Hammond Man Claims $300,000 Lotto Jackpot

When Harold Barnett of Hammond claimed his $300,000 Lotto jackpot prize from the Dec. 5 drawing at Louisiana Lottery headquarters in Baton Rouge, he had just one simple request — to fill out his own "publicity check."

"I've never written a check for so much money before," said Barnett as he began writing with a shaky hand.  "I also want to make sure Lenny gets his name on here, too."

Barnett and Leonard "Lenny" Luc, Sr., who are good friends, have played Lotto together for years.  The duo said while they enjoy playing other games, including Powerball, Lotto has always been their favorite Lottery game.

It was actually Luc who realized they had the jackpot-winning ticket.  "I stopped to check the tickets in the middle of shaving the morning after the drawing because I just had a feeling," said Luc.  "Needless to say, I woke everyone up."

Barnett, age 47, received $210,000 after federal and state taxes were withheld.   Among other things, Barnett plans to take care of his good friend, Luc, provide a nice Christmas for his wife and children and purchase a new car.  He also plans to take Luc out for a big steak dinner to celebrate.

Rende's Quick Stop #3 on West University Avenue in Hammond sold Barnett his jackpot-winning ticket. The store will receive a bonus of $3,000, which is 1 percent of the prize, for selling the winning ticket. The winning numbers for the Dec. 5 Lotto drawing were 06-09-13-17-26-31.

Lottery ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age.  Draw-style game tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing.  Anyone who may have a gambling problem or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem should call toll free 1-877-770-7867 for help.  For security purposes, the Lottery strongly encourages players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing.