The Mega Millions multi-state lottery game has once again produced big-money winners in the state of Louisiana. Earlier drawings this month have produced winners in Eunice, New Orleans, Slidell, and other municipalities, large and small across The Bayou State.

California Joins Mega Millions Lottery
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And while the Mega Millions jackpot of $1.35 billion dollars (estimated) is still waiting to be won, some lottery players in Louisiana won't have to wait for another drawing to claim their slice of the "big money" pie.  As you might imagine the number of winners associated with the Mega Millions lottery game has increased over the past several weeks.

In our reporting on the lottery for the past several years now we've come to expect a ticket in Louisiana to be a big money winner in Mega Millions at least twice a month. That winning frequency is a little more common in the Powerball game. According to our notes, a Louisiana-sold ticket claims a big money prize five times a month.

Dylan Nolte via Unsplash.com
Dylan Nolte via Unsplash.com
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Just for clarity, we're defining "big money" as a single prize over $10,000. And the most likely reason we see more Powerball winners than Mega Millions winners is simple math. Powerball offers three chances per week, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for players to win. Mega Millions only offers drawings on Tuesday and Friday nights.

And about the question "have lottery jackpots always been this big"? The answer is no. A few years back Mega Millions announced they would be tweaking their game and the way it was played in order to create larger jackpots. The move has also resulted in what appears to be more frequent smaller winners in the game as well.

Two Multi-State Lotteries Each Offer Over $400 Jackpots
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Another reason why Powerball might get more winners in Louisiana than Mega Millions is the fact that Powerball has been around longer and more people know Powerball than they do Mega Millions. Did you know that the Mega Millions game has never produced a jackpot winner in Louisiana? Meanwhile, the Powerball game has produced over 14 jackpot winners.

By the way, in last night's Powerball drawing, January 11, 2023, There was no jackpot winner and no Louisiana-sold tickets were found to have won a prize greater than $10,000. Here is that drawing, if you'd like to check your Powerball numbers.

The Powerball website indicates that Saturday's jackpot will grow to an estimated $404 million dollars. That next drawing will take place at 10 pm on Saturday, January 14, 2023.

The next Mega Millions drawing will be for $1.35 billion dollars. It will take place on Friday the 13th at 10 pm. For those of you who are superstitious Mega Millions has produced six different jackpot winners on that "unlucky day" so don't let black cats and the boogeyman keep you from buying a ticket if you can afford one.

Bekky Bekks via Unsplash.com
Bekky Bekks via Unsplash.com
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Speaking of affording things, three Mega Millions players in Louisiana from Tuesday's January 8th drawing will have an extra $10,000 in walking around money to use over the next few months. Each of the $10,000 winners matched four of the white balls and the Mega Ball in that drawing.

Courtesy Louisiana Lottery
Courtesy Louisiana Lottery
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Here's where the $10,000 winners were sold for last Tuesday's Mega Millions. One ticket was sold in Thibodaux at the Convenience King #5 on Highway 1. Another $10,000 winner was sold in Metairie at the Clearview Discount One on Clearview Parkway. The third $10,000 winner was purchased at Racetrac #482 on Almedia Road in Saint Rose Louisiana.  Saint Rose is right on the Mississippi River in St Charles Parish if you didn't know.

This should bring us up to speed with point-of-purchase locations for the last couple of Mega Million and Powerball winners. Remember most lottery tickets are not winners and you should only spend what you can afford to lose on games of chance such as Powerball and Mega Millions. If you find gambling has become a problem in your life, please get help. It's available free of charge by calling 1-877-770 STOP (7867)

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