ialottery blog

Saturday's Powerball® Drawing Results

Players across the nation anxiously waited to see Saturday’s Powerball drawing results to find out if they’d win a slice of the big dream, approximately $590.5 million. The official results show that 77,640 tickets sold in Iowa won prizes in Saturday’s record Powerball jackpot drawing, including three tickets that came within one number of having at least a share of the jackpot. The monster $590.5 million jackpot was won by a single ticket purchased in Florida.

Strong sales across the country had pushed the record jackpot higher and higher as the week went on. The final jackpot amount was $590.5 million annuity, or $370.9 million cash option. That beat the previous jackpot record in Powerball, a $587.5 million jackpot just won on Nov. 28 by two tickets in Arizona and Missouri.

Here’s a look at Wednesday’s drawing and its Iowa results:

And remember, just because you may not have won the jackpot doesn’t mean you didn’t win anything. A total of 77,640 tickets purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes ranging from $4 up to $40,000. Two tickets purchased in Iowa matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win prizes of $10,000 each. One more also matched those same numbers, but had the Power Play option added to it, so that ticket won a prize of $40,000. Here is where those winning tickets were sold:

$10,000 winning tickets
Tom Thumb Deli & DQ
201 N. Fifteenth St.
Fort Dodge

Casey’s
100 Pearl St.
Aurelia

$40,000 winning tickets
Ron’s 5 Point Mart
405 Rhomberg Ave.
Dubuque

The winning numbers in Saturday’s $590.5 million Powerball jackpot drawing were: 10-13-14-22-52 and Powerball 11.

Iowa Lottery players bought more than $5.1 million in Powerball tickets for Saturday’s drawing, including nearly $2.8 million in tickets on Saturday alone. During Saturday’s busiest stretch from about 5-6 p.m., Powerball tickets were selling at nearly $5,000 per minute in Iowa. However, the average Powerball purchase on Saturday in Iowa remained just $5.81, or 3 plays per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that Iowans enjoyed playing at a fun level and didn’t go overboard.
  
The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are about 1 in 175.2 million because there are about 175.2 million ways you can combine the numbers in the game to make a play. By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of the possible combinations have been purchased for a particular drawing. About 80 percent of all the possible combinations were purchased in Saturday’s drawing.

New Powerball® Record: Jackpot Hits Est. $600 Million

There’s jackpot news galore right now, with Powerball’s big prize climbing to a record amount for the game at an estimated $600 million ($376.9 million cash option) for Saturday’s drawing and the Mega Millions® jackpot rolling to an estimated $190 million ($140.9 million cash) for night’s drawing. And we can’t forget Hot Lotto®! That game’s jackpot was just changed to an all-cash prize, and it stands at an estimated $6.21 million for Saturday.

Saturday’s Powerball jackpot is now the largest in the 21-year history of the game. And, it’s the second-largest lottery jackpot ever in the world. The previous record Powerball jackpot of $587.5 million was won on Nov. 28, split between two tickets in Arizona and Missouri. The largest jackpot in the world was a $656 million Mega Millions prize won on March 30, 2012. That big prize was split by three tickets in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.

The Powerball jackpot was last won in the drawing on March 30, so it’s been growing for about six weeks.

All this hub-bub means we’ve been hitting the streets for some Powerball events, and our new summer interns have had a chance to get in on the fun. Kelsey volunteered to wear the Powerball suit at Wednesday’s event, as you can see from the pic here! (Thank you, Kelsey …)

Strong sales across the country are the reason the prize is taking big jumps now. Saturday’s estimated jackpot is about $236 million higher than the $363.9 million prize that was up for grabs in Wednesday’s drawing.

Between Powerball, Mega Millions and Hot Lotto, a combined estimate of $796.21 million will be on the line in lottery drawings this weekend – and that’s a record amount. When the Mega Millions jackpot hit its record level back in March 2012, a combined total of $716 million was on the line in lottery drawings that weekend. Either way, it’s an attention-grabbing amount!

So, is this the new normal? If it seems like we’ve been seeing bigger jackpots more often in lottery games, that’s because we have. Changes designed to achieve bigger, faster-growing jackpots were made over the past few years and they’re producing exactly what we had hoped. In January 2010, most U.S. lotteries began selling both Mega Millions and Powerball rather than just one of the games alone, and in January 2012, $2 Powerball debuted. Both factors have contributed to the run of giant jackpots we’re seeing today.

Two Powerball tickets purchased in Iowa were just one number away from having a share of the jackpot last night. Both tickets matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $10,000 prize. They were sold at these lucky stores: Kum & Go, 1001 Sanborn Ave. in Okoboji; and Kum & Go, 530 North Ave. in Norwalk.

The huge jackpot is attracting a lot of first-time players. Here’s how to play, if you’re just getting in: Powerball players choose five numbers from a pool of 59 numbers and another number – the Powerball – from a separate pool of 35. Plays cost $2 and you can choose your own numbers or let the terminal generate a play for you by asking for an easy pick.

Players who purchase the Power Play option for an additional $1 per play can increase their winnings (except for the jackpot) by up to four times the amount.

Drawings are held at 9:59 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here in Iowa, you can buy a ticket for Saturday’s drawing up until 8:59 p.m. that day.

Powerball® Jackpot Hits Est. $550 Million

There’s jackpot news galore right now, with Powerball’s big prize climbing to an estimated $550 million ($350.1 million cash option) for Saturday’s drawing and the Mega Millions® jackpot rolling to an estimated $190 million ($140.9 million cash) for tomorrow night’s drawing. And we can’t forget Hot Lotto®! That game’s jackpot was just changed to an all-cash prize, and it stands at an estimated $6.21 million for Saturday.

Saturday’s Powerball jackpot is the second largest in the 21-year history of the game. And, it’s the third-largest lottery jackpot ever in the world. The record Powerball jackpot of $587.5 million was won on Nov. 28, split between two tickets in Arizona and Missouri. The largest jackpot in the world was a $656 million Mega Millions prize won on March 30, 2012. That big prize was split by three tickets in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.

The Powerball jackpot was last won in the drawing on March 30, so it’s been growing for about six weeks.

All this hub-bub means we’ve been hitting the streets for some Powerball events, and our new summer interns have had a chance to get in on the fun. Kelsey volunteered to wear the Powerball suit at yesterday’s event, as you can see from the pic here! (Thank you, Kelsey …)

Strong sales across the country are the reason the prize is taking big jumps now. Saturday’s estimated jackpot is about $186 million higher than the $363.9 million prize that was up for grabs in Wednesday’s drawing.

Between Powerball, Mega Millions and Hot Lotto, a combined estimate of $746.21 million will be on the line in lottery drawings this weekend – and that’s a record amount. When the Mega Millions jackpot hit its record level back in March 2012, a combined total of $716 million was on the line in lottery drawings that weekend. Either way, it’s an attention-grabbing amount!

So, is this the new normal? If it seems like we’ve been seeing bigger jackpots more often in lottery games, that’s because we have. Changes designed to achieve bigger, faster-growing jackpots were made over the past few years and they’re producing exactly what we had hoped. In January 2010, most U.S. lotteries began selling both Mega Millions and Powerball rather than just one of the games alone, and in January 2012, $2 Powerball debuted. Both factors have contributed to the run of giant jackpots we’re seeing today.

Two Powerball tickets purchased in Iowa were just one number away from having a share of the jackpot last night. Both tickets matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $10,000 prize. They were sold at these lucky stores: Kum & Go, 1001 Sanborn Ave. in Okoboji; and Kum & Go, 530 North Ave. in Norwalk.

The huge jackpot is attracting a lot of first-time players. Here’s how to play, if you’re just getting in: Powerball players choose five numbers from a pool of 59 numbers and another number – the Powerball – from a separate pool of 35. Plays cost $2 and you can choose your own numbers or let the terminal generate a play for you by asking for an easy pick.

Players who purchase the Power Play option for an additional $1 per play can increase their winnings (except for the jackpot) by up to four times the amount.

Drawings are held at 9:59 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here in Iowa, you can buy a ticket for Saturday’s drawing up until 8:59 p.m. that day.

3X the Sizzle,’ Hot Lotto® Revamp & Other Jackpot News

We’ve got all kinds of jackpot news to talk about right now! Here’s a quick rundown:

You’ve probably heard that the Powerball® jackpot is really getting up there. It’s reached an estimated $350 million for Wednesday’s drawing. That’s the third-largest jackpot in the history of the game. Not too shabby!

And Mega Millions® also is rolling, with that jackpot growing to an estimated $170 million for tomorrow night’s drawing.

And then there’s Hot Lotto®, which just got a make-over and has a new promo offering prizes of free gas to go along with its new look. We blogged about those changes for the first time back in early April, but here are those details again:

Hot Lotto’s make-over took effect yesterday, upgrading the jackpot to a cash-only prize with withholding taxes paid. That means that if the advertised jackpot is $2 million, the winner will receive a one-time, lump-sum payment for that full amount. To be more specific, the current Hot Lotto jackpot is an estimated $6.16 million for Wednesday’s drawing. If you match all six numbers and are the only winner nationwide for that big prize, you will take home $6.16 million.

The revamped game is being introduced with a special promotion offering 85 prizes of free gas. The “3X the Sizzle” promotion means players can purchase three Hot Lotto plays with the Sizzler for $5 (a regular $6 value) and have the chance to enter a drawing for up to $500 in free gas.

When you purchase a 3X the Sizzle ticket, the lottery terminal will automatically generate a trailing ticket containing a special code that you’ll need to enter on the lottery website for a chance to win ethanol promotional checks for free fuel from the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

You can purchase 3X the Sizzle tickets through July 13 and enter the promotion until noon on July 23 at www.ialottery.com.

We’ll select 85 winners of ethanol checks in a drawing July 25. Fifty players will each win $100 in ethanol checks for free gas; 25 each will win $250 in checks; and 10 each will win $500 in checks.

The numbers available to play in Hot Lotto have changed with the new version of the game. You now choose five balls from a pool of 47 (it was 39) and another number, called the Hot Ball®, from a separate pool of 19 (unchanged). The minimum Hot Lotto jackpot is $1 million cash with state and federal withholding taxes paid, and grows until someone wins it.

Mother Goose Is Back In the Sunshine!

We don’t want you to think we’re turning the lottery’s blog into Mother Goose Central, but the staffers in our Mason City office have been getting a lot of calls today from folks wondering how our new friend is doing. The quick answer: What a difference a few days and some sunshine make!

Mother and Father Goose and their nest of eggs all appear to have come through last week’s snowstorm just fine. Nearly all of the snow has already melted (that’s the good thing about late-season snowstorms) and with today’s sunny weather, things are looking a lot more like spring for our goose family.

And it turns out that Mother Goose did make national news last week. Click here to see ABC News coverage about her as she stayed on her nest in the snow. We think our goose family has hit the publicity jackpot! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist a Powerball reference there. Do you have YOUR ticket for Wednesday’s estimated $222 million jackpot drawing?)

We’ll provide more Mother Goose updates as hatching day gets closer for our goose family. The experts tell us we should see goslings late this month.

Beautiful, Busy Weekend of FUN!

The weather is supposed to be gorgeous this weekend! So, while you’re out and about enjoying Iowa’s beautiful (if belated) springtime, don’t forget these lottery details: 

If you want to enter for a chance to win a $300 gift card to one of five Iowa getaways in our Destination Iowa promotion, time is running out!

You have until noon on Monday to get your nonwinning Bass Pro Shops® scratch tickets entered online in your VIP Club account. That’s the ticket that lets you pick which of the five fabulous destinations you’d like to visit. There’s Honey Creek Resort State Park on Rathbun Lake in South-central Iowa, Café Dodici and Dodici Night Suite in Washington, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Historic Park Inn Hotel in Mason City, King’s Pointe Waterpark Resort in Storm Lake or Harrah’s Council Bluffs Casino and Hotel.

The five Destination Iowa winners will be drawn on Wednesday. So keep your fingers crossed!

And, as if that’s not enough fun for you, some big jackpots are on the line this weekend, too! Tonight’s Mega Millions® jackpot is at an estimated $103 million. And Saturday’s jackpots for Hot Lotto® and Powerball® are big, too. Hot Lotto is at an estimated $5.28 million and Powerball has reached an estimated $140 million! Man, that’s a lot of dough!

So get out there and have some fun already, no matter what you’re doing this weekend!

April Facebook Contest Results

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to:

1) Kevin Bischel
2) David Taylor
3) Steve Francis

Each of these three winners will receive $20 in Powerball® coupons!

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. We’ll need to verify each winner’s information so we can award their prize packs!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, to verify their information with us. If any of the winners don’t contact us within the specified amount of time, alternates will be contacted by email.

Thanks to everyone who entered the April Facebook contest.

Be sure to come back and enter May’s Facebook contest anytime from 11 a.m. May 20 through 11 a.m. May 21. We sure hope you can join us!

Happy Birthday, Powerball (and Power Paul)!

If Powerball were a person, it would officially be able to buy a lottery ticket in Iowa! As you know, you have to be at least 21 to purchase lottery tickets in our state, and Powerball as a game is turning 21 today.

Can you believe that Powerball got its start back on April 19, 1992? Back then, jackpots started at $2 million dollars and the game was sold by 15 lotteries. Fast-forward to today, and Powerball is played in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with jackpots that start at a guaranteed $40 million and grow until someone wins! The biggest jackpot in the game so far was a $587.5 million prize split in the drawing on Nov. 18 by two tickets in Arizona and Missouri.
 
Eight tickets sold in Iowa have won Powerball jackpots so far, including two just last year. The largest Powerball jackpot won in Iowa to date came in June 2012. The Shipping 20, a group of co-workers from the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids, claimed that $241 million Powerball prize.

And there was another lottery milestone this week in Iowa! The Iowa Lottery is now 28 years young. Legislation creating a lottery in Iowa was signed into law back on April 18, 1985. Oh, the games and winners we’ve seen since then!

Now, as you know, Power Paul has become our mascot here at the lottery, so allow me to be the first to officially wish Paul a happy 21st birthday. For some reason, Paul called in sick today. Do you think he’s out celebrating?

April Facebook Contest

Spring is officially here and we’re celebrating the warmer weather with a Facebook contest! This time around, you can enter for a chance to win free plays in Powerball!

You can enter April’s Facebook contest beginning at 11 a.m. Monday (April 22) through 11 a.m. Tuesday (April 23). We’ll be asking you a lottery-related question on the Iowa Lottery’s Facebook page under the “Lottery Contests” tab. Enter for your chance to win one of three sets of $20 in Powerball coupons!

Visit our Facebook page beginning at 11 a.m. Monday through 11 a.m. Tuesday where we’ll pose our question on the Lottery Contests tab located under our cover photo. When the man on the Lottery Contests tab turns green and says “Enter Now!” that’s your cue to enter. Click the tab, read the question, fill in the entry form and your answer and click “submit” during the 24-hour window and you’ll be entered. Limit one entry per person. It’s just that easy!

Important Note: The question will NOT appear on our Facebook “Wall.” You’ll need to visit our Facebook page and click the Lottery Contests tab to see it! Also, if you’re viewing our Facebook page on a smart phone, you will need to use the Desktop view in order to see the Lottery Contests tab. It does not appear in the mobile application view.

We’ll select three winners from the correct eligible answers submitted, so make sure to double-check your answer before you hit the submit button. Winners will be announced in our April Facebook contest results blog, on the Lottery Contests tab on our Facebook page and we’ll link to the blog entry on Twitter.

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. If you’re one of the winners, we’ll need to verify your information to award your prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, to verify their information with us. We’ll also select alternates in case any of the winners don’t contact us within the specified amount of time.

A few other details:
• You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
• You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
• There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win.
• The Powerball coupons are only redeemable for tickets, not for cash.
• You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for lottery purposes. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure.

Mahaska County Man Claims $2 Million Powerball Prize

Iowa’s first $2 million winner in Powerball has claimed his big prize! Click on the video above to see Michael Lally tell his story. Congratulations, Michael!