ialottery blog

Truth or Myth: Children Can Buy Lottery Tickets If Their Parents Are OK With It

Here’s the latest in our Truth vs. Myth series to test your lottery know-how. People can get crabby with us on this particular point, so this is a good time to talk about it!

Here goes: It’s fine for children to buy lottery tickets in Iowa as long as the parents are okay with it.

That’s a myth.

Iowa law specifies that you have to be at least 21 years old to buy lottery tickets in this state. There is no wiggle room on that.

The crabby part I referenced can come into play when people are buying tickets and their child with them wants to be involved by handing the money to a clerk or putting it into the bill acceptor on a lottery vending machine. In those instances, there could be a question about who is actually buying the tickets. And when that happens, we ask the adult involved not to let the child handle the money.

You can imagine that if it’s a small child, they can become unhappy that they’re not allowed to be part of the process. Cue a meltdown by the child and a subsequent exasperated parent.

Please know we’re not trying to be mean! We’re just ensuring that the law is being followed. (Apologies for any meltdowns involved.)

While those under 21 can’t purchase lottery tickets in Iowa, it is legal for them to claim a prize, provided that the ticket involved was legally purchased, legally possessed, and legally presented; and that the intent of those involved is not to circumvent the law.

That particular point has to do with property rights. Once someone buys a lottery ticket, it becomes their property, and they can give that property to someone else if they choose.

For example, we’ve seen grandparents give winning lottery tickets to their grandchildren to claim to help pay for college expenses. Another time, a parent gave a winning ticket to a child to claim as a birthday gift.

If the person claiming the prize is younger than 18, a parent or guardian also has to sign the lottery claim form. And when the prize is being claimed at a lottery office, our Security team will review the details to ensure that the law is being followed.

Whether you play the lottery or not, we want everyone to have an accurate understanding of how the lottery works. This Truth or Myth series is part of that effort.

Focus On Convenience: We’re Rolling Out More Vending Machines For Lottery Tickets

Your local store may be sporting some new lottery equipment the next time you buy tickets.

We’re in the process of rolling out new self-service kiosks to 150 retail locations and new pull-tab vending machines in another 30 stores. All of the locations already sell lottery tickets, but the new equipment will provide additional convenience for customers AND employees.

You can see a couple of the new machines in the images at the top of this post! On the left is the new self-service kiosk at Jet Stop in Burlington, and on the right is the new pull-tab vending machine at Brew Oil in Correctionville.

What’s Behind This Move?

Retail studies today show that some customers prefer to make their purchases from another human being, while others want to use self-service. With new equipment in retail locations, you’ll have more options if you want to play the lottery.

The Iowa Lottery’s self-service kiosks allow you to buy lotto, scratch and InstaPlay tickets, while our pull-tab vending machines carry only that product. You of course can still buy tickets at the lottery terminal in stores.

The Timing Involved

We began installing 150 new self-service kiosks earlier this month, and when that rollout is complete in mid-January, we’ll have them in 360 locations. Installation of 30 new pull-tab vending machines began in late October and will be wrapped up by early next month, with pull-tabs being sold in a total of about 425 locations in Iowa.

The machines aren’t in all our retailers – lottery tickets are sold in about 2,500 businesses statewide. But we’ve done our best to identify the busy spots where additional equipment can help make buying tickets and checking prize results easier.

As we move ahead, we’ll continue to evaluate opportunities for other new equipment. But for now, maybe you’ll see a new lottery machine the next time you’re in your favorite local spot!

Why Do So Many Pick 4 & Pick 3 Players Win Multiple Prizes In The Same Drawing?

It’s happened again! An Iowa player won multiple top prizes, all in the same lottery drawing. I’m not sure I can fully explain the thought process involved that led to the happy moment, even after all my years of working at the lottery. But I’ll try! Here goes.

In the latest scenario, a Mount Pleasant man won 3 top prizes of $30,000 in last Saturday’s midday Pick 4 drawing. He chose his own numbers and bought his winning tickets all at the same Mount Pleasant store.

Pick 4 and Pick 3 are both games with drawings twice a day. They’re different from our other lotto games because you as the player can choose the type of play you want to make. And that determines the prize you can win.

How You Play

For example, you can buy a play where you’ll win a prize by matching the winning numbers in the drawing in any order. That’s called a box play. Or, you can buy a play where you’ll win a prize by matching the winning numbers in the exact order they’re selected in the drawing. That’s called a straight play. The different ways you can play – and win – are part of the fun of the games.

In Pick 3, you choose 3 numbers, each from 0-9. And in Pick 4, you choose 4 numbers, each from 0-9. Plays cost from 50 cents up to $5.

Players in both games often choose their own numbers rather than buying easy-pick tickets where the lottery terminal randomly assigns the numbers in the play. And because the players are loyal to their numbers, when they win, they often hit BIG.

The Mount Pleasant winner this week is a perfect example of that. He chose his own numbers, buying 3 identical tickets for the same Pick 4 drawing. And he hit big, winning the top prize of $30,000 on each ticket. He had chosen a straight play and won by matching the winning numbers in the exact order selected in the drawing: 7-0-0-6.

But Why Do They Do That?

So what’s behind that thought process of buying multiple tickets, all with the same numbers for the same drawing? Maybe it’s the “max bet” concept, where the players figure if they’re going to win, they want to win big. Maybe they have certain lucky numbers. Or, they could just have a feeling and decide to play.

I’m not sure I can pinpoint the reason, I just know it happens. And when it does, someone has a really good day!

Des Moines Man Says He Can Relax Now After Winning Prize Of $1,000 A Day For Life

Iowa’s first top prize winner of $1,000 a day for life in the Lucky for Life® game says his big prize will allow him to move closer to family.

Shelby Willis of Des Moines says his win will change things for himself, his children and his grandchildren. He knows it’s important and he wants to do get right in terms of managing his winnings.

Shelby, who is 64, was born in Iowa, but spent most of his adult life on the East Coast, where both of his daughters and his brother live today. He returned to live in Des Moines 12 years ago to help his father who was in poor health at the time. Now he’s looking to move east again, likely to New Jersey, to be near his family.

His Plans For His Winnings

Shelby says his win means he can relax and he won’t have to be as concerned with finances. He also looks forward to being able to get some important items on his list, including a townhome or condo in New Jersey.

But baseball is also on his mind! Shelby says he’s been a New York Yankees fan since the 1970s, so tickets to see the Bronx Bombers are definitely in his future.

How He Won

Shelby’s ticket matched all six winning numbers in Friday’s Lucky for Life drawing to win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life. The winning numbers that night were: 2-7-19-42-47 and Lucky Ball 4.

He bought his winning easy-pick ticket at QuikTrip, 1501 E. Grand Ave. in Des Moines. QuikTrip will receive a $5,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Instant Retirement

Shelby chose the cash option for his prize, getting a lump-sum payment of $5.75 million.

He says winning has meant “instant retirement” for him. After he realized on Saturday that he’d won big, he quit his job in the security industry.  

Shelby's prize is Iowa’s 22nd overall big winner in Lucky for Life since the game’s January 2016 debut in the state. The other big winners were all at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

Iowa Has Its 1st Top Prize Winner Of $1,000 A Day For Life In Lucky For Life Game

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a Des Moines convenience store has won Iowa’s first top prize of $1,000 a day for life in the multi-state Lucky for Life® game!

This is Iowa’s 22nd overall big winner in Lucky for Life since the game began in our state in January 2016. Iowa’s other big Lucky for Life winners have all been at the game's second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

Details About The Winning Ticket

The top-prize winning ticket matched all 6 winning numbers in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing to win $1,000 a day for life. The ticket was purchased at Quik Trip, 1501 E. Grand Ave. in Des Moines.

Last night’s winning Lucky for Life numbers were: 2-7-19-42-47 and Lucky Ball 4.

Quik Trip will receive a $5,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. It is sold by Iowa and 22 other U.S. lotteries.

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

Players can win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life by matching all six numbers selected in one of its drawings. The game’s second prize – for matching the first five numbers but missing the Lucky Ball – is $25,000 a year for life. Other prize levels in the game range from $3 up to $5,000.

Prize Claim Details

There are two options for claiming Lucky for Life’s top prize: annuity payments over time or a single, lump-sum payment. The annuity option would provide annual payments of $365,000 ($1,000 a day) for life. The lump-sum option would mean a one-time payment of $5.75 million.

The prize has to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive, and we strongly encourage a prize-claim appointment. Iowa Lottery offices are closed on weekends and will be closed on Monday for the Veterans Day holiday, so the earliest that this prize could be claimed is Tuesday.   

Lucky for Life winners in Iowa have to claim their prizes within 180 days of the drawing.

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

A Coin Flip, Rolling The Dice, Shuffling The Cards: A Look At What The Odds Mean

Maybe the best way to explain the odds of winning in a lottery game is to compare them to something else entirely. So we made some new videos to do just that.

Let’s start with scratch games. The odds of winning on a scratch ticket are a lot like the outcome of shuffling a deck of cards. There are 4 suits in the deck, but after the cards are shuffled into random order, you can go a lot more than 4 cards in a row without finding a particular suit.

For InstaPlay games, think of the odds like flipping a coin. You’ve got a 50/50 chance that the outcome will be heads or tails, but we all know you can flip a coin several times in a row with only one outcome.

For pull-tab games, the odds can be compared to rolling a dice. You’ve got a 1 in 6 chance of rolling one of the numbers on the dice, but you can roll it time after time without landing on the number you want!

For lotto games – including Powerball® and Mega Millions® – the odds of winning come from the numbers available to play, and all the different ways you can combine them.

We used each of those concepts for the new videos that went live today to explain the odds of winning in our games. Each video is only about a minute long to quickly provide the details involved.

You can find the videos through the links in this blog entry, and we'll also post them on our website.  

Whether you play the lottery or not, we want everyone to have an accurate understanding of how our games work. These new videos are part of that effort.