A player just sent us a question about the prizes available in our scratch games. Specifically, what determines the top prize amount in Iowa Lottery scratch games?
Population is a major factor. But so is input from players about what they prefer.
The player who contacted us this week asked about scratch-game prizes of $1 million, and said she’d like to see that prize level offered in scratch games available in Iowa.
The Iowa Lottery has sold scratch games in the past that offered top prizes of $1 million. The last one was a $20 game called “Lifetime Riches” that ended in 2014.
But with a population base the size of Iowa’s, the mathematics behind a game like that mean that only one or two top prizes of $1 million could be offered. And our players told us they found that frustrating. In general, they said they prefer a game that offers more top prizes even if they’re not quite as large. That’s why you’ll see that the biggest prizes in our scratch games are often in the $250,000 to $300,000 range, and the games that feature them have a lot of top prizes.
For example, the $250,000 Extreme Cash scratch game had 16 top prizes of $250,000, and 13 of those are still unclaimed. Two other examples: Colossal Crossword had 13 top prizes of $300,000, with six of those still unclaimed; and Aces High offered 18 top prizes of $250,000, with two of those still unclaimed.
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. That greater population base means larger sales overall, and that in turn supports higher prizes.
With a population of about 3.2 million, Iowa is fairly small compared to states like California (39.5 million) or Florida (21.5 million). But we can still be creative when it comes to game planning!
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. Variety matters!
Sometimes that emphasis on variety 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.
We hope that by having a variety of games out there, you’ll find something that you like.
Hi, Kathy. That's a really good idea! I don't know that we have considered offering a trip like that as a prize, but I know that more cruises on the Mississippi are being offered, and folks are looking for exclusive travel opportunities. I will share your idea with our promotions team. Thank you for reaching out!
Posted by: Mary Neubauer | June 28, 2021 at 09:02 AM
I'm sorry you're not happy with your ticket purchases, Roger. As I blogged about last week, please remember that if playing the lottery is making you unhappy or causing you stress, please don't do it. Take a break or maybe quit altogether. What I can also share is that the winners list in our scratch games shows recent big winners from all over the state -- a $100,000 win by a Cedar Rapids man, a $50,000 win by a Moscow man, a $10,000 win by an Atlantic man, a $50,000 win by a Storm Lake man, a $20,000 win by a Jefferson woman. Tickets in our games are randomly distributed and not even those of us who work at the lottery know where the next big winner will hit.
Posted by: Mary Neubauer | June 28, 2021 at 08:54 AM
I have taken many cruises but not one has been on the mighty Mississippi
Posted by: kathy a ballentine | June 27, 2021 at 08:16 PM
Have you ever thought of giving away a week cruise on the Mississippi river? Thank you
Posted by: kathy a ballentine | June 27, 2021 at 08:13 PM
So that means only buy a ticket in the Des Des Moines area or you won't win the big prize just 2 to 10 dollar prizes every where. else that's a RIP off need to find a better way of disbursement of tickets
Posted by: Roger | June 26, 2021 at 07:14 AM