The early details show that Iowa Lottery players won more than 78,000 prizes in tonight’s record Mega Millions jackpot drawing. The Iowa winners included two tickets that came within one number of having at least a share of the jackpot.
Strong sales nationwide pushing the giant prize to an estimated $1 billion annuity, or $565.6 million lump-sum option. We’ll have full details tomorrow, including the locations where big winning tickets were purchased in Iowa and whether there was a jackpot winner anywhere in the country.
Here’s a first look at tonight’s drawing and our results here in Iowa:
The winning numbers in tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing were: 15-23-53-65-70 and Mega Ball 7. The Megaplier number was 2.
A total of 78,286 Mega Millions plays purchased in Iowa won prizes, including two tickets that came within one number of having at least a share of the jackpot. One of those tickets won a $10,000 prize and the other won a $20,000 prize. Both tickets matched four of the first five numbers and the Mega ball to win a $10,000 prize, but the person who bought the $20,000-winning ticket also added the Megaplier to the purchase, which multiplied the prize by two.
Lottery players here in Iowa bought more than $4 million in Mega Millions tickets for tonight’s drawing, including nearly $2.8 million in tickets today alone. During today’s busiest stretch from about 6-7 p.m., Mega Millions tickets were selling at nearly $5,800 per minute in Iowa. However, the average Iowa Mega Millions purchase today was about $6, or three plays per ticket. We’re glad to see that people had fun playing and didn’t go overboard.
Over the past several days, it has felt like we were all part of one big conversation. At the lottery, we extend huge thanks to our players and retailers for being part of this moment. It’s been a busy time, but we’ve all had fun and our joint efforts have made a difference right here at home by raising additional lottery proceeds for state causes.
And not to be left out, the Powerball jackpot for tomorrow currently stands at an estimated $470 million annuity, $268.6 million lump-sum option. We’ll have the early details about that drawing tomorrow night, and then full results for the weekend sometime on Sunday.
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