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DRAWINGS
Click the following links for more information or to get your question answered.
How are drawings conducted?
Drawings for Louisiana-based games are conducted at Lottery headquarters in downtown Baton Rouge. They are videotaped and conducted in a special room secured by alarms and motion detectors. Each drawing is conducted using one of two secure automated drawing machines. Automated drawing machines are stand-alone computers that are essentially random number generators. One of three methods in choosing random numbers is used for each of the Lottery's games. These are burned on to the "read only" memory of a microchip. The microchips are secured in the systems' central processing unit, and a protective seal makes tampering impossible. Access to the room and machines is reliant upon a dual key and password system from a Lottery drawing official and a legislative auditor.
The public is welcome to attend any drawing, but must reserve a seat by contacting the Lottery during regular business hours. Prior to each drawing, the drawing method and machine are randomly selected. Drawings are held everyday around 9:30 p.m., Central Standard Time, with the exception of Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. All ticket sales are verified before the drawing.
Powerball, the Lottery's multistate game, is conducted live at 9:59 p.m., Central Standard Time, on Wednesdays and Saturdays by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) in Orlando, Fla.
After both drawings are conducted, the official winning numbers generated by the system are transmitted to Louisiana Public Broadcasting, WLPB, for satellite relay to all participating television stations and are faxed to state and local news media. The Lottery also posts the winning numbers on its website following the drawings that night.
The Louisiana Lottery discontinued live drawings for its draw-style games in 1998, ahead of a current industry trend toward automated drawings. There were several factors that contributed to the decision to convert to the automated drawing process now being used. Producing live drawings is extremely cost-prohibitive. The Lottery's need to soundly manage its operating costs outweighs the entertainment value that live drawings provide. Secondly, the Lottery does not pay television stations to carry the Lottery's winning numbers broadcast. With up to five different drawings being conducted nightly, airing live drawings would require a significant increase in air time from participating television stations who could otherwise sell the time to advertisers. Finally, automated drawings have proven more secure and less prone to human error than live drawings.
Why do you no longer conduct live drawings?
The Louisiana Lottery discontinued live drawings for its draw-style games in 1998, ahead of a current industry trend toward automated drawings. There were several factors that contributed to the decision to convert to the automated drawing process now being used. Producing live drawings is extremely cost-prohibitive. The Lottery's need to soundly manage its operating costs outweighs the entertainment value that live drawings provide. Secondly, the Lottery does not pay television stations to carry the Lottery's winning numbers broadcast. With up to five different drawings being conducted nightly, airing live drawings would require a significant increase in air time from participating television stations who could otherwise sell the time to advertisers. Finally, automated drawings have proven more secure and less prone to human error than live drawings.
When are the drawings results aired?
Lotto: Wednesday and Saturday nights at 9:59 p.m., except Christmas Day.
Easy 5: Wednesday and Saturday nights at 9:59 p.m., except Christmas Day.
Louisiana Powerball: Wednesday and Saturday at 9:59 p.m.
Pick 3 & Pick 4: Daily at 9:59 p.m., except Easter Sunday and Christmas Day.
There are no Louisiana-based drawings on Christmas Day or Easter. Drawings for the multistate game, Powerball, will be conducted should Christmas fall on a Wednesday or Saturday.
Tickets must be purchased by 9:00 p.m. on the draw date for Powerball and by 9:30 p.m. on the draw date for Pick 3, Pick 4, Lotto and Easy 5 to be eligible for that drawing.
Where can you find the winning numbers?
1. The Lottery Show. Television stations across Louisiana broadcast winning numbers nightly at 9:59 p.m. For a complete list of stations, click here.
2. Your Lottery Retailer. A winning numbers report for the most immediate and recent drawings can be obtained from your Lottery retailer.
3. The Lottery's Web site. You can check winning numbers often as soon as 30 minutes following the drawing, but sometimes as late as midnight, depending on the number of drawings that occur that evening. Winning information goes through an extensive verification process before being posted to the Web site. Winning information for all drawings that have taken place in the past is also available here.
4. Winning Number's Hotline: 1-800-735-5825.
What television stations carry the drawing results?
The winning numbers or results of each Louisiana Lottery game drawing are broadcast at 9:59 p.m on the following television stations.
| Station | Channel | City | | KALB | 5 | Alexandria | | Cox Cable | 4 Rebroadcasts on channel 57 betwen 24 and 26 minutes after the hour and between 45 and 50 minutes after the hour. | Baton Rouge | | KLFY | 10 | Lafayette | | KVHP | 29 | Lake Charles | | KARD/FOX 14 | 9 | Monroe | | WVUE/FOX 8 | 8 | New Orleans | | KTAL | 6 | Shreveport |
When can I purchase tickets for Lottery games?
Draw-style
The Lottery's terminal system, which generates tickets for our draw-style games, shuts down at midnight and starts back up at 5 a.m. the next morning. On the night of a drawing, the system also takes a draw break for the games that will be drawn that evening. During a game draw break, tickets for that game cannot be purchased. For Powerball, the draw break lasts from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the date of the drawing. For all other draw-style games, such as Pick 3, Pick 4, Easy 5 and Lotto, the draw break starts at 9:30 and last only a few minutes. Again, draw breaks only occur on the night of the drawing. Any tickets purchased after the draw break are good for the next regularly scheduled drawing.
Scratch-offs
Scratch-off sales are not dependent upon the terminal, so purchases may be made around the clock, subject to the retailer's hours of operation. Remember that although you may purchase scratch-offs between midnight and 5 a.m. when the terminal system is down, you will not be able to claim a prize from any winning ticket until the system comes back on line.
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