Maurice Resident Claims $1 Million Powerball Prize

BATON ROUGE – Maurice resident Melvin Ray Young became the Louisiana Lottery’s latest millionaire after claiming a $1 million Powerball match-5 prize he won during the April 3 drawing.

“I’ve been playing Powerball for 10 or 15 years, but have never won nearly this much before,” said Young. “It was a nice surprise when I checked my ticket this morning and saw that I won a million dollars!” 

The 72-year-old’s winning ticket matched five of six numbers to win the $1 million, which he claimed Thursday at Louisiana Lottery headquarters. The winning numbers for the April 3 drawing were 
16-19-25-32-49 and the Powerball was 18. He received $710,000 after state and federal tax withholdings. 

Young said he plans to pay off his home and purchase a new truck with his winnings. 

The winning ticket was sold at Murphy USA #6685 on Ambassador Caffery Parkway in Lafayette. The store received a one-time selling bonus of $10,000 which is 1 percent of the prize.

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. More information about Lotto and other jackpot winners can be found on the Lottery’s website, www.louisianalottery.com.