Lottery Drawings Produce $11.1 Million in Winnings in December While Scratch-Off Winners Claim $12.2 Million
Published on
BATON ROUGE – Booking a Hawaiian vacation and paying college tuition were just a few of the plans Louisiana Lottery players had for some of the more than $12.2 million in scratch-off cash prizes claimed in December. The Lottery also reported more than $11.1 million won during drawings held in December.
December’s draw-style game winnings included one Powerball with Power Play match-5 + PB prize of $2 million; one Powerball with Power Play match-4 + PB prize of $100,000; two Powerball match-4 + PB prizes totaling $100,000 and 57 Powerball match-4 prizes totaling $5,700. There were also two Mega Millions match-5 prizes totaling $2 million; one Mega Millions with Megaplier match-4 + MB prize of $30,000; two Mega Millions match-4 + MB prizes totaling $20,000 and 33 Mega Millions match-4 prizes totaling $16,500. Eighty-two players won Lotto match-5 prizes totaling $192,210, helping to bring Lotto’s monthly total winnings to $557,926. Pick 3 winning tickets totaled $1,794,300 and Pick 4 winning tickets totaled $2,746,300.
One player won an Easy 5 jackpot prize worth $80,000, which brought the game’s monthly total winnings to $227,551 with an additional $127,423 won on ezmatch, an instant-win option available for an additional $1.
“About 39,000 Power Play purchasers won an extra $1,329,911 in addition to their regular Powerball prizes,” Lottery President Rose Hudson said. “Over 22,000 Megaplier purchasers won a bonus total of $175,632 in addition to their regular Mega Millions prizes.” The $1 Power Play option offers Powerball players the chance to increase any nonjackpot winnings. The $1 Megaplier add-on multiplies nonjackpot Mega Millions prizes by a multiplier number selected during the drawing.
In total, draw-style game winnings from drawings held in December were $11,155,690, including $180,000 in winnings from three Powerball with Power Play Holiday Bonus promotion drawings. Lottery draw-style game players have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim the winnings from those tickets.
“We encourage players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing and to check them promptly after the drawing. Even if a ticket does not win the jackpot, it could have won another prize,” Hudson added.
In addition to $12,276,131 in scratch-off cash prizes paid during December, players also claimed $2,083,593 worth of free-ticket prizes. According to Lottery policy, scratch-off games are closed when all top prizes are claimed, and scratch-off players have 90 days from the official game closure date to redeem a winning ticket. A list of current scratch-off games, prizes remaining and claim deadlines can be found on its website, www.louisianalottery.com/scratch-offs.
While actual game performance and the amount of prizes claimed will vary from month to month, the Lottery allocates nearly 53.7 percent of sales to fund prizes. At least 35 percent of sales is transferred to the state treasury for the Minimum Foundation Program that funds K-12 public education in Louisiana. Retailers are paid 5.6 percent compensation, and the Lottery retains less than 6 percent of sales to operate.
Hudson reminded ticket purchasers to play responsibly, encouraging anyone who has a gambling problem, or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem, to call toll-free 1-877-770-7867 for help. Ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age.
December’s draw-style game winnings included one Powerball with Power Play match-5 + PB prize of $2 million; one Powerball with Power Play match-4 + PB prize of $100,000; two Powerball match-4 + PB prizes totaling $100,000 and 57 Powerball match-4 prizes totaling $5,700. There were also two Mega Millions match-5 prizes totaling $2 million; one Mega Millions with Megaplier match-4 + MB prize of $30,000; two Mega Millions match-4 + MB prizes totaling $20,000 and 33 Mega Millions match-4 prizes totaling $16,500. Eighty-two players won Lotto match-5 prizes totaling $192,210, helping to bring Lotto’s monthly total winnings to $557,926. Pick 3 winning tickets totaled $1,794,300 and Pick 4 winning tickets totaled $2,746,300.
One player won an Easy 5 jackpot prize worth $80,000, which brought the game’s monthly total winnings to $227,551 with an additional $127,423 won on ezmatch, an instant-win option available for an additional $1.
“About 39,000 Power Play purchasers won an extra $1,329,911 in addition to their regular Powerball prizes,” Lottery President Rose Hudson said. “Over 22,000 Megaplier purchasers won a bonus total of $175,632 in addition to their regular Mega Millions prizes.” The $1 Power Play option offers Powerball players the chance to increase any nonjackpot winnings. The $1 Megaplier add-on multiplies nonjackpot Mega Millions prizes by a multiplier number selected during the drawing.
In total, draw-style game winnings from drawings held in December were $11,155,690, including $180,000 in winnings from three Powerball with Power Play Holiday Bonus promotion drawings. Lottery draw-style game players have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim the winnings from those tickets.
“We encourage players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing and to check them promptly after the drawing. Even if a ticket does not win the jackpot, it could have won another prize,” Hudson added.
In addition to $12,276,131 in scratch-off cash prizes paid during December, players also claimed $2,083,593 worth of free-ticket prizes. According to Lottery policy, scratch-off games are closed when all top prizes are claimed, and scratch-off players have 90 days from the official game closure date to redeem a winning ticket. A list of current scratch-off games, prizes remaining and claim deadlines can be found on its website, www.louisianalottery.com/scratch-offs.
While actual game performance and the amount of prizes claimed will vary from month to month, the Lottery allocates nearly 53.7 percent of sales to fund prizes. At least 35 percent of sales is transferred to the state treasury for the Minimum Foundation Program that funds K-12 public education in Louisiana. Retailers are paid 5.6 percent compensation, and the Lottery retains less than 6 percent of sales to operate.
Hudson reminded ticket purchasers to play responsibly, encouraging anyone who has a gambling problem, or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem, to call toll-free 1-877-770-7867 for help. Ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age.