memorial Drive and Country Place Drive, the trip may mean groceries, prescriptions or another household errand.

For one Houston resident, a ticket purchased there became worth nearly $4 million in cash before taxes.

And while the winner's name has not been part of the public announcement, the location of the winning ticket gives West Houston residents a particularly close connection to one of the state's latest multimillion-dollar lottery stories.

Texas Lottery tickets may only be purchased by people age 18 or older. The Texas Lottery encourages participants to play responsibly.

Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more Houston-area community news, local business updates and stories affecting neighborhoods across Greater Houston.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

Local business spotlight

Grow your business
where trust already lives.

Let’s introduce your business to the neighbors nearby.

Spotlight My Business →

Have a local favorite? Recommend a business