Louisiana Lottery Map Pinpoints Where the Winners Are

Louisiana residents who love to play games of chance such as slot machines, roulette, and even the lottery all seem to have their own theories about luck. For some players, luck can be found in a special object, piece of clothing, or habit that they feel has brought them good fortune in the past.

For others, the concept of "luck" seems to apply to the sport of fishing. A good fisherman will tell you that if you want to catch the most fish, you need to fish where the fish are. So, if you play the lottery you might be inclined to think, I need to "play where the winners are". I have to admit, I can't argue with that concept.

We already know that the majority of Powerball and Mega Millions big wins in Louisiana happen within 50 miles of Interstate 10. You might ask yourself, are folks in South Louisiana just luckier than folks in the northern and central sections of the state? We can answer that with a resounding "no". It's not luck, it's math.

Think of the cities that lie along and within 50 miles on either side of I-10. There's greater New Orleans, Greater Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Acadiana, Lake Charles including the Lake Area, and those are just the bigger communities. The fact that there are more players available to play along in the southern part of the state is the main reason South Louisiana gets the most wins.

But what about the other lottery games? You know, like the scratch-off tickets? Well, the Louisiana Lottery actually has a map feature on their site that lets you see where all of the winners have come from. The draw games, the scratch games, the instant games, in fact, any game the lottery sponsors you can see on this map where the winning tickets came from.

Every one of those dots represents a win of $500 or more in a Louisiana Lottery-sponsored game. See how many there are along I-10?

This way you can see for yourself "where the fish are" to use the language of Louisiana's anglers. Does it help you win? I can't say that for certain since I just discovered this interactive map a few days ago. But, I will keep this in mind during my travels across the state and maybe I'll buy a scratch-off in Pineville or a Lotto ticket in Vidalia just because lottery retailers in those areas "have been hot" when it comes to selling winning tickets.

But no matter how you decide to play or what games you choose to play, do me a favor. If you can't afford to lose then you can't afford to play. Gambling addiction is on the rise in Louisiana and the time to stop the problem is before it gets started. If you feel as if you might have a gambling problem, or you love someone who seems to have an issue with gambling, please call 1-877-770 STOP (7867). The person on the other end of the line is trained to get you the assistance you need.

And if you choose to play, Good Luck, I'll be looking for you to show up on the map. And if you're driving, don't speed. We have laws against that and sometimes we enforce them almost to the point of breaking the law.