The Monday blues could change to the Monday greenbacks when the Louisiana Lottery adds a third Powerball drawing to its current two-night lineup beginning Aug. 23.
That will make the weekly lineup of drawings Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Every other aspect of the multistate game will stay as is, aside from the current temporary decrease in multidraw options in advance of the change. The multidraw option returns fully with the first Monday night drawing.
With all the other changes, however, the odds of winning stay the same.
Mo’ drawings, mo’ money expected by LA Lottery
Expectations for benefits resulting from adding Monday to the lineup include faster-growing jackpots weekly as well as more jackpots won annually.
In June, the state lottery reported more than $9.6 million in winnings tickets. That includes 44 Powerball prizes totaling $503,800.
In June, Rose Hudson, president of the Louisiana Lottery, expressed optimism about the one-day expansion.
“Powerball is giving players more opportunities to play and win during the week… The chance to win a multimillion-dollar jackpot on Mondays is certainly one way to beat the Monday doldrums.”
Multidraw to return fully in late August
Sales at the usual $2 per play for Monday drawings will begin Aug. 22. That’s also when the multidraw option restarts fully.
On June 16, in preparation for the additional drawing night, the Louisiana Lottery began its temporary decrease of the multidraw option, which lets players buy up to 20 tickets for future drawings.
The remaining step-down final purchase dates are:
- July 21: 10-Draw Ticket
- Aug. 7: 5-Draw Ticket
- Aug. 11: 4-Draw Ticket
- Aug. 14: 3-Draw Ticket
- Aug. 18: 2-Draw Ticket
Tickets must be purchased by 9 p.m. on drawing night.
New Powerball night, same Powerball game
Even though an additional drawing night is being added, all the other aspects of the Powerball game will stay the same. Those include prize levels, odds, drawing operations and the overall matrix.
Louisiana joined the multi-state draw game on March 5, 1995 and has had a total of 17 Powerball jackpot winners since then. The most recent occurrence came in March 2018, when The Moose Family Trust cashed a $55.9 million prize. The biggest jackpot, though, came a year earlier, when a group called 292 Family Partnership pocketed a cool $191.1 million.
Winners now have a choice of taking a lump sum or annual payments.
That said, the upcoming extra night of drawings does not increase anyone’s odds of winning.
| Matching Balls | Prize | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Five white balls plus the Powerball | Grand prize | 1 in 292,201,338.00 |
| Five white balls | $1 million | 1 in 11,688,053.52 |
| Four white balls plus the Powerball | $50,000 | 1 in 913,129.18 |
| Four white balls | $100 | 1 in 36,525.17 |
| Three white balls plus the Powerball | $100 | 1 in 14,494.11 |
| Three white balls | $7 | 1 in 579.76 |
| Two white balls plus the Powerball | $7 | 1 in 701.33 |
| One white ball plus the Powerball | $4 | 1 in 91.98 |
| Powerball | $4 | 1 in 38.32 |
