Luck has officially landed in Houston, where a local resident has claimed a $3 million prize on a Texas Lottery scratch-off after hitting the top award on the $50 500X Loteria Spectacular game.
The golden ticket was sold at checkout No. 81 in Katy, Texas, according to MyTexasDaily. The outlet’s Jan. 8, 2026 report identifies the winner as a Houston resident and pegs the prize at $3,000,000.
Scratch-off details and odds
According to the game page, the Texas Lottery’s 500X Loteria Spectacular is a $50 scratch ticket that offers a $3,000,000 top prize and advertises more than $309.5 million in total prizes, with overall odds of winning any prize listed at about 1 in 3.21. The prize table shows that four $3 million top prizes were printed and that three had been claimed as of Jan. 7, 2026, per the Texas Lottery.
What winners should know about taxes
On the tax side of the story, federal rules require withholding on sizeable gambling payouts: payers generally must withhold 24% and issue Form W-2G for reportable lottery payments, according to the IRS. Texas sweetens the deal a bit, since the state does not levy a personal income tax, meaning Texas residents do not owe state income tax on lottery winnings, a point highlighted in tax guides from Bankrate.
Where the money goes
The Texas Lottery reports that ticket sales do more than create overnight millionaires. Since 1997, the agency says it has transferred more than $35.5 billion to the Foundation School Fund, which supports public education, and since 2009 it has directed over $279 million to the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance. In total, the lottery cites more than $41.5 billion in revenue and over $93.9 billion in prizes paid out since its inception, according to the Texas Lottery…