The Louisiana Lottery began operations in 1991 as a corporation and has been operating in the state ever since. It requires a constitutional amendment to set up the Louisiana Lottery Corporation, but that passed with ease. Like many southern lotteries, proceeds go to education initiatives. In Louisiana’s case, that takes place through the Minimum Foundation Program thanks to a 2003 constitutional amendment to decide where the funds should go.
By law, the lottery is required to transfer at least 25% of its revenue for the public school system to help students K-12 get the best opportunities. The corporate structure of the Louisiana Lottery is that the state is the lone shareholder, so it is fairly unique by U.S. standards.
One other fairly unique element is that the Louisiana Lottery is 21 and over. Most U.S. lotteries allow 18 and over to play, but not in Louisiana.
Lastly, Louisiana does have casino gaming, but that is run independent of the lottery. So, too, is sports betting.
Louisiana Lottery Games
The Louisiana Lottery has seven different draw games and is part of the Powerball and Mega Millions drawings. Along with that, the state offers scratch-offs and Fast Play games. There is a Louisiana Lottery App, but players cannot purchase tickets through it. Tickets can only be purchased at approved lottery retailers and vending machines across the state.
Louisiana Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
Louisiana is one of 45 states to offer Powerball, with drawings on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 9:59 p.m. CT. Ticket sales are cut off at 9 p.m. on drawing nights. The Louisiana Lottery added Powerball in 1995, as one of three states to do so that year.
Players select numbers from 1 to 69 and a Power Ball from 1 to 26 in hopes of matching all six numbers to win the rolling Jackpot, which starts at $20 million and increases from there if a winner is not selected.
Each play costs $2 with the Power Play as an optional $1 add-on to enhance all non-Jackpot prizes.
Mega Millions
Louisiana is also part of the multi-state Mega Millions drawing. In fact, they were a late adopter of the game, not picking it up until 2011. Only Florida, Wyoming, and Mississippi are newer to the game than Louisiana.
Drawings are held on Tuesday and Friday at 10 p.m. CT and ticket sales are cut off by 9 p.m. Players select or have the computer select numbers from 1 to 70 and then a Mega Ball from 1 to 25. This prize also starts at $20 million and grows from there.
Each play costs $2 with a $1 optional add-on for the Megaplier, which is a multiplier for all non-Jackpot prizes.
Lotto
The Louisiana Lottery’s Lotto draw game is the state-specific version of a traditional drawing. Six numbers are picked with no Mega Balls or bells and whistles. The drawing is held on Wednesday and Saturday and costs $1 to play. Matching all six numbers leading to the Jackpot, which starts at $500,000 and goes from there.
Six numbers are picked from 1 to 42 and this drawing is at 9:30 p.m. CT, with sales cut off just before the draw.
The Lotto has a pari-mutuel prize, so the Jackpot amount can vary for each drawing.
Easy 5 with EZmatch
Easy 5 is essentially another lotto drawing, but it, too, has a pari-mutuel prize, so the Jackpot can vary for each drawing. It starts at $50,000, but will be dependent on the ticket sales from that point forward.
This drawing is on Wednesday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. CT and costs $1 to play, with another $1 if you want to participate in the EZmatch game, which can lead to an instant-win prize of up to $500.
The numbers for Easy 5 range from 1 to 37.
Pick 5
The Pick 5 is a five-number draw of single-digit numbers, so players or the computer will select numbers ranging from 0 to 9. Drawings are held every day and wagers are either 50 cents or $1 to start. The numbers can be played Straight, Boxed, Straight/Box, Front 4, Front 3, Front Pair, Back 4, Back 3, or Back Pair.
So each potential way of winning will increase the cost of purchasing a ticket. Drawings are held nightly at 9:30 p.m. CT. The top prize available is $50,000.
Pick 4
The Pick 4 is a four-number draw of single-digit numbers, with daily drawings at 9:30 p.m. ET. Like the Pick 5, numbers can be matched into a bunch of different combinations and ways to win.
The base cost to play is either 50 cents or $1. The top prize available is $5,000.
Pick 3
The Pick 3 is the Pick 4, minus a ball. Players select or the computer selects a three-digit number and the balls fall as they will. The base cost is 50 cents or $1 here as well, with Straight, Straight/Box, Boxed, and Combo as the options to win.
The top prize with this game is $500 and drawings are held nightly at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Louisiana Lottery Fast Play Games
Fast Play instant-win games can be purchased at approved Louisiana Lottery retailers. They range in price from $1 to $20 and the computer will randomly select whether or not that ticket is a winner. Players will look for matching symbols or cash prizes to see if they have won.
There are $2, $5, and $10 Progressive Jackpot Fast Play games. There are no payslips. No drawings. No scratching. And no waiting. The ticket prints right in front of you and you either win or don’t.
Louisiana Lottery Scratch-Offs
Louisiana Lottery scratch-offs range from $1 to $20 and there are several to pick from at each denomination. The Lottery website shows how many top prizes are still out there floating around and also the odds of winning each particular prize amount.
Unlike other states, Louisiana doesn’t seem to have the licensing to print tickets for some of the more popular titles that other states have, but they still have their own unique spins on the games and plenty of different options.
Louisiana Lottery App
You cannot purchase Louisiana Lottery tickets online, but what you can do is put together your playslip so that you can just have it scanned at the approved lottery retailer to save a little bit of time.
The Louisiana Lottery also has Club Lotteaux, which is the loyalty program for the state’s players. Players can earn reward points and redeem them for sweepstakes, second-chance promotions, and more. They can also check tickets to see if they have won or not.
How To Claim Louisiana Lottery Prizes
All prizes $600 or less can be claimed at any participating lottery retailer.
Prizes over $600 must be claimed at a Lottery office or by mail to the Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Attn: Prize Validations at P.O. Box 90010 in Baton Rouge, LA 70879.
Prizes over $5,000 or big prizes from Mega Millions and Powerball must be claimed at the lottery office. Anything over $510,000 must be claimed at the Lottery Headquarters.
Louisiana has a 4.25% state tax withholding on prizes of $5,000 or more.
Louisiana Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
There are more than 2,700 approved lottery retailers in the state of Louisiana.
Players must be 21 years of age or older to enjoy the Louisiana Lottery.
No, Louisiana Lottery tickets can only be purchased at approved retailers.