Lotto Game to See Starting Jackpots of Half-a-Million Dollars

Ticket sales for upgraded game begin Aug. 2

The Louisiana Lottery’s flagship game, Lotto, is being upgraded on Aug. 2 to create larger jackpots. The starting jackpot will increase from $250,000 to $500,000, beginning with the Aug. 5, 2020 drawing. These changes are only the fourth time Lotto has changed in the game’s 28-year history.

“We’re excited that we will be able to offer players more frequent Lotto jackpots worth $1 million or more,” Lottery President Rose Hudson said. “Our players told us what they want, and we are responding with a Louisiana game that is still only a dollar to play.”

The redesigned game will require players to select six numbers out of 42, bumping up the overall odds of winning to 1 in 34.4. The previous matrix was six of 40 with overall odds of 1 in 30. 

The match-5 and match-4 prizes will continue to be pari-mutuel, meaning the actual prize won will be determined by dividing each respective tier’s prize pool by the total number of winners for that drawing. The match-5 prize would average $1,000 and the match-4 prize average stays the same at $50.

Because of the matrix change, the Lottery temporarily suspended the multidraw option for Lotto on May 27 to prevent future draw purchases that eclipse the new version’s sale date. Multidraw will return to full functionality under the new game matrix on Aug. 2. The multidraw option allows players to purchase plays for two, three, four, five, 10 or 20 advance, consecutive drawings.

More information will be available on the Lottery’s website on Aug. 2 when sales for the upgraded Lotto game start at www.louisianalottery.com/lotto. The Lottery reminds 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.