Louisiana Easy 5 Exposed — Match 5, Win Some Cash (the Odds Are Pretty Great Too!)

Easy 5 Review

Welcome to Louisiana, home of the world-famous Mardi Gras celebration of New Orleans, the tallest state capitol building, and the oldest street railway that’s still in operation. These aren’t the only wonders that Louisiana is known for. The state has a number of fun local lotteries, Easy 5 being one of them.

Is safe to play lotteries on TheLotter? Our TheLotter review has all the details

Louisiana Easy 5: A Brief Overview

Easy 5 is one of the games in the portfolio of Louisiana Lottery. The drawings take place two times per week – every Wednesday and Saturday.

This pari-mutuel game comes with a minimum guaranteed jackpot and a low ticket price of one dollar per entry. These are two of the reasons why Easy 5 is quite popular among locals.

The game was discontinued after its launch, but Easy 5 was brought back to life with new rules in September 2007. The first drawing of the brand new Easy 5 took place on September 19, 2007, and the game has been held regularly two times per week ever since.

How to Play Easy 5?

Playing Easy 5 is a relatively simple task that comes with a nice twist.

For a chance to claim the jackpot, you have to pick five numbers from a pool of 37 and match all of them for the respective drawing. The cost of a single entry is one dollar. Each play slip makes it possible for the player to choose up to five different sets of numbers for entry in the respective drawing.

On top of the standard playing option, there’s also an EZMATCH box on each ticket. To add EZMATCH to your entry, you’ll have to pay an additional dollar. Upon selection, five EZMATCH numbers will be printed on the ticket. Matching any of these numbers to the ones for the respective Easy 5 drawing will result in an instant prize.

Prizes and Odds

The biggest Easy 5 prize is the jackpot that you’ll get to claim if you match all five numbers for the respective drawing. The odds of this happening are 1 in 435,897. Every Easy 5 drawing comes with a minimum guaranteed jackpot of 50,000 dollars. If there’s no winner, the sum will roll over toward the next drawing.

The biggest jackpot in the history of the game fell on January 18, 2017. By then the lottery had gone for 11 weeks without a jackpot winner. There was a single winning entry and the lucky ticket was purchased in Harvey.

Apart from the jackpot, there are four additional prize tiers. The second prize is awarded to players who match four numbers. The odds are favorable – 1 in 2,724. Players who match four numbers will win a cash prize of 100 dollars. Those who match three numbers will win seven dollars and a match of two numbers will result in a prize of one dollar.

The overall odds of winning a prize in Easy 5 are one in eight, which is great even in comparison to other state lotteries.

When it comes to EZMATCH prizes, these are easy to understand. If you match one of these numbers to a number for the respective drawing, you’ll win the sum that it’s indicative of. The maximum is 250 additional dollars that will be provided on top of any other prize you’ve won from the respective Easy 5 drawing.

Some Information for Winners

All of the prizes in Easy 5 are paid out in the form of a cash lump sum. Players have 180 days from the date of the drawing to make their prize claim.

Prizes of up to 600 dollars can be claimed from any licensed retail venue. These will be paid immediately, just like EZMATCH prizes. Sums that exceed 600 dollars have to be claimed either at a lottery office or the Louisiana Lottery headquarters. If these options aren’t convenient, the player can make a prize claim by mail. More information is available on the official Easy 5 website prize claim page.

Depending on the amount that’s been won and the public interest in the respective drawing, winners may be asked to participate in an interview and reveal their identity. Louisiana State Lottery doesn’t have an obligation to maintain the anonymity of its bigger winner.

One final thing to keep in mind is taxation. All Easy 5 prizes are subjected to the respective local and federal tax. A five-percent state tax applies to prizes of 5,000 dollars or more. A federal income tax of 25 percent will apply, as well.

Can You Buy Easy 5 Tickets Online?

Unfortunately, state regulations in Louisiana make it impossible to buy tickets online. Only licensed retail venues can legally issue Louisiana Lottery tickets and accept payments for them.

International players can buy a ticket and participate in Easy 5 as long as they are in Louisiana. Currently, online lottery agents don’t support such state-operated games.

The Bottom Line at Louisiana Easy 5

Louisiana Lottery’s Easy 5 is simple enough, it has some lucrative conditions and it comes with a nice twist in the form of EZMATCH. Here’s a brief summary of the lottery’s most important advantages:

Why You Should Play Louisiana Easy 5

Pros:

The lottery comes with two drawings per week

It’s run and operated by a state entity

Easy 5 comes with a minimum guaranteed jackpot

If there’s no winner for the respective drawing, the sum will roll over toward the next one

Tickets are very inexpensive – a single entry costs one dollar

Additional prizes can be unlocked through the purchase of the EZMATCH option for an additional dollar

The overall odds of winning a prize in Easy 5 are pretty good

All prizes are paid out in the form of a cash lump sum

The state tax that applies to larger prizes is minimal in comparison to regulations in other states

As great as this may sound, Easy 5 has its shortcomings. Here are a few of the things that we didn’t really like about this game:

Why You Shouldn’t Play Louisiana Easy 5

Cons:

There are no online ticket-buying options due to Louisiana regulations against internet-based lotteries

The lower prize tiers aren’t particularly impressive, the second prize is solely 100 dollars

Both state and federal income taxes will apply to prizes

Is Easy 5 Legit?

A game organized by Louisiana Lottery, Easy 5 is far from a scam. This is a legitimate opportunity to test your luck and eventually win a nice cash sum.

The Louisiana State Lottery is the government-run operator responsible for organizing games and generating some revenue for charitable causes in the process. The company was launched in 1991 after new regulations accepted in 1990 allowed it to run lotteries in an attempt to make money without a change in taxation.

More than half of the funds generated through ticket sales are dedicated to the prize pool and operational expenses. Ever since 1991, players in Louisiana State Lottery games have claimed prizes worth more than 2.8 billion dollars.

Today, Louisiana Lottery maintains a relatively big portfolio. Some of the most prominent entries in it include Louisiana Lotto, Pick 3, Pick 4, Mega Millions, and Powerball. The lottery has a number of scratch-off instant-win games, as well.

Hopefully, this presentation was detailed enough to help you make up your mind about Louisiana’s Easy 5. While the game has a standard format, it does come with a couple of nice perks. If you’re in Louisiana, you should definitely give it a try and share the experience with us.