One year ago, everyone was talking about Powerball®, and many of you were waiting in lines at lottery retailers all across Iowa to try your luck at the world-record jackpot.
Who could forget the frenzy over the jackpot of nearly $1.6 billion in January 2016? That historic jackpot run began on Nov. 7, 2015, and continued for 19 drawings without a jackpot winner. The run ended on Jan. 13, 2016, with three jackpot-winning tickets sold in California, Florida and Tennessee.
Iowa Lottery players won nearly 225,000 prizes in that night’s world-record drawing, including a $2 million prize, which was claimed by Bryon Stewart of Onawa in western Iowa.
We sold more than $12 million in Powerball tickets for that drawing, which helped set numerous sales records across the country and led us to a record year of proceeds to the state causes that benefit all Iowans.
It was a busy time here at the lottery and for our nearly 2,400 retailers across the state, but in the end, it was a lot of fun to be part of such a memorable moment.
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