ialottery blog

One-Stop Site For COVID-19 Information In Iowa

We’ve gotten questions from folks asking coronavirus questions that weren’t directly related to the lottery, and while we may not have had the information they were seeking, we were able to direct them to the same site I’m sharing with you here. 

It’s the COVID-19 in Iowa site, and it provides details and links all in one spot to the information we’re all looking for right now, including the current status of cases in our state, symptoms to look for if you think you have the disease, and ways to help prevent its spread.

At the bottom of the page are links to sites for information related to employment, transportation, travel, education, and business, among others.

We wish everyone a safe and happy weekend. Be well out there!

Changes Coming To Powerball’s Starting Jackpot & Minimum Increases

Changes have been announced today that will impact the Powerball® jackpot after the next time it is won.

What’s behind the decision? The amount of the Powerball jackpot is driven by ticket sales, which have been lagging in the game. Normal consumer behavior has been largely disrupted nationwide by the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. And the Powerball Product Group, like scores of other organizations around the world, is making necessary adjustments.

The changes announced in Powerball will take effect immediately after the next jackpot win in the game. The changes do not impact the jackpot amount for tonight’s drawing, or the jackpot’s growth up until the next time it is won. (The jackpot for tonight’s Powerball drawing is an estimated $150 million annuity, $114.8 million lump-sum option.)

The next time that the Powerball jackpot is won, it will reset to a guaranteed $20 million annuity, rather than the game’s usual starting jackpot amount of $40 million. And, rather than growing by at least $10 million in between drawings as currently occurs in the game, the jackpot will grow by at least $2 million between drawings.

It remains to be seen whether this change will be permanent. That decision rests with the directors of the U.S. lotteries that are members of the Powerball Product Group, who will continue to evaluate and monitor sales in the game.

The Look Of The Iowa Lottery In Your Local Store Will Change Next Year

One of the biggest projects we undertake here at the Iowa Lottery reached an important milestone today, and it means that the look of the Iowa Lottery will get an update next year.

The lottery itself won’t change, and we’ll still have the products you expect on the market. But much of the equipment now used here in our state to sell and cash lottery tickets will be replaced.

The project was discussed during today’s meeting of the Iowa Lottery Board, a public meeting held via teleconference due to the ongoing public health emergency. The Board voted 5-0 to allow the lottery to proceed with contract negotiations for a new statewide gaming system with Scientific Games International (SGI), a company based near Atlanta. The company was selected following a public and months-long competitive bid process.

Like any technology, lottery equipment needs to be replaced over time. Most of the lottery equipment now in the field in Iowa has been in use since 2011.               

SGI also supplies the Iowa Lottery’s current gaming system, and the lottery’s contract for it expires in July 2021. So during the next 15 months, new equipment for Iowa will be manufactured, and then our existing system will be changed out for a new version.

We’ll flip the switch to Iowa’s new lottery gaming system on July 11, 2021. Like our current system, it will link all 2,400 retail locations in Iowa where lottery tickets are sold. The gaming system includes a central communications backbone as well as the lottery terminals, self-checkers, self-service kiosks, and lighted jackpot signs in the local businesses where you buy lottery tickets.

I’ll emphasize again that with the new system, you’ll still be able to buy lotto tickets in Powerball, Mega Millions and your other favorites. And of course we’ll still sell scratch, pull-tab and InstaPlay games. But the machines that print and cash your tickets will change next year and the lotto and InstaPlay tickets you buy will probably look a little different once the new system begins use.

We’ll have more updates as the go-live date gets closer, but now you know to be on the lookout for cool, new lottery equipment next year!

(And you may have already seen our updates about the Iowa Lottery’s efforts to protect against the spread of COVID-19 illnesses as we continue doing business with safety first, but if not, please check out our Q-and-A here.)

Q&A About Lottery Restrictions To Keep Safety First

This FAQs list has been updated on Friday, March 20, to include new details.   

We've gotten questions about the new restrictions in place here at the Iowa Lottery as we all do our best to put safety first during this public health emergency. To provide the same details to everyone, I'm including a list of those questions and the answers to them here on the blog. 

The lottery is open for business, but we’ve made some changes to our daily operations to help achieve social distancing and slow the spread of COVID-19 illnesses.

Q: Is the Iowa Lottery closed?
A: We're open for business, but we have additional restrictions in place. Our district sales representatives are telephoning retailers rather than visiting businesses in person. And public access to lottery offices has been restricted to email and telephone only. Players are welcome to mail or ship tickets to us to claim most prizes, and we also have a secure dropbox option available exclusively at our headquarters building in Clive.

Q: As a member of the public, how do I reach you?
A: The Iowa Lottery can be reached during its regular office hours by email at wmaster@ialottery.com, using our contact us form, or by phone at 515-725-7900. We also are available on our social media sites.

Q: If I've won a prize, how can I claim it?
A: All lottery prizes won in Iowa of more than $600 must be claimed directly from the Iowa Lottery, but players are welcome to claim a prize of any size directly from us. In most instances*, customers can mail or ship a ticket to us at:
     Iowa Lottery
     13001 University Ave
     Clive, IA 50325-8225

*All prizes of $1 million or more as well as some special merchandise prizes must be claimed in person at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. If you're the lucky winner of one of those prizes, please contact us and we'll make an appointment so you can claim it. For all other prizes, you have the option of bringing your winning ticket and prize-claim documentation to our headquarters location in Clive and putting it in a secure dropbox. If you want to use the dropbox option, please contact us for the details involved.

Q: What if I don't want to mail or ship my winning ticket to you?
A: We are making available a secure dropbox option at our headquarters location in Clive for those who want to bring winning tickets directly to us. We will not be able to meet with you in person, but you can put a packet containing your winning ticket and prize-claim documentation in the dropbox for us to process. Prizes will not be paid immediately, but rather, claims will be processed in accordance with our virus-mitigation procedures. The dropbox is under 24-hour surveillance as part of our security requirements. If you want to use the dropbox option, please contact us for the details involved.         

You also can delay claiming your prize if by doing so the expiration date for it will not pass. If you have a question about when your prize would expire, please email or phone us.

We know this can be frustrating. What once would have been routine and fun, like meeting with our winners and celebrating their wins, now is an interaction that could threaten the health of others. We’re working to best find our way safely forward, as we know you are, too.     

Q: Where can I find the winner claim form?
A: Full details about claiming Iowa Lottery prizes, including links to the Iowa Lottery's Winner Claim Form and required tax documents, are available on the How To Claim A Prize page here on our website.

Q: What if I'm having difficulty with your website?
A: If someone has trouble accessing our website, they are welcome to call or email us and we will answer their questions. We can send prize-claim documentation to you if you're having trouble downloading the information from our website.

Q: With public access restricted at lottery offices, is there a way I can check my ticket without going to a retail location?
A:  The Iowa Lottery has a mobile app you use to check the results of lotto, scratch and InstaPlay tickets from wherever you are. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. Full details about it are available here.

Q:  How long will it take for me to receive my prize?
A: The answer to that question is dependent upon many different factors, including how long it takes for us to receive your ticket after you’ve sent it to us. We will process all prize claims as quickly as we can, but it’s reasonable to anticipate it will take several days at a minimum for you to receive your prize.  

Q:  If I’m a retailer, how can I reach you?  
A: Lottery retailers are welcome to call the Iowa Lottery regional office that serves your area. Here are the phone numbers for our regional offices:
            Cedar Rapids: 319-395-9313
            Mason City: 641-424-6011
            Clive: 515-725-7884
            Storm Lake: 712-732-6662
            Council Bluffs: 712-242-2161

Q: How long do you anticipate the lottery restrictions will remain in place?
A: The State of Public Health Disaster Emergency declaration is effective until April 16. Our social-distancing restrictions may remain in place until then.

Q:  If I have a COVID-19 question that's not lottery related, where can I find information?
A: The state of Iowa has established a website to answer COVID-19 questions, and a direct link to it is here. The Iowa Department of Public Health also has expert resources concerning COVID-19 on its website. If you have difficulty navigating the Internet, the statewide telephone number you can call with COVID-19 questions is 211.

Safety First: Public Access To Iowa Lottery Offices Limited To Email & Telephone

The Iowa Lottery is now limiting public access to its offices to email and telephone as we do our best to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 illnesses. We anticipate this will continue until April 16.

We took this step in keeping with the State of Public Health Disaster Emergency that Gov. Kim Reynolds issued yesterday.

If you want to reach us during our regular office hours, our email address is wmaster@ialottery.com and our phone number is 515-725-7900.

If you have an Iowa Lottery prize to claim, in most instances you can mail or ship the ticket to us. We have full details including a link to our Winner Claim Form on the How To Claim A Prize page of our website. If you can’t reach our website, you’re welcome to contact us and we’ll send prize-claim documentation to you. 

All lottery prizes won in Iowa of more than $600 must be claimed directly from us at the Iowa Lottery, but you can claim a prize of any amount directly from us. If you decide to mail or ship your ticket to us, for your peace of mind you may want to send it with tracking and delivery notification enabled.

I’ll note that all prizes of $1 million or more as well as some special merchandise prizes have to be claimed in person at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. If you’re the lucky winner of one of those prizes, please contact us and we’ll make an appointment with you so you can claim it.

Be safe, be well, and let’s keep looking out for each other. We’re all in this together!

Yep, He IS That $1 Winner

Love that this central Iowa guy is giving us all a new reason to smile at a time we REALLY need it!

You may remember Tyler Heep of Urbandale from the international headlines he stirred up in January 2019. At the time, Tyler won a $1 prize in the Iowa Lottery’s “Stinking Rich” scratch game.

But rather than claiming his winnings at a store like most people do, Tyler came to see us at lottery headquarters in Clive and asked if we’d give him one of our ceremonial checks for his admittedly small prize.

We said that of course we would, so we wrote out one of our oversized checks to him in the amount of $1 and we took his picture. After some laughter all around, he went on his way.

A couple days later, Tyler posted that picture of him proudly posing with his $1 check online and the world went crazy for it. His story was shared across the country and even made international headlines as media outlets wrote about his “big” win.

Fast forward to this month and Tyler is posting about his win again. He says that even more than a year later, people keep asking if he’s the guy who got a $1 check from the lottery. So he had the check, the photo we took of him, and a $1 bill custom framed to go on his wall.

He said he’s changing his profile picture to the shot of him above so he can definitively say that yes, he IS that $1 winner.

Our Weird Week: Spring Forward, A Full Moon & Friday the 13th

This week will likely give us all the opportunity to pause and remember to be kind, even if it’s hard sometimes!

By Friday, we’ll have experienced three different events that each can tend to kick up stress levels. This weekend, we moved our clocks ahead one hour for daylight savings time. Tonight brings us a full moon. And this coming Friday will be Friday the 13th.

Our yearly process of “springing ahead” throws our internal clocks off for a time, and that can take a toll on our overall mood. And we’ve all likely experienced the difference that a full moon can make on humans’ levels of insistence/enthusiasm/noise. Add in Friday the 13th and the beliefs surrounding that particular date, and we’ve got a really interesting week ahead.

So if it seems like your patience is being tried this week, remember that the calendar and Mother Nature are just having their way! Use the moment to remind yourself that you alone control your reactions and emotions. And then choose to be kind.

We’re all in this together, after all, and hopefully others will follow your lead.

And maybe this weird week will end up making YOU a lottery winner. You never know!

Player Question: Can I Win A Jackpot In Iowa If I Don’t Live There?

A man who lives in another Midwestern state recently contacted us to ask if he could win a jackpot in Iowa even if he doesn’t live here. The short answer is yes. Keep reading for further details.

It’s perfectly OK for people from other states and countries to play – and win – the Iowa Lottery. The requirements for them are the same as those for everybody else: They have to be at least 21 years old to buy a ticket and the ticket must be purchased at a lottery retailer here in Iowa.

If you win an Iowa Lottery prize and you’re not a resident of the United States, you may pay a higher amount in withholding than a U.S. citizen would, but you definitely can play and win!

If you’re from another state, you’ll still pay the Iowa withholding rate that applies to your prize, then you’ll file that tax paperwork back in your home state to see if any adjustments should be made due to a difference in the tax rates between the two states.

Our prize winners through the years have of course included lots of Iowans, but also folks from other states and countries. Sometimes we’ll hear grousing that only Iowans should win in Iowa Lottery games, but I would guess the same folks who make that argument also want the chance to play the lottery in other states when they’re traveling. So on that point, as that old saying goes: Turnabout is fair play!

Happy playing to everyone who buys tickets in our games, and we hope to see YOU as a big winner soon.

NW Iowa Man Claims $1 Million Powerball® Prize From Leap-Day Drawing

A northwest Iowa man stepped outside of his normal routine when it comes to buying Powerball tickets and that spur-of-the-moment decision brought him a $1 million prize.

Shane Saxen of Correctionville claimed his big prize this morning at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. He said he usually waits until the jackpot has climbed really high and then he’ll buy a ticket. But last week while he was running errands, he decided to buy two Powerball plays even though the jackpot for Saturday’s drawing was “only” an estimated $80 million.

He said he just decided: Why not?  

Saxen’s ticket came within one number of having at least a share of Saturday’s Powerball jackpot. He matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize.

News that someone had won big in Correctionville spread quickly in the Woodbury County community of about 800.

Saxen said his sister heard that someone locally had won big and asked if he’d bought a ticket. They checked his numbers and quickly realized he was the winner who had everyone talking. Saxen said his stomach dropped to his feet and then he paused for a second and realized it was just such a cool moment!

Saxen bought his easy-pick ticket at Brew, a convenience store and coffee shop at 404 11th St. in Correctionville. His big win came on Feb. 29, the Leap Year date that falls on a Saturday, one of the days when Powerball drawings occur, only about every 28 years.

Saturday’s winning Powerball numbers were: 24-44-46-50-51 and Powerball 13. The Power Play® number was 3. No one matched all six numbers to win that night’s jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $90 million annuity ($67.9 million lump-sum option) for Wednesday.

Brew will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

Saxen, 31, works as a campus security officer at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. He said he plans to invest most of his winnings for retirement planning, and there likely will be a new set of wheels in his future.

And he’s glad that his sister sped up his timeline for checking his ticket. He said he eventually would have checked it, but with her help, he claimed his prize much more quickly!

In addition to Saxen’s big win, Iowa also had a $50,000 winner in Saturday’s Powerball drawing. That ticket, which matched four of the five white balls and the Powerball, remains unclaimed. It was purchased at Hy-Vee, 1005 E. Hickman Road in Waukee.

Leap Year Lottery Luck Hits In NW Iowa

Leap Year luck has struck in northwest Iowa! Someone who bought a Powerball® ticket in the Woodbury County community of Correctionville won a $1 million prize in last night’s drawing.

It was the only $1 million-winning ticket nationwide in the Feb. 29 drawing. That leap-year date falls on a Saturday, one of the days when Powerball drawings are held, only about every 28 years. 

The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Brew, a convenience store and coffee shop at 404 11th St. in Correctionville. The ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night's $80 million jackpot.

The ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize. Last night’s winning numbers were: 24-44-46-50-51 and Powerball 13. The Power Play® number was 3. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $90 million annuity ($67.9 million lump-sum option) for Wednesday.

Brew will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

Prizes of $1 million must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are closed on the weekend, so tomorrow is the earliest that the prize can be claimed.

If the winner or winners have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to give us a shout at the lottery at 515-725-7900.

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

This Month & All Year, Remember: Help Is Available 24/7 In Iowa

Throughout the month of March, you’ll see messages from the lottery on a variety of platforms to remind us all that it’s National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. We hope that by highlighting this issue, we’ll get the right information at the right time to help someone who needs it.

Whether you’re 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 with the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation earlier this week recognizing March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month in Iowa. And during Sunday’s 10 p.m. local newscasts, our PSA will be shown by television stations statewide. Then the bulk of our messages will run throughout the following week on outdoor billboards, radio stations statewide, local broadcast and cable channels; and digital audio and video platforms. Some messages will continue to air through the end of March.          

Problem gamblers can come from any background. They can be rich or poor, young or old, male or female. Problem gambling can affect people of every race and religion, and every education and income level. The one constant is that problem gambling is treatable.

Signs of problem gambling include:
• thinking a lot about gambling, such as past gambling experiences, future gambling ventures, or ways of getting money for gambling.
• needing to gamble with larger amounts of money or with larger bets in order to get the same feeling of excitement.
• repeatedly trying to cut down or stop gambling without success.
• feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop gambling.
• gambling to run away from problems or to get relief from feeling depressed, anxious, or bad about yourself.
• often returning after gambling losses to try to win back money.
• lying to family members, friends or others in order to hide gambling activities from them.
• losing or almost losing a significant relationship, job, or an educational or career opportunity because of gambling.
• relying on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling.

If you ever have questions or concerns about problem gambling, visit https://yourlifeiowa.org to reach the help available by phone, in person, or through secure chat or video.