From buying their family gifts to purchasing new appliances, Louisiana Lottery players had big plans for the nearly $12 million in scratch-off prizes claimed in April. The Lottery also reported more than $8 million won during drawings held in April. 

April’s draw-style game winnings included one match-5 Powerball prize of $1 million, four Powerball prizes of $10,000 each, three Mega Millions prizes of $5,000 each, four Easy 5 jackpots totaling $268,323 and two Lotto jackpots totaling $2,065,966. Pick 3 winning tickets totaled $1,525,560 and Pick 4 winning tickets totaled $1,145,200. 

Easy 5 prizes totaled $429,556 with an additional $182,130 won in ezmatch prizes, an instant-win option available for an additional $1.  

Lotto Lagniappe prizes totaled $60,000 for the month of April. The Louisiana Lottery’s Lotto Lagniappe promotion offers players who purchase a single-draw $5 Lotto ticket bonus entries into a monthly raffle drawing for additional cash prizes. The promotion lasts until June 30.

“Nearly 20,000 Power Play purchasers won a bonus total of $212,718 in addition to their regular Powerball prize,” Lottery President Rose Hudson said, “and nearly 29,000 Megaplier purchasers won a bonus total of $101,658.” The Power Play option offers Powerball players the chance to increase any nonjackpot winnings. The $1 Megaplier add-on multiplies nonjackpot Mega Millions prizes by a multiplier number selected during the drawing. 

In total, draw-style game winnings from drawings held in April were $8,160,872. Lottery draw-style game players have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim the winnings from those tickets. 

“We encourage players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing and to check them promptly after the drawing. Even if a ticket does not win the jackpot, it could have won another prize,” Hudson added.

In addition to $11,920,896 in scratch-off cash prizes paid during April, players also claimed $1,747,034 worth of free-ticket prizes. According to Lottery policy, scratch-off games are closed when all top prizes are claimed, and scratch-off players have 90 days from the official game closure date to redeem a winning ticket. A list of current scratch-off games, prizes remaining and claim deadlines can be found on its website, www.louisianalottery.com. 

While actual game performance and the amount of prizes claimed will vary from month to month, the Lottery allocates at least 50 percent of sales to fund prizes. At least 35 percent of sales is transferred to the state treasury for the Minimum Foundation Program that funds K-12 public education in Louisiana. Retailers are paid at least 5 percent in commission, and the Lottery retains less than 10 percent of sales to operate.