If you went to sleep Christmas Eve with dreams of more than sugar plums in your head, but hopes of millions.... you might still be a winner in the huge Louisiana Lottery jackpot prizes.
Sources at Mega Millions confirmed before they went home for Christmas Day that no tickets sold across the game's footprints matched the numbers needed to claim the $1 billion prize. That means that when Mega Millions draws on Friday night, the top prize in the game will be an estimated $1.15 billion.
11 14 38 45 46 Mega Ball 3 Megaplier x3
If you think you might be a lucky winner, please verify that ticket at the Official Louisiana Lottery website or the Official Mega Millions website. Those are the sites of record when it comes to confirming lottery wins with this game.
As of now, it appears as if Louisiana tickets earned about 30,000 prizes in last night's drawing. The $10,000 winner was the largest from the state-sold tickets. There were nine tickets that won $1,500 and 17 tickets that earned prizes of $600 and $500 each. And there were another 23 Louisiana-sold tickets that earned a prize of $200.
The jackpot in Powerball is estimated to be $117 million for the annuity and $53.4 for the lump sum.
The next Powerball drawing is Saturday, Dec. 28. Drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Realistically, remember, no matter how much holiday magic you have at your house, you're probably not going to win the big money in the lottery. Playing lottery games involves a risk of losing money. Please gamble responsibly. If you have a gambling problem, please seek assistance. You may call 1-877-770-STOP (7867) for free referrals to qualified and compassionate counselling. Good Luck.