The Mega Millions® jackpot is in the game’s Top 3, with the estimate for the big prize remaining at $1.1 billion annuity, $568.7 million cash option, for tomorrow night’s drawing.
That’s the third-highest jackpot in the history of the game and the fifth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot.
Overall, Mega Millions was won six times in 2021 and six times in 2022. The game’s drawings happen at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Reminders About Group Play
When the jackpot reaches into the stratosphere like it is now, a lot of lottery players pitch in to buy tickets in office pools or with family and friends.
During the world-record Powerball jackpot run late last year, two separate groups of co-workers in eastern Iowa each split a $50,000 prize they won in their office pool.
The Iowa Lottery keeps group play reminders on its website to help you keep lottery pool play fun and hassle free.
Among the suggestions: Keep an accurate list of everyone who puts in money for a particular drawing and how much they contribute. And, provide everyone in your pool with photos or copies of the group’s tickets before the drawing.
Iowa Stats From The Latest Mega Millions Drawing
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 31,631 prizes in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing and had purchased more than $1.7 million in tickets for the drawing.
Friday’s winning numbers were: 3-20-46-59-63 and Mega Ball® 13. The Megaplier® number was 3.
The average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing was about $6, or three plays per ticket. It’s good to see that a lot of people had fun playing and didn’t go overboard.
What If You Win?
The Iowa Lottery has a video giving a quick overview of the process when someone wins a big prize. The video details the forms required when claiming an Iowa Lottery prize, the cash vs. annuity decision for a jackpot winner, the withholdings involved for lottery prizes, and open records requirements for lottery winners in Iowa.
The video is available online for anyone who would like to see the details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugXmP-7Qbm8
$1 Million Mega Millions Prize Still Unclaimed In Ames
With first-time and occasional players buying tickets for the giant drawing, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone to check their tickets for all prizes they may have won, not just the jackpot.
There are nine prize levels in Mega Millions, from $2 for matching the Mega Ball® alone up to winning the jackpot for matching all six numbers in a drawing.
A $1 million Mega Millions prize won in central Iowa remains unclaimed after four months.
The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the game's drawing on Sept. 6. It was the only ticket in the country that night to match the five white balls but miss the yellow Mega Ball to win at the game's second prize level.
The winner or winners of the $1 million prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
Gateway Expresse received a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.
Please Play Responsibly
And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly.
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