ialottery blog

Silly & Fun: ‘Dad Jokes’ Scratch Game Hits Stores This Week

A new game hitting the market this week here in Iowa has had us at the lottery laughing the entire time we were working on it. It’s just so silly and fun. We hope it makes you smile, too.

The new $1 scratch game is called “Dad Jokes.” To help build suspense, the first part of the joke is printed on the front of the ticket, but the answer is hidden under a box you’ll need to scratch off. (The answer isn’t part of the play area on the ticket where you try to win a prize by revealing three like amounts.)

The game offers prizes of up to $1,000, but we think part of the motivation to buy a ticket may be to find out the rest of the joke! There are lots of different jokes on the tickets themselves, so have fun learning them all.

Distribution of the Dad Jokes game has started today and tickets in it will be available at lottery retail locations statewide by Friday.

And yes, some of the jokes are so bad, they may make you groan. That’s by design. They are dad jokes, after all!

Awareness + Action = Help Is Available In Iowa For Problem Gambling

During the next few weeks, you’ll see this video and other reminders across the state for National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. At the Iowa Lottery, we put these messages out there in the hope that we’ll get the right information at the right time to someone who needs help.

Whether you’re in line to buy a lottery ticket, watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the web or using a streaming service, you’ll likely soon see one of the public service announcements we produced along with the Iowa Department of Public Health. Remember that problem gamblers can come from any background – young or old, male or female, rich or poor. The one constant is that problem gambling is treatable.

The hashtag you’ll see during the next month is #AwarenessPlusAction, emphasizing the way we all can pull together to make a difference.

If you ever have questions about problem gambling, know that help is available 24/7 in Iowa by calling 1-800-BETS OFF or visiting yourlifeiowa.org, the website of the Your Life Iowa program. You can reach someone there through text, secure chat, video, email, telephone or in person.

He Admits He Jokes Around A Lot, But Not About His $500,000 Lottery Win

Joking around may have gotten in the way a little bit when it came to a Woodbury County man’s $500,000 lottery win.

Gene Dice Sr. of Sergeant Bluff said he didn’t believe the news at first when the clerk at a local convenience store told him he’d won big. And then he had a hard time getting his adult children to believe the news, also because jokes are such a standard part of his life.

But after turning in his winning Powerball® ticket today at lottery headquarters in Clive, Dice had this to say: “No joke! We have the ticket.”

Dice, 73 and retired, said he learned he’d won a $500,000 prize on Sunday morning during his usual stop for coffee. He said he asked the clerk at the store to check his ticket from the previous night’s Powerball drawing and she initially told him she thought he’d won a $50,000 prize. But he double-checked the details printed by the lottery terminal and realized there was another “0” involved in the prize amount. 

Dice bought his $500,000-winning ticket at that same store, Mike’s Mini Mart, 100 Iowa Highway 75 S. in Sergeant Bluff. His ticket came within one number of having at least a share of Saturday’s $81.3 million jackpot.

He initially matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. But because he also added the Power Play® option to his easy-pick ticket, his winnings were multiplied to $500,000.

Dice said he always adds the Power Play to his ticket and is especially glad he did that with Saturday’s 10X multiplier. His message for other players: “Put the Power Play on there and see what happens!”

Saturday’s winning numbers were: 4-8-22-32-58 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 10. Dice’s ticket was one of nine across the country to win a $500,000 prize that night. Mike’s Mini Mart will receive a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $500,000-winning ticket.

Dice said he plans to use part of his winnings to pay off his car and truck, and added that his big win has helped alleviate his retirement worries.

Ticket Purchased In NW Iowa Wins $500,000 Powerball Prize

Someone who bought a Powerball® ticket at a Woodbury County convenience store won a $500,000 prize in Saturday’s drawing.

The $500,000-winning ticket was purchased at Mike’s Mini Mart, 100 Iowa Highway 75 S. in Sergeant Bluff. The ticket came within one number of having at least a share of Saturday’s $81.3 million jackpot.

The ticket matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to initially win a $50,000 prize. But whoever bought the winning ticket also added the Power Play® option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $500,000.

Saturday’s winning numbers were: 4-8-22-32-58 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 10. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $90 million annuity ($64.2 million lump-sum option) for Wednesday.

The Sergeant Bluff ticket was one of nine around the country to win a $500,000 prize in Saturday’s drawing.

Mike’s Mini Mart will receive a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $500,000-winning ticket.

Prizes of $500,000 must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday, and currently offer prize claims by appointment. To make an appointment to claim the prize, the winner or winners of the Sergeant Bluff prize should call the lottery at 515-725-7900.

Powerball players in Iowa have 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prizes.

Player Question: What Determines The Top Prizes In Your Scratch Games?

A recent Facebook exchange about the top prizes in our scratch games was a reminder for me to highlight that issue here on the blog and share the details about how the Iowa Lottery determines those grand-prize amounts.

Some of the details are identified as we plan out our games, but a big part also is determined by population.

The planning part comes as we do our best to keep a variety of games in the marketplace to meet player tastes. Our goal is to have different game designs, colors, price points, themes and prize structures, understanding that what works for one person may not interest another at all. Variety counts!

Sometimes that means that games at the same price point will have different top prizes because players have their own preferences in the tickets they choose to play.

Take our current $20 scratch games as an example. The “Aces High” game has a top prize of $250,000, while the “Jewel Game Book” and “Super 20s” games both offer a top prize of $100,000. All three games have very different play styles and themes. And while Jewel Game Book and Super 20s both put emphasis on extended playing time with a greater number of prizes that aren’t quite as high, the $250,000 Riches game more concentration on the top prize.

Through the years, we’ve heard from some folks who want to play for bigger prizes while others prefer a better chance to win a prize at any level. We hope that by having a variety of games out there, you’ll find something that you like.

Population is the other big factor when it comes to determining the prizes that can be offered in a particular game. A lottery in a state with a larger population can design a game with bigger prizes and more of them simply because that state will have so many more people playing. A greater population base means larger sales overall, and that in turn supports higher prizes.

With a population of 3.1 million, Iowa is fairly small compared to states like California (39.5 million) or Florida (21.6 million). But we can still be creative when it comes to game planning!

Prize Details: Remember These Two Lists On The Lottery's Website

A couple player questions this week were a reminder for me to keep highlighting the details that are a permanent part of the Iowa Lottery website to get important information out there.

So, the first stop I’ll highlight today is the page featuring the Unclaimed Prizes list. In that one spot, you can see all the prizes of more than $600 in Iowa that are still unclaimed in lotto and InstaPlay games. You can search the list in several different ways to find the details that matter most to you. Search by game, place of purchase, prize amount, date of win, and date of expiration – whichever is most important to you.      

The biggest unclaimed prize on the list is currently a progressive jackpot in the “Extreme Green Progressive” Instaplay game that was won Feb. 11 and will expire May 12 if it isn’t claimed by then.

The other feature I’ll call to your attention today is the Remaining Prizes list. On that page, you can see the number of larger prizes available in our scratch, pull-tab and InstaPlay games, how many of those prizes have already been claimed, and the number that remain unclaimed. It’s another important reference item designed to give players insight into the games we have on the market.

Player Comment: I Don’t Understand The Power Play/Megaplier Option …

Now that we’re a little ways out from last month’s hub-bub when the jackpots were sky-high in Powerball® and Mega Millions®, I’m circling back to a question we got at the time from folks who said they just don’t understand the Power Play® and Megaplier® options or what they mean.

The Power Play and Megaplier both cost an extra $1 per play. They’re called multipliers because they multiply any prize you win except the jackpot.

For the Power Play or Megaplier to kick in, you first have to win a prize in a drawing. If you win a prize and you've added the multiplier option to your ticket, in most instances, your prize will be multiplied by that number. (Remember that the jackpot amount is not multiplied in either game, and in Powerball, the $1 million Match 5 prize goes to $2 million with the Power Play added.) 

Here are a couple examples to help with the explanation:

1.) You added the Power Play option to your Powerball ticket but you didn't win a prize. In that case, nothing more happens – you didn't win anything, so there’s no prize for the Power Play to multiply.

2.) You win a $500 Mega Millions prize by matching four of the five white balls in that night’s drawing. You added the Megaplier option to your ticket and the Megaplier number that night is 4. Your initial $500 prize will be multiplied by 4, so you’ll ultimately win a $2,000 prize because you added the Megaplier option!

If you’re more a visual learner, we also cover this topic in our "How To Play" videos. Click here for a link to the main page for the videos.

And not to be left out, there also is a multiplier option in the Lotto America® game. It’s called the All Star Bonus® and also costs an extra $1 per play.

Good luck with your tickets and we hope to see you claim a big prize soon!

Scam Reminder: Stay Vigilant, Protect Yourself!

We saw a warning on social media this week about scams, and decided it’s time for another reminder from us, too. (Shout out to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for its Facebook post!)

The sheriff’s office started its post this way: “Scams, scams, scams. Every day, we hear of new scams.”

And unfortunately, it’s the same thing here at the Iowa Lottery. As annoying as it is to even write this, scam operations are a common part of our world today. And some of them drag lotteries’ names and products into the mix.

We’ve seen scam attempts that claim to be from the Iowa Lottery and some of us who work here or allegedly are from the organizers of our biggest games, like Powerball® and Mega Millions®.

We’ve warned about lottery-related scams for years, noting that they come in any different forms: letters, telephone calls, emails, text messages, and social media messages. We’ve heard lately from Iowans who say they’re getting phone calls from someone with a definite Caribbean accent. The scammer wants those contacted to pay a “processing fee” up front to receive their promised winnings.

It’s a scam. And anyone who sends money to the scammers will never see those funds again, nor will they ever receive the promised winnings.

We know it can be tempting to go along with it. Who doesn’t want to dream that they’ve won a big prize? But please keep these details in mind if you’re ever contacted about winning the lottery: 

• If someone says that you've won a big prize, stop and ask yourself this question: Did I buy a ticket or enter that contest? If you didn't, it's likely a scam.
• Never pay processing fees, insurance or commissions to claim a lottery prize. Legitimate lotteries do not require winners to pay anything up front to receive a prize.
• Never believe a letter, phone call or Internet message from someone who claims they can guarantee you a prize. Legitimate lotteries do not guarantee that you will win and do not require you to join a prize pool to play.
• And remember that in here in our state, the Iowa Lottery is the only lottery authorized under state law. 

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office advises you to report suspected scam calls to the FCC Consumer Complaint Center. The AG also says to consider using call-blocking apps and other services to reduce the number of robocalls you receive.

The best thing any of us can do is to be vigilant and continue to protect ourselves.

2 Sets Of Winning Numbers In Pick 3 Evening Drawing on Saturday (Jan. 30)

UPDATE on Tuesday, Feb. 2: Further details regarding the prize-claim process for the secondary Pick 3 evening drawing on Jan. 30 are now available and noted in red here.

After a technical difficulty with ball-drawing equipment in the Saturday evening Pick 3 drawing, the Iowa Lottery will pay prizes on two sets of winning numbers for that drawing.

The winning numbers originally reported in the Pick 3 evening drawing on Saturday (Jan. 30) will be honored along with those selected in a secondary drawing.

The two sets of official winning numbers for the drawing are: 9-0-2 and 5-7-6.

The results were initially reported as usual for Saturday’s evening Pick 3 drawing. However, subsequent reviews revealed a difficulty with one of the ball-drawing machines.

The winning numbers in Pick 3 drawings are selected using three mechanical ball-drawing machines, each of which contains a set of white lottery balls numbered 0-9. Reviews of Saturday’s evening Pick 3 drawing revealed that as one of the machines was selecting a number, a door on its drum holding drawing balls came open. A drawing ball was still selected by the machine and the exact timing of the difficulty was not initially apparent.

After conducting the review, lottery officials determined that in an abundance of caution, they would hold a secondary drawing, with those results also reported for Saturday’s evening Pick 3 drawing. The secondary drawing was held at 7 p.m. Sunday.

In the initial Pick 3 evening drawing on Saturday, Iowa players won 49 prizes totaling $2,950 in winnings. They won 123 prizes totaling $12,240 in winnings in the secondary drawing.

Here are the prize results for each set of winning numbers.

While prizes in the initial Saturday evening Pick 3 drawing can be claimed through the Iowa Lottery’s usual procedures, any Iowa prizes won in that night’s secondary Pick 3 drawing need to be claimed directly from the lottery and processed at lottery headquarters in Clive. Players should follow the instructions on the “Claiming Prizes” page of the lottery website. The mailing address for the Iowa Lottery is:

Iowa Lottery
13001 University Ave.
Clive, IA 50325-8225.

Players also can visit any of the lottery’s regional offices to present Pick 3 tickets they believe won prizes in the secondary drawing. In some instances, the claim involved may require additional documentation and review, so the prizes may not immediately be paid.

Players who believe they may have discarded a ticket that won a prize in the secondary drawing or who have other questions regarding the status of a Pick 3 ticket should contact the Iowa Lottery directly at 515-725-7900 or Wmaster@ialottery.com.

Pick 3 prizes in Iowa must be claimed within 90 days of the drawing for which they were eligible.

Pick 3 has been offered in Iowa since 1998. It features a top prize of $3,000 and odds of just 1:1,000 of winning it. Another intriguing aspect of the game comes in the variety of ways players can choose to play it. Plays in Pick 3 range from 50 cents up to $5 for the chance to match a three-digit combination of numbers from 000 to 999.

There are several ways to win in Pick 3. Players can choose a straight play, meaning that if the winning numbers are 1-2-3, they win a prize for matching that combination exactly: 1-2-3. Another option is to choose a box play, which allows players to win for matching the winning numbers but not in the exact order drawn (if the winning numbers are 1-2-3, you win for any play with those numbers, such as 3-2-1). Players also can choose a straight/box play, which allows them to win for matching the numbers in the exact order drawn or in any order.