ialottery blog

Giant Mega Millions Jackpot Won, 2 Iowa Tickets Just 1 Number Away

The giant Mega Millions® jackpot was won last night, with 2 Iowa tickets just 1 number away from having a share of the prize.

Last night’s Mega Millions jackpot was won by a ticket purchased in California. The prize of $1.22 billion annuity, $549.7 million lump-sum option, is the 5th largest jackpot in the history of the game and the 9th-largest U.S. lottery prize.

Prizes Won In Iowa, 2 Tickets That Came So Close

Iowa Lottery players won a total of 38,780 prizes in last night’s Mega Millions drawing, ranging from $2 up to $30,000.

Two Iowa tickets were just 1 number away from having a share of the jackpot, matching 4 of the 5 white balls and the Mega Ball.

One of the tickets won a $30,000 prize, while the other won $10,000. The player who bought the $30,000-winning ticket added the Megaplier® option to the purchase, which tripled the prize.

• The $30,000-winning ticket was purchased at New Co-Op Corning, 408 Sixth St. in Corning.
• The $10,000-winning ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 1850 22nd St. in West Des Moines.

Those 2 prizes can be claimed at any Iowa Lottery office.

The Winning Numbers & Iowa Sales

The winning numbers in last night’s Mega Millions drawing were: 3-7-37-49-55 and Mega Ball 6. The Megaplier number was 3.

Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $2.2 million in Mega Millions tickets for last night’s drawing, including about $1.5 million in tickets yesterday alone. But the average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing remained about 3 plays, or $6 per ticket.

We’re glad to see that a lot of people got in on the fun and didn’t go overboard.

Unclaimed $50,000 Powerball Prize Has 1 Month Until It’s Gone!

Somebody out there could be the winner of a $50,000 Powerball® prize and not know it!

We’re trying to spread the word because that prize won in Bettendorf now is down to 1 month until it expiration date.

Here’s what you need to know about that unclaimed prize:

• The winning ticket was purchased in Bettendorf at the Kwik Star at 2283 53rd Ave.
• The ticket won a $50,000 prize in the July 29 Powerball drawing.
• The winning numbers in that night’s drawing were: 11-27-30-33-44 and Powerball 16.
• The ticket matched 4 of the 5 white balls and the Powerball.
• The prize will expire on Jan. 27 if it isn’t claimed in time.

When a prize goes unclaimed, we really feel for the winner. Imagine leaving all that money on the table! That’s why we’re trying to jog somebody’s memory. If you know anyone who frequents that Kwik Star in Bettendorf, make sure they see this!

If you’re the winner and you’re reading this, bring that ticket to any Iowa Lottery office before the deadline: Cedar Rapids, Clive, Mason City or Storm Lake. Prize-claim hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, with lottery offices closed on state holidays.

There are several other unclaimed prizes set to expire within the next month, including:

• A $2,000 Mega Millions® prize. The ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 1207 State St. in Tama, for the July 2 drawing. It will expire on Dec. 30 if it isn’t claimed in time.
• A $1,000 “Hit the Jackpot!” InstaPlay prize. The ticket was purchased on Oct. 9 at Mini Mart, 709 1st St. SW in Independence. Its expiration date is Jan. 7.
• A $1,250 Pick 4 prize. The ticket was purchased at Yesway, 1976 Franklin St. in Waterloo, for the Oct. 25 evening drawing. Its expiration date is Jan. 23.
• A $3,000 Pick 4 prize. The ticket was purchased at Cork’s, 1956 Lafayette St. in Waterloo for the Oct. 28 evening drawing. Its expiration date is Jan. 27.

If nobody steps forward in time to claim these prizes, the money involved will go back into the lottery’s prize pools for future games and promotions. 

We hope to meet these winners!

The Latest On Tonight’s Giant Mega Millions Jackpot

The giant Mega Millions® jackpot continues to climb, now standing at an estimated $1.22 billion annuity, $549.7 million lump-sum option, for tonight’s drawing.

The Mega Millions jackpot is now the 5th-largest prize in the history of the game and the 9th-largest jackpot in any U.S. lottery game.

The current Mega Millions jackpot has been growing for nearly 4 months. It was last won on Sept. 10. The game’s drawings are held at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Winning Numbers, Iowa Sales & Prizes

Iowa Lottery players won a total of 30,927 prizes in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing. The winning numbers that night were: 11-14-38-45-46 and Mega Ball 3. The Megaplier® number was 3.

Three Iowa tickets were just 1 number away from having at least a share of that night’s jackpot and won $10,000 each. They matched 4 of the 5 white balls and the Mega Ball.

The $10,000-winning tickets were purchased at:

• Smokin’ Joe’s, 1606 W. Locust St. in Davenport
• Hy-Vee, 812 S. First Ave. in Iowa City
• Casey’s, 516 Rossville Road in Waukon.

Iowa players bought more than $1.7 million in Mega Millions tickets for Tuesday’s drawing. But the average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing remained about 3 plays, or $6 per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that a lot of people had fun playing and didn’t go overboard.

Easy Picks vs. Your Own Numbers

The vast majority of tickets in games like Mega Millions are easy-pick plays, meaning that the lottery terminal assigns the numbers printed on the ticket. About 94 percent of the Iowa plays for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing were easy picks.

But players also can choose their own numbers. They choose five numbers from a pool of 1 to 70 for the white balls and 1 number from a separate pool of 25 for the yellow Mega Ball.

It HAS Been A While Since The Last $1 Billion+ Jackpot

If it seems like it’s been a while since we’ve seen a jackpot of more than $1 billion, that’s correct.

Prior to the current Mega Millions jackpot, it had been 8 months since the last time a U.S. jackpot topped the $1 billion mark. That Powerball® jackpot of $1.33 billion was won on April 6. The last Mega Millions jackpot to climb higher than $1 billion was a $1.13 billion prize won on March 26.

There were 4 U.S. jackpots of more than $1 billion in calendar year 2023, but the current jackpot is just the 3rd in 2024. And that’s the random nature of the games: You never know when the next big winner will hit!

12 U.S. Jackpots Of More Than $1 Billion

With the current Mega Millions jackpot included, there now have been a dozen U.S. jackpots of more than $1 billion, all in the Powerball and Mega Millions games.

The Deadline To Buy

Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy a ticket for tonight’s Mega Millions drawing is 8:59 p.m. If you buy a ticket after that, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won’t be in the running for tonight’s giant prize.

Play Healthy

At the Iowa Lottery, we remind everyone to play just for fun. You are gambling when you buy a lottery ticket and there is no guarantee that you’ll win.

As an additional resource, we keep Play Smart, Be Informed details on our website to help everyone have an accurate understanding of how the lottery works.

Fast Facts For Tonight’s Giant Jackpot Drawing In Mega Millions

Maybe this means another stop today on your shopping list!

Strong sales in Iowa and across the country have pushed the giant Mega Millions® jackpot to an estimated $1 billion annuity, $448.8 million lump-sum amount, for tonight’s Christmas Eve drawing.

The current jackpot is the 7th-largest in Mega Millions history and hovers just under the Top 10 list of the biggest jackpots in any U.S. lotto game.

The Mega Millions jackpot was won 10 times in calendar year 2023 but has been hit only 3 times so far in 2024. That demonstrates the random nature of a game like Mega Millions, where no one knows when the next big winner will hit.

With Iowa Lottery offices closed tomorrow and Thursday for the holiday, players can check the lottery website for the latest jackpot and winner updates.

Will The Holiday Season Change Ticket-Buying Patterns?

In the usual ticket-purchasing patterns for Mega Millions, the day of the drawing always has the highest sales. And sales generally peak that day from 4-7 p.m. as a lot of people head home from work.

But with the holidays this week, players’ purchasing patterns may be different, with a lot of people on vacation and out of their normal routines. The “normal” patterns may fall by the wayside for this drawing.

The added attention on tonight’s drawing also emphasizes the point that lottery drawings happen every day of the year, even when the drawing date falls on a holiday.

How Has The Jackpot Gotten This Big?

Time combined with sales are why the jackpot has grown so large.

The Mega Millions jackpot has been growing for nearly 4 months. It was last won in the drawing on Sept. 10.

The jackpot increases from drawing to drawing when there is no grand-prize winner, and sales generally increase as the jackpot climbs higher. And higher sales, in turn, push the jackpot even higher.

What’s That About ‘Coverage’?

A detail that gets a lot of attention in Mega Millions drawings is the coverage estimate. By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of all the possible combinations in the game have been purchased for a particular drawing.

It’s called coverage – how many of the combinations have been purchased, or “covered.”

The coverage estimate for tonight’s 10 p.m. drawing is about 25 percent. A higher coverage percentage can mean it’s more likely there will be a jackpot winner, but it is not a definite. There have been jackpot winners when the coverage estimate was in the single digits, and winners when the estimate was much higher.

The Deadline To Buy

Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions drawing is 8:59 p.m. on the night of the drawing.

If you buy a ticket after that, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won’t be in the running for that night’s giant prize.

Play Healthy

The Iowa Lottery reminds players to enjoy the moment, but remember that you are gambling when you buy tickets. There is no guarantee that you’ll win. Playing the lottery is something that should be done just for fun.

The Iowa Lottery keeps these and other “Play Smart, Be Informed” details on its website to help everyone have an accurate understanding of how the lottery works.

Player Comment: I’m Obviously Older Than 21, So Why Did They Still Card Me?

Here’s a question we got from a player amid the holiday rush this week. He wondered why he was carded at a local supermarket as he was buying lottery tickets. The man said he’s clearly not younger than 21 anymore, and he still had to show ID.

Some retail locations have that workplace policy, and we understand the real-world situation involved. They ask customers to verify their age before buying certain products as a way to protect their ability to do business.

Lottery tickets are an age-controlled product, and you have to be a certain age before you can buy them. Here in Iowa, the minimum purchasing age for lottery tickets is 21.

Retail locations need licenses to sell age-controlled products, and one of the requirements involved is that they enforce the minimum purchasing age. A business license can be suspended or even revoked for a violation of its terms, and some stores therefore choose to ID everyone, not just those they think may be under 21.

Losing any business license will have a financial impact on the location involved, likely limiting for a period of time some of the products it can sell.

We support our retailers taking a careful approach!

So if you’re asked for an ID when you buy lottery tickets, know that the store is doing the right thing. (And if you think it’s obvious you haven’t been 21 for a while, maybe just have fun in the moment.)

Winning Streak! 3rd Big Iowa Win In The Lucky For Life Game In 3 Months

We’ve got a winning streak going! For the 3rd time in as many months, Iowa has a big winner in the multi-state Lucky for Life® game.

The latest big win hit on a ticket purchased in Waukee for last night’s Lucky for Life drawing. The Waukee ticket matched the first 5 numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

The ticket was purchased at Kum & Go, 3105 Grand Prairie Parkway in Waukee. Last night’s winning Lucky for Life numbers were: 9-12-22-36-45 and Lucky Ball 3.

Kum & Go will receive a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

The Winning Streak

Iowa’s Lucky for Life winning streak started in October when a Des Moines man won at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life. Then in November, another Des Moines man won the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life.

With the latest win added in, Iowa has seen a total of 23 winners at Lucky for Life’s top 2 prize levels since the game’s January 2016 debut in our state.

Prize Claim Details

The Lucky for Life prize won in Waukee has to be claimed at lottery headquarters in Clive within 180 days of the drawing.

If the winner has questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they can give us a shout at 515-725-7900 or by email to [email protected].

So Far, We’ve Seen A Lucky Dog & A Brand-New Smile. Will YOU Be A Holiday Winner?

We’ve heard some great stories from the first 10 lucky Iowans who each won a $25,000 prize in our “Cash Prizes are Coming to Town” promotion. You could be the next holiday winner – and the prizes will get even bigger as we move ahead!

We’ve been meeting the initial round of holiday winners one by one since we announced their names on Tuesday.

One of our winners took a “less is more” approach when he entered the promotion. Chad Reusch of Quimby told us he only entered 2 tickets, but that was all he needed to become a winner!

“I just figured I’m going to do it, give it a chance, and it paid off,” he said.

Chad already knows what he’ll do with his $25,000 prize: He wants to buy a rooftop tent for his overland trailer, so he can go on even better camping trips with his “right-hand gal,” Ava.

“I call her my daughter, of course. She’s my service dog, goes everywhere with me,” Reusch said.

Another one of our winners came straight from the dentist’s office to claim his $25,000 prize. Greg Paine of Duncombe had booked an appointment to replace his teeth in Cedar Rapids a while ago. Little did he know when he scheduled that, he’d be making a pit stop at lottery headquarters on the way home.

“It just kind of fell into place,” he said.

It also worked out that his first chance to show off that new smile was the moment he held a giant check with his name on it. Paine said he plans to have plenty of fun with his winnings – after he takes care of some business.

“Well first I’m going to pay the dental bill!” he said.

There is still time for you to enter to win your share of more than $1 million in prizes in our holiday promotion. Here are some key details for you to know:

• Keep entering your nonwinning tickets! Our final drawings in the promotion will take place on Jan. 9. That day, we’ll award 10 more people prizes of $25,000.
• Every ticket entered in this promotion also is eligible to win the grand prize of $250,000 that will be awarded that same day. So if you didn’t win in either $25,000 drawing, you just might get an even bigger prize!
• And for those who entered ELF InstaPlay or scratch tickets but didn’t win in either $25,000 drawing, your tickets will be rolled into a drawing exclusively for ELF tickets for a $100,000 prize!
• The entry deadline for all of these drawings is 9:59 a.m. on Jan. 8. We’ll draw the lucky names the next day, and maybe we’ll be getting in touch with YOU!

Our Latest Promotion Could Have You ‘Dublin Your Luck’

There was so much anticipation for the Ireland trip package we just gave away in the Cyclone™ Football promotion that we’ve decided to do it again!

The Dublin Your Luck promotion opened for entries this morning, with another chance on the line for you to win a trip to see Iowa State’s 2025 season opener in Ireland.

The travel package for two includes airfare, lodging, game tickets to the Iowa St.-Kansas St. football game on Aug. 23 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, $5,000 spending money and a merchandise pack.

How To Enter

To enter the Dublin Your Luck promotion, you’ll need to join or already be a member of the Iowa Lottery’s free VIP Club. The promotion’s entry period opened this morning and runs through the morning of Feb. 10.

You can enter with nonwinning tickets in the “Cyclone™” scratch game. But please note: Any tickets previously entered in the Cyclone Football promotion that ended in late November are ineligible for this new promotion.

Entries can be made on the lottery’s website at ialottery.com or with the lottery’s mobile app.

The lottery will hold the drawing to select the Dublin Your Luck trip winner on Feb. 11.

Maybe you’ll be like Tammy Newcomb of Davenport, the Ireland trip winner selected Nov. 21 in the Cyclone Football promotion, and be on your way to Dublin next year!

A Thought To Keep: Please Reserve Lottery Tickets For the Adults On Your Gift List

Here’s a reminder for the holiday season, but it really applies at any time of the year.

At the Iowa Lottery, we know that in the next month or so, lottery tickets will be given as gifts and put in stockings. And we’re not trying to tamp down on your holiday spirit!

But please remember that our tickets are something to be purchased by adults, for adults.

That’s true for a lot of gift possibilities. Some video games and movies aren’t appropriate for all ages. Alcohol and tobacco-related products have age restrictions. Even toys have age-recommendation guidelines.

In Iowa, you have to be at least 21 years old to buy lottery tickets, and we’ve always considered our products something for adults. You are gambling when you play the lottery.

We want our products to go to those who are mature enough to enjoy that entertainment. Research from the National Library of Medicine notes that adolescents and young adults are more vulnerable to the risks of gambling because their brains are still developing.

So if you’re giving lottery tickets as gifts, please keep them for the adults on your list.

And as always, if you or someone you know has questions about problem gambling, please know that help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week here in Iowa. You can text and live chat by visiting Your Life Iowa or call 1-800-BETSOFF (1-800-238-7633).