Long-Time Lotto Player Hits $425,000 Jackpot

“Finally!” Charles Wesley exclaimed after checking his Louisiana Lottery Lotto ticket on May 6. The Poplarville, Mississippi, resident’s ticket matched all six numbers in the May 4 drawing, winning him the $425,000 jackpot.

“I’ve been playing since 1992,” Wesley explained during his trip to Lottery Headquarters the next day, adding that Lotto has always been his game of choice. “I like that it’s local and the odds are good.”

The 54-year-old said he purchases about three quick-pick tickets for each drawing. He attributed his consistency to the fact that “you can’t win if you don’t play!”

Wesley purchased his jackpot-winning ticket at Highway 10 Chevron in Bogalusa. The store earned a selling bonus of $4,250, which is 1% of the prize, for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.

After state and federal tax withholdings, the winner received a check for $301,750, which he plans to spend wisely. “I’m meeting with a financial adviser tomorrow, because I’m hoping to invest a little bit,” Wesley explained. “I also would like to help out my two daughters.”

The winning numbers for the May 4 Lotto drawing were 09-23-27-31-33-38. In addition to Wesley’s jackpot win, 10 lucky players matched five out of six white balls drawn that night to win $2,297 each. Totaling all four prize levels for the local draw-style game, players won $491,872 during the drawing.