That's the largest jackpot in the history of the Mega Millions game and the 3rd-largest U.S. lottery jackpot. Tonight's grand prize tops the previous game record of $1.537 billion, a Mega Millions jackpot won in 2018 with a ticket in South Carolina.
The world record for a lottery prize remains the Powerball® jackpot of $2.04 billion won in November with a ticket in California.
The Latest Winning Numbers, Iowa Sales and Prizes
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 43,651 prizes in Friday's Mega Millions drawing. The winning numbers were: 11-30-45-52-56 and Mega Ball 20. The Megaplier® number was 2.
Two tickets in Iowa were just one number away from having at least a share of the jackpot and won $10,000 each. They matched four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball.
The $10,000-winning tickets were purchased at: Fareway, 920 Lawrence Drive in Burlington; and Pilot Travel Center, 445 Evansdale Drive in Evansdale.
Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $2.5 million in Mega Millions tickets for Friday's drawing, including more than $1.4 million yesterday alone. But the average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing remained about 3 plays, or $6 per ticket.
Only 1 Month Left for $1 Million Mega Millions Prize
This weekend marked the 1-month point for a $1 million Mega Millions prize that is still unclaimed in Ames. The prize will expire in early September if it's not claimed in time.
With first-time and occasional players joining the mix to buy tickets for a chance at the giant jackpot, we remind everyone to check their tickets for any prize 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 the jackpot for matching all six numbers in a drawing.
The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at The Filling Station/Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the Mega Millions drawing on Sept. 6, 2022.
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.
The money from lottery prizes that expire in Iowa without being claimed goes into the lottery's prize pools for future games and promotions, so it will be used to pay prizes, just not those prizes that have expired.
A National Look At Lottery Winners' Stories
USA Today has a national round-up this weekend of lottery winners' stories and what they've done with their winnings. It's an interesting look at a slice of life from across the country. The article is available here.
Withholding Rates In Iowa For A Jackpot Prize
We've gotten a lot of tax-related questions this summer as players have thought about winning the giant jackpot.
For any jackpot prize won in Iowa, 24 percent federal withholding applies along with 5 percent state withholding. Those amounts are automatically deducted before the prize is paid and can’t be modified or waived.
The withholdings are designed to cover a lottery prize winner’s tax liability from claiming a large lottery prize. But the total taxes that a winner would owe are dependent upon that person’s financial circumstances outside of winning the lottery.
In some instances, the withholdings may not be enough, in other instances, they may be too much. The details would be sorted out in the winner’s income-tax filing for the year.
That's one of the reasons we at the Iowa Lottery always encourage our winners to consult a lawyer or financial planner who can help answer your questions.
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