ialottery blog

4 New InstaPlay games start Sunday!

Earlier this week, I shared a preview that 4 new InstaPlay games will debut on Sunday. Now that it's almost time, here’s what you need to know to be among the first to have a chance to win prizes in them!

The new games will be available for sale at lottery terminals and self-service kiosks statewide as soon as our equipment comes up for the day on Sunday. In many locations, that will depend on when a particular business opens that day.

Two of the new InstaPlay games have progressive jackpots – meaning that they grow with each ticket sold statewide in the game until the prize is won. And two of the games have prizes that are all pre-set amounts. The new games range in price from $1 up to $10.

Cash on the Run Progressive is a $1 game with jackpots that start at $650 and grow from there. Fat Wallet Progressive is a $2 game with jackpots starting at $2,000.

The other new games that start Sunday are:

• $50 and $100 Frenzy, a $5 game with prizes from $5 up to $100.
• Hit $250, a $10 game with prizes ranging from $10 up to $500.

As the names in those last two games indicate, they’re loaded with prizes at the $50, $100 and $250 prize levels.

We plan to introduce even more new InstaPlay games in October and November, including Iowa’s first holiday-themed InstaPlay games. So be on the lookout for those!

One further note: As I mentioned in Tuesday’s blog entry, we’ll be ending many of the existing InstaPlay games that have been on the market for some time here in Iowa. Check out that the details in that post so you’ll be aware of the process.

Cash Spectacular InstaPlay Game Ends As 4 New Games Head For Market!

Changes are underway in our lineup of InstaPlay games, and you may have already noticed one of them.

Sales ended in the Cash Spectacular InstaPlay game this past weekend as we gear up to bring 4 new InstaPlay games to the market this Sunday!

This is the first major update we’ve made to our line-up of InstaPlay games since we began offering the product back in 2016. It will be fun to introduce new games so you can check out their features and prizes.

This coming Sunday (Sept. 1), watch for 4 new InstaPlay games to debut! I’ll have more details to share about them on Friday, so check back here.

And that’s not all. We plan to introduce even more new InstaPlay games in October and November, including Iowa’s first holiday-themed InstaPlay games!

With new games hitting the market, many existing InstaPlay games, like Cash Spectacular, will be ending. That’s similar to the standard procedures we use in our scratch games. We leave games on the market as long as we can, especially if there’s still a top prize available. But at some point, players tell us through lower purchase levels that they’re moving on. And at that point, we end the older game to make room for something new.

Here’s what you can expect with the InstaPlay lineup in the next few months. If we end a Progressive InstaPlay game that’s been on the market for some time, we’ll do it immediately after the game’s progressive jackpot is won so everyone has a chance to win that top prize.

For InstaPlay games with set prize amounts, the end date will be more dependent upon sales levels and the top prizes still available.

Lucky for Life Winner Kept Checking Ticket To Be Sure He Got The Same Results!

I think we can all relate to this: A Des Moines man kept checking his winning lottery ticket to be sure the results would come up the same!

Paul Freeman just claimed a prize of $25,000 a year for life that he’d won in Monday night’s Lucky for Life® drawing. He says he checked his winning ticket at multiple stores and on the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app just to be sure it was real.

Paul’s wife is currently out of state, so he called her to share the news. She didn’t quite believe him at first, but he's pretty sure that with the winnings deposited in their account, she’ll be convinced!

Paul bought his winning easy-pick ticket at Price Chopper, 1819 Beaver Ave. in Des Moines. He matched the first five winning numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win big. The winning numbers in Monday’s night’s drawing were: 15-17-35-40-45 and Lucky Ball 6.

His Plans For The Winnings

He chose to receive his prize in its lump-sum option of $390,000. He plans to use his winnings to become debt free.

Paul is 59 and a wine consultant for the Urbandale location of an international wine and spirits company. He says he’s always thought about what he’d do if he won a big lottery prize, so now he’s putting that plan into action. He's going to pay off debt and invest for the future so retirement can be comfortable and happy.

Paul says his wife is the only person he told about his win before he claimed the prize, so he anticipates he’ll get a lot of calls and texts once the news breaks!

Price Chopper will get a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Des Moines ticket wins prize of $25,000 a year for life in Lucky For Life game

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a Des Moines grocery store won a prize last night of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life® game.

It’s Iowa’s 20th big winner in Lucky for Life since the game debuted in January 2016 in our state.

The winning ticket was purchased at Price Chopper, 1819 Beaver Ave. in Des Moines. It matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Last night’s winning Lucky for Life numbers were: 15-17-35-40-45 and Lucky Ball 6. Price Chopper will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. The game’s top two prize levels are described as “lasting as long as you do,” meaning that they’re truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there’s a lump-sum option for players who prefer that rather than lifetime annuity payments.

The prize of $25,000 a year for life has to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.

If the winner or winners of the Des Moines ticket have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to call the lottery at 515-725-7900 or send us an email at [email protected].

A Stop In Mason City With 1 Month Until Expiration For $500,000 Unclaimed Prize

There’s just one month left for someone to claim a $500,000 Powerball® prize won in Mason City and the Iowa Lottery was at the store today where the winning ticket was purchased to remind players to double-check their tickets.

The $500,000-winning ticket was sold at Kwik Star, 1502 S. Federal Ave. in Mason City. The prize will expire on Sept. 12 if it isn’t claimed by the deadline. Click on the video above to see what went on at the store today!

The prize wasn’t won in a regular Powerball drawing, but rather, in the Powerball Double Play® drawing on March 16. The winning Double Play numbers that night were: 9-11-13-29-69 and Double Play Powerball 12.

The Mason City ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Double Play Powerball to win a $500,000 prize.

The Double Play® option debuted in November for Powerball in Iowa. For an extra $1 per play, Powerball players can add the Double Play option to their tickets. The numbers on that ticket are then eligible to win twice – once in the regular Powerball drawing, and once in a separate Double Play drawing that same night.

Prize Claim Details

The $500,000 prize has to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. Anyone with questions about the prize or how to claim it is welcome to reach out to us at 515-725-7900 or [email protected].

What Happens To Unclaimed Prize Money In Iowa?

In the last fiscal year (FY 2024), nearly $5 million in lotto and InstaPlay prizes expired in Iowa without being claimed.

That money 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.

Get Free Powerball Tix & Enter Contest For Prize Packages At Mason City Event Today

There’s just one month left for someone to claim a $500,000 Powerball® prize won in Mason City and the Iowa Lottery will have an event there today to remind players to double-check their tickets.

The $500,000-winning ticket was sold at Kwik Star, 1502 S. Federal Ave. in Mason City. The prize will expire on Sept. 12 if it isn’t claimed by the deadline.

The lottery will be at the Kwik Star from 10-11:30 a.m. today, calling attention to the unclaimed prize, giving away free Powerball plays to store customers, and asking them to check the results of any tickets they have. We'll also hold a contest you can enter for a chance to win a scratch-ticket prize package. We hope we’ll jog the winner’s memory in time for the $500,000 prize to be claimed!

The prize wasn’t won in a regular Powerball drawing, but rather, in the Powerball Double Play® drawing on March 16. The winning Double Play numbers that night were: 9-11-13-29-69 and Double Play Powerball 12.

The Mason City ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Double Play Powerball to win a $500,000 prize.

The Double Play® option debuted in November for Powerball in Iowa. For an extra $1 per play, Powerball players can add the Double Play option to their tickets.

The numbers on that ticket are then eligible to win twice – once in the regular Powerball drawing, and once in a separate Double Play drawing that same night.

Prize Claim Details

The $500,000 prize has to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. Anyone with questions about the prize or how to claim it is welcome to reach out to us at 515-725-7900 or [email protected].

Players in Iowa have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes in Powerball.

What Happens To Unclaimed Prize Money In Iowa?

In the last fiscal year (FY 2024), nearly $5 million in lotto and InstaPlay prizes expired in Iowa without being claimed.

That money 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.

Buy Lottery Tix Monday At The Iowa State Fair & Meet Luka Garza At Our Tent!

We’ll be at the Iowa State Fair on Monday with a special guest you won’t want to miss!

Monday is Veterans Day at the Iowa State Fair, and as we’ve done for the past several years, the Iowa Lottery is the Day-Of-Fair sponsor to help spread the word about the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund.

The Iowa Lottery will take over the big white exhibition tent that day along the Grand Concourse. We’ll of course have our prize wheel that players can spin after their purchase for a chance to win merchandise prizes.

And from noon-3 p.m. that day, you can meet NBA center Luka Garza at our tent! Garza, the Iowa Hawkeye basketball star who now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, will take photos with visitors at the Iowa Lottery tent. And we’ll have autographed photos available while supplies last.

So, why will Luka be there with us? Check our website on Monday for details about the Prize Zone promotion starting that day for the chance to win tickets in a suite at the special pre-season NBA game Oct. 11 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. You could be there to see the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves!

The lottery’s tent on Monday is right in front of the Fair’s Service Center, and we’ll be there from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. that day.

We’ll sell and cash scratch, lotto, and InstaPlay tickets and you can pay with cash or debit this year. We’ll have the games available that can be entries for our Kickoff to Kinnick™ and Cyclone™ Football promotions.

And most importantly, remember to thank the veterans that day at the Iowa State Fair.

Remember that a portion of each dollar spent on lottery tickets in Iowa goes directly to the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund to benefit our state’s veterans and their families. We’re proud to share that to date, the Iowa Lottery has raised nearly $40 million for that essential cause!

We look forward to seeing you Monday at the Iowa State Fair!

Crowd Packs Grand Concourse At The State Fair To See Live Lottery Game Show

A central Iowa man won the top prize of $500,000 in front of a huge crowd watching the live lottery game show tonight at the Iowa State Fair!

Steven “Jack” Stout of Indianola, the game show finalist, had a chance to win up to $5 million and came close to it. But he ultimately uncovered the game pieces in the show’s final round to win $500,000. He said it didn’t seem real.

Jack said that from the beginning, he could hardly believe he got a chance to be on the game show. He admitted he got pretty shaky as the show progressed and it became clear he’d win a big prize.

Jack said he doesn’t have firm plans for his winnings, but he may buy a house.

Nineteen other contestants on the game show won prizes ranging from $10,000 up to $100,000, and the Iowa Lottery also awarded three sizeable prizes to audience members watching the show on the 2024 State Fair’s opening day.

What Led Up To The Game Show

The game show was the finale of a summer-long initiative from the Iowa Lottery and the Iowa State Fair, which included the first scratch game named for the State Fair, Iowa’s largest event.

Players who didn’t win instant prizes on their Iowa State Fair scratch tickets could enter them into the lottery’s Fair Fever promotion for a chance to be one of the 20 game show contestants or win concert-ticket prize packages for the Iowa State Fair Grandstand. Lottery players made more than 67,000 entries into the promotion from mid-April through mid-July.

Here are the prizes won by the 19 other contestants on the lottery game show:

1. Craig Bergman of Cedar Rapids, $10,000	11. Jolene Murray of Cedar Rapids, $15,000
2. Michelle Cerwinske of Nashua, $25,000	12. Mary Olin of Des Moines, $100,000
3. Margo Fox of Johnston, $50,000	13. Dawn Petersen of Colfax, $10,000
4. Kristine Frye of Des Moines, $10,000	14. Timothy Roberts of Ottumwa, $15,000
5. Nicole Gulick of Des Moines, $25,000	15. Scott Stewart of Waterloo, $25,000
6. Ryan Habeger of Algona, $10,000	16. Christine Tatman of Orange City, $10,000
7. Gerald Johnson of Iowa City, $75,000	17. Rodney Tucker of Des Moines, $15,000
8. Gerald Kennicker of Dubuque, $10,000	18. Jeff Weiland of Dubuque, $25,000
9. Tamara McMahon of Council Bluffs, $20,000	19. David Wesley of Des Moines, $25,000
10. Steven Moore of Urbandale, $25,000

In addition, the Iowa Lottery gave three prizes to audience members at the show.

• Lori Wellman of West Des Moines won a $5,000 audience-member prize.
• Karen Bowder of Pocahontas won a $5,000 audience-member prize. 
• Mary Little of Brooklyn won a $50,000 audience-member prize.

Powerball Ticket Purchased in Webster City Wins $1 Million Prize

Someone who bought a Powerball® ticket in Webster City won a $1 million prize in the game’s drawing last night!

The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Fareway, 942 Second St. in Webster City. It matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize.

Last night’s winning numbers were: 29-42-44-51-54 and Powerball 12. The Power Play® number was 2. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $185 million annuity ($92.1 million lump-sum option) for the game’s next drawing tomorrow.

The Webster City ticket was the only one in the country to win a $1 million prize in last night’s drawing.

Fareway will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.

The $1 million prize has to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday, and an appointment is strongly encouraged.

To make an appointment or ask questions about claiming a prize, winners are welcome to call the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email to [email protected].

Powerball prizes won in Iowa have to be claimed within 180 days of the drawing.

Audience Members Can Win Prizes At Our Live Game Show At The Iowa State Fair!

Our live game show at the Iowa State Fair is just a week away, and we’ve got big news about it: If you’re in the audience that day, you’ll have a chance to win up to $50,000!

So how can you have a shot at the audience prizes? First, you’ll need to be at the 2024 Iowa State Fair on its opening day, Thursday, Aug. 8. Then, you’ll need to register to be an audience member. And most importantly, you’ll need to be at the Cash Fever game show when it's held live on the Grand Concourse.

The 20 lottery players who will be contestants on the Cash Fever game show are each guaranteed to win at least $10,000. And the final contestant that day will win at least $500,000, with a chance at a prize of up to $5 million.

Now we’re excited to announce that during the game show, we’ll give away two prizes of $5,000 and one prize of $50,000 to those in the audience!

As the game show begins at 5:30 p.m. next Thursday, we’ll give away a prize of $5,000 to an audience member. After the show’s first round, we’ll give away another prize of $5,000. And just before the show heads into its final round, we’ll give away a $50,000 prize to an audience member!

We’ll be registering audience members for the game show from 2-4 p.m. on Aug. 8 in front of the Fair Administration Building on the Grand Concourse. I’ve marked that spot on the map below, and it’s where the game show also will be held. We’ll keep registering folks until 1,200 audience members have been registered or time runs out, whichever comes first.

We’ll give each registered audience member a free ticket in our “Iowa State Fair” scratch game! You can only register once to be an audience member.

Then, to be eligible to win an audience prize, you’ll need to be on the Grand Concourse for the game show. When we announce an audience member’s name as a prize winner, that person will have 2 minutes to identify themselves to a lottery representative at the show. We expect it will be pretty easy to see the winner as they’re smiling and celebrating! But in any case, we’ll have lottery folks with flags around the perimeter of the audience section, so the winners can see them.

If the winner doesn’t come forward within the 2 minutes allowed, we’ll move on and call another audience member’s name for the prize. We’ll try a maximum of three times to award each prize.

We hope this added excitement gets you even more amped up to join us next week at the Iowa State Fair! See you there!