Mega Millions Win Confirmed by Louisiana Lottery

If you were to ask a "man on the street" question to random adults walking the streets of Lafayette, Baton Rouge, or New Orleans Louisiana about lottery games to play the overwhelming reply would be Powerball. That game has woven its brand into pop culture through the years. But, the game you should be paying attention to, at least for the next few days is Mega Millions.

The reason Mega Millions isn't quite as top of mind in Louisiana is because it got a later start in the state than Powerball did. The game, Mega Millions has never produced a jackpot winner in the state of Louisiana. We have had some pretty big wins in the state, recently there was a $2 million winner sold in New Orleans.

That was then this is now. If you didn't see the Mega Millions drawing for August 16, 2024, here is how it played out.

If you watched the video from the Mega Millions YouTube Channel you know last night's game was played for a top prize of $464 Million. Our connections with the Louisiana Lottery and ultimately the Mega Millions lottery have confirmed there were no tickets sold across the game's footprint that matched the numbers needed to claim that prize.

We do know, via Mega Millions, that two tickets sold for Friday's drawing earned a Match 5 Million prize. The Match 5 Million is when a ticket matches all of the white balls but doesn't match the Mega Ball. Essentially, the million dollar prize is a consolation for missing by one number.

It would probably be one of the few times any of us would be disappointed in winning a million dollars. It's all about perspective and the current perspective on the Mega Millions game looks like this. Tuesday's estimated jackpot is just two million short of half a billion. Yeah, you could win $498 million if you choose the annuity or you might accept $245.3 million as the lump sum.

Yes, you would have to be fortunate enough to win. And yes, you would fork a lot of that money over to those who tax our good fortune for the greater good of all. That makes it sound better but the tax bite still hurts.

The observed numbers for Friday's Mega Millions draw were:

22   38   48   51   61   Mega Ball 05   Megaplier  x3

Before you attempt to cash a ticket please verify those numbers at the Official Mega Millions Website or the Official Louisiana Lottery Website. Those sites can confirm your prize winnings and give you direction on how to claim a prize. 

The Louisiana Lottery did confirm to us that a ticket sold in Donaldsonville, Louisiana matched four the five white balls and the Mega Ball to earn a prize of $10,000. That was Louisiana's largest Mega Millions win Friday night. That winning ticket was sold at Popingo's #4 on Marchand Drive in Donaldsonville, so if you bought a Mega Millions ticket there, I would certainly check my numbers.

There is a Powerball drawing tonight. That will happen along with a Lotto drawing and an Easy 5 drawing from the Louisiana Lottery. The Powerball jackpot is an estimated $35 million on the annuity and $17.3 for the lump sum payout. The Lotto jackpot is $575,000 and the top prize in Easy 5 is $130,000.

Please play responsibly and if you need help with a gambling problem call 1-877-770-STOP (7867). Good Luck.