Powerball And Lotto Results: Louisiana Lottery's New Year Update

(KMDL-FM) As most of Louisiana is gearing up for a return to "normal" following the weeks-long holiday break, you'll be pleased to know that the crew at the Louisiana Lottery, Prize Redemption Department, is already on the job and writing big checks on the first Powerball, Lotto, and Easy 5 Saturday of 2026.

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January 3rd was the first time all three of those games were scheduled to be played in Louisiana, and last night they were. The jackpots weren't "massive" in the billion-dollar-plus range that we've seen in recent weeks. Saturday's Powerball jackpot was an estimated $74 million, the Lotto jackpot was estimated to be $775,000, and the Easy 5 game was drawing for a top prize of $90,000.

Right now, at least in the case of the multi-state lottery games, you can play in Louisiana, where Mega Millions has the largest jackpot prize. That game will draw for $180 million on Tuesday night, but before that happens, there will be a Powerball drawing on Monday. Before we reveal the amount of the top prize in Monday's game, let's take a look at Saturday's drawing.

How Much Was the Powerball Jackpot on Saturday, January 3, 2026?

As we mentioned, the Powerball jackpot was estimated to be $74.4 million when the ping pong balls dropped on Saturday, January 3, 2026. Here's how that drawing played out.

We mentioned at the top of the article that there was a jackpot prize won in Louisiana on Saturday night. However, that prize was not won in the Powerball game. Our sources at Powerball confirmed that no tickets sold for the drawing last night matched the numbers needed to claim the jackpot prize.

Powerball Confirms Texas-Sold Ticket Is One Million Dollar Winner

Our source at Powerball did reveal that a one-million-dollar Match 5 winner was sold for Saturday's Powerball just across the Sabine River in East Texas. If you picked up a Powerball during your travels over the last few days, like maybe you went to a college football bowl game in Houston, you might consider checking those tickets, too.

Louisiana Lottery

What Were the Winning Powerball Numbers for Saturday, January 3, 2026?

If you want to do a quick check of your ticket or tickets, here are the Powerball numbers for Saturday, January 3, 2026.

18 21 40 53 60 Powerball 23 Power Play x3

Your next opportunity to win the Powerball jackpot comes on Monday night. The top prize will be an estimated $83 million for the annuitized jackpot. The cash payout or lump sum money is estimated to be $38.8 million.

Here's a pro tip from your friendly Lotologist, that's me by the way, if you do choose to pay Powerball over the next few drawings, you should consider adding Power Play to your ticket. As long as the jackpot is below $150 million, there is a 10x multiplier that could be drawn for the Power Play option. It could turn a $4 win into a $40 or a $10,000 win into a $100,000 pay day. It's worth considering.

Easy 5 is usually the game that gets a "sneaky winner," but last night that honor went to the "Louisiana Original," which would be Lotto. The top prize in Lotto last night was $775,000, and there was a jackpot winner in that game.

My insiders at the Louisiana Lottery in Baton Rouge confirmed the big money ticket was sold in Franklinton, Louisiana. That's a community that's located about halfway between Kentwood and Bogalusa. The big winner was purchased at Pine Cash on Highway 62.

Lotto will reset to its starting jackpot amount of $500,000 when it draws again in the game on Wednesday evening. So, all in all, not a bad start for the first Saturday drawing of the new year. The biggest Powerball win in Louisiana on Saturday was $300, but we did have a $775,000 Lotto winner.

Giving away "free money" is not a bad way to start the year. And free money appears to be a more popular choice than working for money, especially if you happen to have one of these jobs.