ialottery blog

GIANT Jackpots: Mega Millions Keeps Climbing, Powerball Drawing Is Tonight

The Mega Millions® jackpot continues to climb while the Powerball® grand prize faces its latest test in that game’s drawing tonight.

No one won the jackpot in last night’s Mega Millions drawing, which pushes the grand prize to an estimated $640 million annuity, $328 million lump-sum option for the game’s next drawing on Tuesday. That’s the 7th-largest jackpot in the history of that game.

The Powerball jackpot now stands at an estimated $875 million annuity, $441.9 million lump-sum option for the game’s drawing tonight. That’s the 3rd-largest jackpot in Powerball history.

This is the 3rd time that the jackpots in Powerball and Mega Millions have simultaneously topped $500 million.

The world record for a lottery prize is the Powerball jackpot of $2.04 billion won in November in California.

The Latest Winning Numbers In Both Games

The winning numbers in last night’s Mega Millions drawing were: 10-24-48-51-66 and Mega Ball 15. The Megaplier® number was 2.

The winning numbers in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing were: 23-35-45-66-67 and Powerball 20. The Power Play® number was 3.

Lots Of First-Time & Occasional Players Jumping In Now

When the jackpots really get up there like they are now, lots of first-time and occasional players jump in to buy tickets. Office pools and people buying tickets with friends and family also see a spike.

The Iowa Lottery got questions this week from some folks who said they wanted to play but weren’t sure how, and didn’t want to look silly when trying to buy a ticket.

Here’s the answer: The simplest way to buy a ticket is to ask a clerk at a store for an easy-pick play in Powerball or Mega Millions. The lottery terminal will select the numbers for that play and print out the ticket. Generally, at least 90 percent of the tickets purchased in the games are easy-pick plays.

To give everyone a quick brush-up on how to play the games, the Iowa Lottery keeps how-to-play videos available on its website. It also has reminders to help keep lottery group play fun and hassle free.

Protect Yourself From Scammers Who Notice Big Jackpots, Too

Scam attempts have been at all-time highs in recent years, and while the criminals behind them run cons of all types, they’ll turn their attention to lottery games when jackpots are high.

Scammers have fraudulently used the names and logos of lotteries and well-known lottery games, and the names of lottery winners and lottery officials in an attempt to steal people’s money.

The scams can involve persistent telephone calls and official-looking emails, text messages, social media postings and letters. They promise big prizes and try to lure you into thinking you’ve won. But it’s a scam.

A common thread is that the unsuspecting “winner” is asked to pay money up front for things such as taxes, processing fees or delivery charges.

The scammers can sound quite convincing but it’s important to know this simple truth: There is never a fee to claim a real lottery prize. If you are asked to pay money, it’s a scam.

When you win a prize in a game like Powerball or Mega Millions, you notify the lottery that you’re the winner, not the other way around. The Iowa Lottery has records about the winning ticket and where it was purchased, but the lottery doesn’t know the winner’s identity until that person presents the ticket for payment.

The Iowa Lottery keeps security reminders as a permanent feature on its website to help consumers stay safe.

The Deadline To Buy

Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings 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.

And, please remember to play responsibly. You only need one ticket to have a chance to win.

Player Mail: Walk Me Through Buying The ‘Play ‘Em All’ Option

An eastern Iowa man’s email is behind this blog entry, and I’ll do my best to walk you through how to find the ‘Play ‘Em All’ feature on the lottery terminal, in case you ever run into trouble when you try to buy it.

 

The man emailed to let us know that he was having trouble buying the ‘Play ‘Em All’ option, which is available in the Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America games. The man said that employees in some of the stores in his area didn’t seem to know about the option or how a customer could buy it.

 

In case you’re ever in that same situation, I want you to have the inside scoop about how to find the screen for that option on the lottery terminal. We’ll keep working with our retailers to provide the latest details we can about the lottery, but sometimes the best plan is to have the information yourself.

 

If you’re not familiar with the Play ‘Em All option, it allows you to buy plays for all of the numbers for the Powerball, Mega Ball and Star Ball in the three different games involved. For example, if you buy the Play ‘Em All option in Mega Millions, you’ll get 25 plays with all of the Mega Ball numbers available (1-25). In Powerball, the Play ‘Em All option will give you 26 plays to cover all of the numbers in the Powerball pool; and in Lotto America, you’ll get 10 plays, one for each of the 10 Star Ball numbers available.

 

Here in Iowa, the clerk can find the Play 'Em All feature on the lottery terminal by touching the "Special Offers" tab in the top right-hand corner of the terminal's main screen. That tab brings up the Play ‘Em All screen, and you can then choose the game you want to buy.

 

Or, if you’re buying a ticket at a self-service kiosk here in Iowa, after you select a play option in Powerball, Mega Millions or Lotto America, in the upper right of the screen, you'll see a button that says: Play 'Em All. By touching that button, you can play that option.

 

I hope these “insider” tips can help you walk through the process – and make it easy!

Player Mail: FAQs About Secret Santa Promotion

We’ve gotten several great questions over the last few days from players about our Secret Santa holiday promotion, so we’ve compiled them here in an overall Q-and-A list so you’ll have the details, too.

My phone/tablet won’t scan my ticket – how do I enter this ticket?

Here’s several tips for scanning your ticket on our app: 

• Make sure all of the security coating is removed from the “Scratch 2 Cash” box on the front of your ticket;
• Use the “light” feature within the app to illuminate the area while scanning;
• Move the ticket around so that your phone’s camera can detect the square barcode;
• Hold the ticket farther away from your phone’s camera so it can focus better on the barcode.

If your eligible ticket won’t scan – for whatever reason – you can enter it manually on the app. Just type the ticket’s numbers in the boxes using your phone’s keyboard.

Can I enter tickets in both the Secret Santa cash drawing and the Not So Secret Santa cash drawing?

Yes, of course! You can only enter each ticket once into either, the Secret Santa drawing or the Not So Secret Santa drawing. However, if you are entering multiple tickets you can mix it up and enter some of your tickets into the Secret Santa drawing and some of them into the Not So Secret Santa drawing. Remember, the Not So Secret Santa cash prize amount is always listed, while the Secret Santa cash prize amount is not. The Secret Santa cash prize may be greater than, less than or the same as the Not So Secret Santa prize – you’ll find out when we draw the winners for that drawing period. 

How do I reset my VIP Club account password on the app?
Unfortunately, you aren’t able to reset your VIP Club account password on the app at this time. This is something we’re working on for future Play It Again® promotions, but for now, you’ll have to reset your password via our website on your laptop or desktop computer or your tablet.

Can I register for a VIP Club account on the app?
Unfortunately, no. You’ll need to register for a VIP Club account on a laptop or desktop computer. Then once you’re fully registered, you’ll be able to login to your VIP Club account on the app.

Do you have a question that wasn’t answered here? Check the frequently asked questions page on our website, or email us at: [email protected].

Mega Millions Changing, New Lotto Game Debuts In November

Over the last several months, we’ve updated our line-up of lotto games and today we have two more announcements: In late October, $2 Mega Millions^® will debut, and a new $1 game with a retro name will begin in November. Like its predecessor from the late 1980s, that $1 game will be called Lotto America.

Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said that the updates are designed to give people new options for playing, and are built upon the successful business model the lottery has utilized in its other product lines.

“We’ve seen over time that our players want choices -- different games at different price points with different features,” Rich said. “With a revamp for Mega Millions and a revival for Lotto America, we’re coming through with new options.”

Sales in $2 Mega Millions will begin Oct. 28 and the first drawing in the revamped game will be Tuesday, Oct. 31. The game’s jackpots will start at $40 million rather than today’s $15 million, and the top prize will grow by at least $5 million between drawings when it is not won. Players in $2 Mega Millions will choose five numbers from a pool of 70 and another number, called the Mega Ball, from a pool of 25.

That compares to today’s 1/75 + 1/15 game design. The odds of winning the jackpot will be longer in the new design, but the odds will improve for winning a $1 million prize for matching just the first five numbers.

“The new game design will mean bigger starting jackpots and faster-growing jackpots overall,” Rich said. “More $1 million prizes also will spread the winnings around in the game.”

Powerball became a $2 game back in 2012, and that change also was designed to deliver the big jackpots that people expect while achieving more significant winnings at the game’s other prize levels. Since that revamp, Powerball has seen a world-record jackpot of nearly $1.6 billion in January 2016 and a grand prize of nearly $759 million in August, the second-highest prize in the 25-year history of the game. Iowa Lottery players have won 26 prizes of at least $1 million since the debut of $2 Powerball.

“Players have told us they’d like to see new features in Mega Millions, and we needed a redesign to make that possible,” Rich said.

This is the first price adjustment in Mega Millions since the game began in 2002. Mega Millions will continue to have its drawings on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Because the Mega Millions game is changing effective Oct. 28, the lottery is required to limit the number of multi-draw tickets that are sold beginning Sept. 26. A countdown to the last drawing before the game changes started on this day, and the number of multi-draw tickets available will be reduced with each drawing until the game’s final drawing in the current format on Oct. 27.

A few weeks after the Mega Millions changes take effect, a new $1 lotto game will debut in Iowa and at least 14 other states: Lotto America. The name is a throwback to the first multi-state lotto game that became known for big jackpots in the United States. Iowa was a founding member of the original version of Lotto America, which began back in 1988 and made headlines around the world at the time for its jackpots before ultimately being replaced by Powerball in 1992.

Today’s version of Lotto America will feature jackpots that start at $2 million and drawings twice per week. The new game begins sales Nov. 12 and its first drawing will be Nov. 15. It will have drawings on Wednesday and Saturday nights and feature nine prize levels.

“As we were researching new game possibilities there was one name that kept coming up, so we decided to go vintage,” Rich said. “After 25 years, Lotto America is making a comeback, with new features for today’s players.”

Lotto America players will still find the playstyle of Powerball, with numbers selected from two separate pools for a chance at a big prize. Players in the game will choose five numbers from a pool of 52 and another number, called the “Lotto America Star Ball^SM” from a pool of 10. Players who match all six numbers selected in a drawing will win the game’s jackpot.

The game’s jackpot will grow by at least $50,000 per drawing until it is won. The game also will have a multiplier feature. The odds of winning the jackpot in Lotto America will be around 1 in 26 million, compared to odds of about 1 in 292.2 million of winning the Powerball jackpot and odds of about 1 in 302.6 million of winning the Mega Millions jackpot under that game’s new design.

Player Mail: Why Didn't My Frogger Scratch Ticket Win?

We’ve fielded several calls and emails recently from players asking why they didn’t win a prize for uncovering three similar prize amounts on their Frogger scratch ticket, so we thought that we’d share the answer here on the Blog.

Here’s the scenario we’re hearing about: I uncovered two Frog head symbols with a $25 prize attached and a standalone $25 prize amount, why didn’t I win $25?

As both the legend at the bottom of the playing area of the ticket, as well as the detailed rules on the back of the ticket state, you must uncover three identical symbols or prize amounts across all three Frog paths to win that prize.

To put it simply, if the three squares you are questioning do not match exactly, then unfortunately you didn’t win that prize.

In our Frogger game, the Frog head and coin are considered winning symbols and the standalone $ amounts are considered prize amounts.

You can learn more about how to play our Frogger scratch game by watching this short video.

And remember, you can double-check your Frogger tickets by scanning them using our new mobile app.

Have more questions about this or any of our other games? Let us know by commenting below or sending an email to: [email protected].

Player Suggestions For Future Versions Of The 'Game Book'

Our latest version of the “Game Book” remains popular after a year on the market, and two recent suggestions from players about it were really insightful in terms of helping us design future games.

With six pages of games within each ticket, our “Little Black Game Book” offers many ways to win. And in the last few weeks, players have offered suggestions about two of the games that it contains. They referenced “Prize Line Bingo” on page 2 and “In$tant Winner” on page 4.

One player said she knew right away that she didn’t win a prize on the Prize Line Bingo game within the Game Book because she didn’t get a number under each of the Bingo letters in the “Caller’s Card” section. (Those familiar with this game know that they need to complete a B-I-N-G-O line to win a prize.)

After receiving that feedback, we reviewed the specifics of that section with our game-development team here at the lottery. Because numbers are randomly assigned within the Caller’s Card area. there’s no guarantee that you’ll receive at least one of each of the Bingo letters. But we know that one of the reasons players choose our Game Book scratch tickets is for the extended play that they offer. So, the folks on our development team said they’ll make adjustments so that in the future, Bingo games within a Game Book will have at least one of each of the Bingo letters in the Caller’s Card section.

Bingo is just one of the games available within the pages of any Game Book ticket, so there are multiple chances to win every time, but we want to do our best to produce a fun playing experience on each page!

Another player offered a suggestion about the In$tant Winner game within the current Game Book. In that game, one of the ways you can win is if you reveal a prize amount in one of the “Instant Bonus” circles. The nonwinning play symbols in that area include a “dollar,” “piggybank,” coin, etc.

A woman emailed us last week and said she found the dollar-bill symbol in that area confusing. She said she thought she should have won $1 after uncovering that symbol.

We’re reviewing that section and may use different symbols in the future in games with a similar play style. But we’ll make any such adjustments carefully, as there may be as many interpretations about the meaning of symbols as there are people in the world.

Have additional comments or suggestions about our Little Black Game Book? Let us know in the comments section below, or email us at [email protected]. We always appreciate your feedback!

Player Mail: What Are The Aces & Face Cards Worth In 'Queen & King of Cash'?

Our new “Queen & King Of Cash” scratch game has been popular since its release last month, and we’ve gotten a couple questions from players about the value that the game gives to face cards and aces.

The $5 scratch game, with its eye-catching graphics and bold colors, really captures concept of a wealthy monarchy. And its poker theme in the play area gives you multiple chances to win on each ticket and “become” the king or queen of cash!

But with pre-printed lottery tickets, the value of aces and face cards can’t change like they do in an actual game of poker. So, aces in the scratch game are worth 11 points each, while kings, queens and jacks are worth 10 points each.

There’s a code printed in the upper right of each ticket in the game that explains the values for those cards. (We’ve circled it in the picture.) The code is outside the area covered by the ticket’s security coating, so the explanation is always visible, before or after you’ve scratched the ticket.

Player Mail: Are Those The Only Prizes In The 'Loaded' Scratch Game?

We’re getting the same question from different players about a new scratch game that just hit the market here in Iowa: Are those the only prizes in it?

The “Loaded” game began sales Jan. 4 here, and as its name indicates, it’s loaded with thousands of prizes. But there are only two kinds: $50 and $100. That makes Loaded different from most of our other scratch games. Normally there are several prize levels in those games, but in Loaded there are just two.

It’s the second time we’ve offered a game with that concept. The first was a scratch game called “Limited” that hit the market a year ago, back in January 2016. It sold well, so now we’ve got a new version.

It’s easy to tell if you’ve won in the Loaded game: Reveal a $50 symbol and you’ll win that amount. Reveal a $100 symbol and that will be your prize. You can only win one time per ticket. So if you find a $50 symbol, there won’t be a second winning symbol on the same ticket.

However, Loaded doesn’t offer big top prize of $10,000 or more like some of our other games do. We’ve heard from players who love Loaded and others who … aren’t as enthusiastic about it. But that’s why we have lots of different games for sale at any one time so you have choices and different options available.

Whichever side you’re on, thanks for trying our new game and sharing your feedback with us.

Player Mail: Not For Another 10,000 Drawings!

I’m writing this time around about the odds of winning in our Pick 3 and Pick 4 games after covering that topic in an exchange with a player from Winterset. The issue of odds can be a confusing area, but let’s see if we can find our way through it.

It appears the player thought that if the odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 10,000, as they are in Pick 4, then a particular combination of winning numbers can only be selected every 10,000 drawings. But that’s not the case.

The odds of winning in our lotto games are based upon all the different ways you can combine the available numbers to make a play. In Pick 4, the odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 10,000 because there are 10,000 ways you can combine the numbers 0-9 to make a four-digit straight play. And in Pick 3, the odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 1,000 because there are 1,000 ways you can combine the numbers 0-9 to make a three-digit straight play.

To dig into it even deeper, each Pick 4 drawing is actually comprised of four separate drawings – one for each of the winning numbers chosen. The numbers 0-9 are available each time, making the odds of matching each of the four numbers 1 in 10. The math looks like this: 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 10,000.

Each lottery drawing is a unique, random event, and the outcome of one drawing has no impact on the next. A particular set of numbers can be selected in back-to-back drawings. Or, it could be a long time before that set is selected again. That’s precisely how random drawings are supposed to work.        

But what about sets of numbers that look similar? Let’s take these two combinations as an example: 2-6-7-5 and 6-2-5-7. Remember that in a game like Pick 4, each of the numbers is selected in a separate drawing with a pool of 0-9 available. So in the example, there wasn’t a duplicate in any of the four spots, let alone the combination as a whole. But there could have been, and that would be OK.

Has that made it more clear, or did all this math just give you a headache?!

A New Way To Win!

Our players have shared with us that they’ve played similar scratch games in other states like the one shown here, and asked if we could offer something like it in Iowa. We heard you and are proud to bring you “Limited”.

The name pretty much says it all, kind of. We’ve had a couple players ask us, “What exactly does ‘Limited’ mean?” Normally our scratch games have many prizes levels. For example our $10 Joker’s Wild scratch game has top prizes of $100,000 and smaller prizes ranging from $10 up to $4,000. But in our new Limited scratch game there are only prizes of $50 and $100 available. That’s it. As the ticket says it’s ‘loaded exclusively with thousands of $50 and $100 prizes.’

It’s a fairly simple game to play. Just scratch the play area and if you uncover a “$50” symbol, you win 50 bucks! Or, if you reveal a “$100” symbol, you win $100. It’s as simple as it sounds. It’s good to know that you can only win up to one time per ticket. So if you find a $50 symbol, there won’t be a second $50 symbol or a $100 symbol on the same ticket.

We’re curious what you think of this new game play and would love to hear your feedback.

New Lotto Game Starts Sunday In Iowa: Lucky for Life!

A new lotto game debuts this weekend here in Iowa, and it comes with a twist on big lotto prizes.

Iowa sales in the Lucky for Life^® game begin Sunday. It offers 10 ways to win, including a top prize of $1,000 a day for life, and a second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Iowa will be the 18th state to offer the Lucky for Life game, which got its start in Connecticut in 2009 before becoming a New England-wide game three years later and adding even more lotteries in the past year.

We’ve been looking for some time at game ideas that would complement Powerball® and our other lotto games and bring a different look and feel to that product category. We think Lucky for Life will be a great fit in our line-up of games.

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings twice a week, at 9:38 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Players choose five numbers from a pool of 48 for the white balls and 1 out of 18 numbers for the Lucky Ball. You can win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life by matching all six winning numbers selected in one of it 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 $4 up to $5,000.

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 prizes is 20 years, and there is a lump-sum option for players who want that rather than lifetime annuity payments.

The odds of winning Lucky for Life’s top prize are about 1 in 30.8 million. That compares to odds of about 1 in 292.2 million of winning the Powerball jackpot; and odds of about 1 in 259 million of winning the Mega Millions® jackpot.

How Do You Play That New Scratch Game?

We’ve heard from a few folks about the play style of our new “Bedazzled” scratch game, so it’s time to review how to play it here on the blog! 

Each of our scratch games has its own unique features, and we vary the play styles in our games to keep things fresh. After all, different games appeal to different people. 

The play style in our $5 Bedazzled scratch game uses coordinates. If you’re familiar with the board game “Battleship,” the concept of Bedazzled is similar. Just like you use grid coordinates to try to sink your opponent’s ships in Battleship, you use grid coordinates to find gems in our Bedazzled scratch game.

Each ticket in the game has 12 grid coordinates in the box labeled “Your Coordinates.” Once you scratch off those 12 spots, you then scratch off the corresponding grid coordinates on your “Bedazzled Grid” to uncover gems. After you’ve revealed the 12 coordinates on your grid, count up your gems and refer to the prize legend to see if you’ve won a prize.

Remember, you don’t want to scratch off the entire Bedazzled grid, just the squares that match those listed in the “Your Coordinates” box. There may be multiple gems on your grid, but only the grid squares that match “Your Coordinates” are eligible for prizes.

POWERBALL JACKPOT IS NOW AN EST. HALF-BILLION DOLLARS

 

Player interest driving strong sales in Iowa and across the county have now pushed the massive Powerball jackpot to an estimated $500 MILLION for tonight’s drawing ($337.8 million cash option).

With that eye-popping jackpot, you might be getting in on the fun for the very first time and wonder, “How do I play that game?” We’re pretty sure you’re not the only one to ask that question. So we came up with a “How to Play Powerball” video that explains how you go about purchasing a Powerball ticket and how to play the game. Check out our short video if you’re new to the game or need a refresher.

And remember, it only takes one $2 ticket to win.

True or False: Can Lottery Employees Play the Lottery?

I gave a lottery speech yesterday to a really fun group at Marshalltown Community College and got a great question from an audience member that I thought I’d share here: The man wanted to know if Iowa Lottery employees can buy tickets here in our state.

As you might expect, the answer is no. As an Iowa Lottery employee, it’s against the law for me to buy tickets in Iowa or claim a prize here. And that’s as it should be – I know a lot about the lottery and its games, so it makes sense that I shouldn’t be playing. I always tell people that I have to live vicariously through them on this one!

But it’s perfectly fine for me to the play the lottery outside of Iowa because I don’t work for the lotteries in other states. And I definitely experience reverse psychology on this point, because now that I know I can’t play in Iowa, I almost always stop into a store to buy a ticket when I’m out of state. Hey, I want to win, too!

I know what you’re going to ask next: What’s the most I’ve ever won? I think I won $14 once on a scratch ticket! But the mental escape I get when I buy a ticket is a huge part of the fun for me. It’s my chance to daydream about what would happen if I ever won big.

Maybe someday it will happen. But as long as I work here, there’s one thing for sure: It won’t be in Iowa.

I Just Don’t ‘Get’ The Power Play …

I got a really good question here on the blog yesterday that I’m turning into its own blog entry because other people have likely wondered the same thing.

A blog reader named Florence sent this comment: “I am confused concerning the Power Play on the Powerball game. I always pay extra & get the Power Play, too. Twice now I have had
the Power Play. On Saturday, June 7th, it was 2 and last night it was 5. I took the ticket in to have it checked, and it said ‘ticket not a winner.’ Why pay extra for the Power Play if you receive nothing?’”

Good for Florence for trying something new! If you’ve wondered about the Power Play®, too, here’s the 411 on it: It’s an option in the Powerball® game that costs an extra $1 per play. The Power Play multiplies any prize you win except the jackpot.

For the Power Play to kick in, you first have to win a prize in a Powerball drawing. If you win a prize and you've added the Power Play option to your play, your prize will be multiplied by the Power Play number in that particular drawing.

Here are a couple examples:

Let’s say you’ve added the Power Play to your ticket but you didn't win a prize. In that case, nothing more happens – you didn't win anything, so there’s no prize for the Power Play to multiply.

But let's say that 1.) You win a $100 prize by matching four of the first five numbers selected, 2.) you have the Power Play on your ticket, and 3.) the Power Play number that comes up is 4. Your initial $100 would be multiplied by 4, so you’d ultimately win a $400 prize because you added the Power Play option!

We also cover this topic in our "How To Play" video for the Powerball game, if you’re more of a visual learner. Click here to see that video.

There are similar multiplier options in the Mega Millions® and Hot Lotto® games as well. In Mega Millions, it’s called the Megaplier® and in Hot Lotto, the option is called the Sizzler®.

Good luck with your lottery tickets and we hope to see you claim a big prize soon!

More Player Mail, This Time About All or Nothing…

I think this week’s warmer weather has us all poking our heads up above ground again because we’re getting player mail about all sorts of topics! Several of the questions have been about our new All or Nothing™ lotto game as folks continue to learn about it.

A few people who contacted us said they thought there were only two ways to win in the game – by matching all of the numbers in one of its drawings or none of them. Well, that IS the name of the game and it does signify that you can win its top prize by matching all or nothing. But there are eight other ways to win in it, too, so be sure to check your ticket for those prizes as well!

One woman who reached out to us was afraid she’d thrown away a $20 winning ticket because she didn’t realize that was one of the game’s prize levels. Be sure to check your tickets for any prize you may have won, not just the top prize!

We’ve described the prize structure in All or Nothing as looking like an hourglass with all the different ways you can win, so I’ve included that graphic here. I think it’s a good illustration!

And get this: Since All or Nothing started in late January, Iowa Lottery players have won nearly 203,000 prizes in the game, including 48 prizes of $1,000 for matching 11 numbers and 52 prizes of $1,000 for matching just one number. Kinda cool that it’s so evenly split.

Advance Plays In Mega Millions Reset To 10 Tomorrow!

We’ve gotten a lot of questions this week about the Mega Millions® game -- specifically, why players haven’t been able to buy plays for upcoming drawings in that game like they normally can. It’s something we’ve been talking about since we announced last month that changes are coming to Mega Millions. But we also know that as human beings, we sometimes don’t pay attention to the details until something begins to impact our daily routine, so here’s a quick recap:

Mega Millions is getting an update starting with Tuesday’s drawing. The game’s minimum starting jackpot will increase, the numbers that can be played will change, and lots of other cool stuff. All the details are here.

As we approach the date of the change, the number of drawings for which you can buy Mega Millions plays in advance has been decreasing. We do that so everyone will have valid tickets once the revamp takes effect. Without the countdown on advance plays, you could end up with an invalid ticket with numbers on it that are no longer available. And we know that no one wants that!

Right now, you can’t buy any plays in advance in Mega Millions. But tomorrow morning, that will reset to the usual maximum of 10 plays in advance. Just a few hours left and then everything will be back to normal!

Mega Millions Update Coming Next Month

Here’s a head’s up that changes are coming in the Mega Millions® game next month. And like the updates that were made in Powerball® last year, they’ll mean a higher starting jackpot, faster growing jackpots and a $1 million second prize. But the price of a Mega Millions ticket will remain unchanged at $1, and while there will be better overall odds of winning any prize, the odds in all nine of the game’s prize levels will change, with some growing longer and others decreasing.

We think the changes will turn up the excitement level while continuing to differentiate Powerball and Mega Millions as separate premier big-jackpot games, each with its own features.

Starting with the Mega Millions drawing on Oct. 22, the game’s minimum starting jackpot will increase from $12 million to $15 million, and the jackpot will grow by at least $5 million between drawings when no one wins the big prize.

The numbers available to play in Mega Millions will change with the new version of the game. Players will choose five balls from a pool of 75 (currently 56) and another number, called the Mega Ball®, from a separate pool of 15 (currently 46). The result will be overall odds of about 1 in 15 to win any prize (currently about 1:40). 

Under the new matrix, the odds of winning the jackpot move to 1 in 258.9 million (currently 1:175.7 million).

Here are some of the other enhancements that players will see:
•    The Megaplier, a multiplier option that players can purchase for an additional $1 per play to increase their non-jackpot prizes, will be expanded to include a factor of five (currently four). That means a Mega Millions ticket will be able to win up to $5 million even without matching all six numbers.
•    The Mega Millions prize structure also will change. For example, the game’s second prize will increase from $250,000 to $1 million for matching the first five numbers.

Here is what the Mega Millions prize structure will look like effective next month:

Mega Millions Prize Structure effective October 2013
Match	Base Prize	Odds: 1 in
5 + Mega Ball	JACKPOT	258,890,850
5 (no Mega Ball)	$1 million	18,492,204
4 + Mega Ball	$5,000	738,688
4 (no Mega Ball)	$500	52,835
3 + Mega Ball	$50	10,720
3 (no Mega Ball)	$5	766
2 + Mega Ball	$5	473
1 + Mega Ball	$2	56
0 + Mega Ball	$1	21
overall odds of winning a prize: 1 in 14.7

Beginning tomorrow, the number of Mega Millions drawings for which you can purchase plays in advance will gradually decrease until the start of the revamped game. Then they’ll go back to the usual 10 drawings in advance once the redesign takes effect. 

Mega Millions tickets have been sold in Iowa since 2010; Powerball since 1992. The last time the Mega Millions matrix changed was in June 2005.

In addition to Mega Millions and Powerball, the Iowa Lottery sells four other numbers games: Hot Lotto®, Pick 3, Pick 4 and Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game.

Learn How to Play Hot Lotto

You may have heard about our Hot Lotto game and wondered, “How do I play that game?” We’re pretty sure you’re not the only one to ask that question. So we came up with a “How to Play Hot Lotto” video that explains how you go about purchasing a Hot Lotto ticket. Check out our short video on how to play and see if you feel like you’ve got a pretty good understanding of how to play the game by the time the video is over.

And not to worry, plans are already in the works for other “How to Play” videos for our other games, too!