ialottery blog

We Really Mean It: If Playing The Lottery Makes You Unhappy, Take A Break Or Stop

You’ve heard us say this before, but it bears repeating: If playing the lottery is making you unhappy or causing you stress, please take a break or stop completely.

We’ve heard from a few folks recently who are really unhappy with their lottery play and have definitely let us know that. Their inquiries were a reminder for me to revisit the issue here on the blog.      

We want you to know your limits, both monetarily and emotionally. Buying lottery tickets should never be a way to fulfill a financial need. Winning AND not winning are both part of playing the lottery. It’s not a source of income or an investment.

Lottery tickets are something you should buy just for fun from your discretionary spending. That's the money you have left to spend, invest or save after you've paid for necessities like food, clothing, and housing. From your disposable income, you can choose to buy things like movies, books, exercise gear – or lottery tickets.

The definition of "playing within your means" varies from person to person along with their income and circumstances. If you decide to play the lottery, determine in advance how much you want to spend and then follow that plan. When you do that, you're more likely to stay within your set limit and not overspend.

We keep a lot of tips and reminders under the “Play Smart, Be Informed” player’s guide on our website. Check out the details there to see how you’re doing in knowing lottery facts.

Software Error Led To Incorrect Results For Handful Of Lottery Tickets At 2 Stores

An isolated software error recently caused lottery terminals at two Iowa stores to misread a small number of tickets that won a total of $51 in prizes, and we at the Iowa Lottery ask any customers with questions to contact us.

The issue was quickly resolved. The hard drives in the lottery terminals were replaced and a software update was made to prevent the error from re-occurring.

A review of the Iowa Lottery’s statewide gaming system confirmed that the error occurred during two days in late May at just two stores: Hy-Vee, 1630 E. Seventh St. in Atlantic; and Casey’s, 26701 Scott Park Road in Eldridge.

Retail staff at one of the locations contacted the Iowa Lottery on May 25 to report that they were having difficulty cashing tickets in lotto games: Powerball®, Mega Millions®, Lotto America®, Lucky for Life®, Pick 3 and Pick 4. A review that same day pinpointed the software error and confirmed that it was limited to the lottery terminals in the two locations. The error, which began occurring on May 23, caused the lottery terminals at the stores to read all lotto tickets scanned as nonwinners even if they had won a prize. 

From May 23 to May 25, a total of 47 lotto tickets were scanned on the lottery terminals at the two stores. Of those, 15 had won a total of $51 in prizes, with individual winnings per ticket ranging from $2 up to $6. The lottery terminals indicated at the time that all 47 tickets were nonwinners.

Some of the customers involved later checked their winning tickets at other locations and were able to claim their prizes there. Of the 15 winning tickets that were misread at the two stores, 11 remain unclaimed for a total of $35 in prizes, the largest of which is $4.

Players who still have any of the 11 tickets can cash them at a lottery retail location. Any players with questions are welcome to contact Iowa Lottery Security at 515-725-7900 or Wmaster@ialottery.com.

Can Lottery Prize Winners Remain Anonymous In Iowa?

I definitely think that Iowans like to plan ahead based upon the number of questions we receive about the process involved when you win a big prize. Or maybe we’re just a bunch of eternal optimists?

A common thread in that conversation is whether lottery prize winners in Iowa can remain anonymous. The short answer is no. But here are the details:

Under Iowa law, lottery winner’s information is public. It’s possible for individuals, groups of winners or a trust to claim a lottery prize in our state, and all those scenarios have happened through the years. In the case of groups or trusts, the members’ names are released in addition to the name of the larger entity involved.

A recent example is a group of friends from western Iowa who called themselves The Misfits and split a $100,000 prize earlier this month. Their ceremonial check was written out to The Misfits, but the three members of the group also were identified.

The Iowa Lottery will redact sensitive information such as your Social Security number before we release the details, but all other information from the winner claim form is considered public information in our state.

How Many Big Lottery Prizes Have Been Won In Iowa?

Here’s a question that comes our way and appears to have origins in the urban myth that “no one from here ever wins”: How many big lottery prizes have been won in Iowa?

The first hurdle that likely needs to be cleared is how you define the term “big lottery prize.” For simplicity’s sake, I started out with the threshold of $5 million, and then looked at our winners’ lists to determine how many of those prizes have been won through the years here in Iowa. The answer? Iowa Lottery players have won 25 prizes of at least $5 million.

If that level isn’t considered big enough by someone’s definition, we can jump up to the $10 million level. The answer there: Iowa Lottery players have won 13 prizes of at least that amount.

If you keep going up, lottery players in this state have won five prizes of at least $100 million. And the very largest lottery prize claimed to date in Iowa is a $343.9 million Powerball® jackpot that was won in late 2018.

I know some folks won’t ever truly be satisfied with our “big winner” definitions until their name is on the list, but the specifics I’ve shared here show that Iowans have taken home a lot of significant prizes through the years.

Under state law, the Iowa Lottery winners’ lists are public, so we keep a millionaire’s list on our website that shows all the prizes of at least $1 million won in Iowa as well as a list of all winners of $600 or more within the past 12 months.

Awareness + Action = Help Is Available In Iowa For Problem Gambling

During the next few weeks, you’ll see this video and other reminders across the state for National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. At the Iowa Lottery, we put these messages out there in the hope that we’ll get the right information at the right time to someone who needs help.

Whether you’re in line to buy a lottery ticket, watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the web or using a streaming service, you’ll likely soon see one of the public service announcements we produced along with the Iowa Department of Public Health. Remember that problem gamblers can come from any background – young or old, male or female, rich or poor. The one constant is that problem gambling is treatable.

The hashtag you’ll see during the next month is #AwarenessPlusAction, emphasizing the way we all can pull together to make a difference.

If you ever have questions about problem gambling, know that help is available 24/7 in Iowa by calling 1-800-BETS OFF or visiting yourlifeiowa.org, the website of the Your Life Iowa program. You can reach someone there through text, secure chat, video, email, telephone or in person.

Scam Reminder: Stay Vigilant, Protect Yourself!

We saw a warning on social media this week about scams, and decided it’s time for another reminder from us, too. (Shout out to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for its Facebook post!)

The sheriff’s office started its post this way: “Scams, scams, scams. Every day, we hear of new scams.”

And unfortunately, it’s the same thing here at the Iowa Lottery. As annoying as it is to even write this, scam operations are a common part of our world today. And some of them drag lotteries’ names and products into the mix.

We’ve seen scam attempts that claim to be from the Iowa Lottery and some of us who work here or allegedly are from the organizers of our biggest games, like Powerball® and Mega Millions®.

We’ve warned about lottery-related scams for years, noting that they come in any different forms: letters, telephone calls, emails, text messages, and social media messages. We’ve heard lately from Iowans who say they’re getting phone calls from someone with a definite Caribbean accent. The scammer wants those contacted to pay a “processing fee” up front to receive their promised winnings.

It’s a scam. And anyone who sends money to the scammers will never see those funds again, nor will they ever receive the promised winnings.

We know it can be tempting to go along with it. Who doesn’t want to dream that they’ve won a big prize? But please keep these details in mind if you’re ever contacted about winning the lottery: 

• If someone says that you've won a big prize, stop and ask yourself this question: Did I buy a ticket or enter that contest? If you didn't, it's likely a scam.
• Never pay processing fees, insurance or commissions to claim a lottery prize. Legitimate lotteries do not require winners to pay anything up front to receive a prize.
• Never believe a letter, phone call or Internet message from someone who claims they can guarantee you a prize. Legitimate lotteries do not guarantee that you will win and do not require you to join a prize pool to play.
• And remember that in here in our state, the Iowa Lottery is the only lottery authorized under state law. 

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office advises you to report suspected scam calls to the FCC Consumer Complaint Center. The AG also says to consider using call-blocking apps and other services to reduce the number of robocalls you receive.

The best thing any of us can do is to be vigilant and continue to protect ourselves.

2 Sets Of Winning Numbers In Pick 3 Evening Drawing on Saturday (Jan. 30)

UPDATE on Tuesday, Feb. 2: Further details regarding the prize-claim process for the secondary Pick 3 evening drawing on Jan. 30 are now available and noted in red here.

After a technical difficulty with ball-drawing equipment in the Saturday evening Pick 3 drawing, the Iowa Lottery will pay prizes on two sets of winning numbers for that drawing.

The winning numbers originally reported in the Pick 3 evening drawing on Saturday (Jan. 30) will be honored along with those selected in a secondary drawing.

The two sets of official winning numbers for the drawing are: 9-0-2 and 5-7-6.

The results were initially reported as usual for Saturday’s evening Pick 3 drawing. However, subsequent reviews revealed a difficulty with one of the ball-drawing machines.

The winning numbers in Pick 3 drawings are selected using three mechanical ball-drawing machines, each of which contains a set of white lottery balls numbered 0-9. Reviews of Saturday’s evening Pick 3 drawing revealed that as one of the machines was selecting a number, a door on its drum holding drawing balls came open. A drawing ball was still selected by the machine and the exact timing of the difficulty was not initially apparent.

After conducting the review, lottery officials determined that in an abundance of caution, they would hold a secondary drawing, with those results also reported for Saturday’s evening Pick 3 drawing. The secondary drawing was held at 7 p.m. Sunday.

In the initial Pick 3 evening drawing on Saturday, Iowa players won 49 prizes totaling $2,950 in winnings. They won 123 prizes totaling $12,240 in winnings in the secondary drawing.

Here are the prize results for each set of winning numbers.

While prizes in the initial Saturday evening Pick 3 drawing can be claimed through the Iowa Lottery’s usual procedures, any Iowa prizes won in that night’s secondary Pick 3 drawing need to be claimed directly from the lottery and processed at lottery headquarters in Clive. Players should follow the instructions on the “Claiming Prizes” page of the lottery website. The mailing address for the Iowa Lottery is:

Iowa Lottery
13001 University Ave.
Clive, IA 50325-8225.

Players also can visit any of the lottery’s regional offices to present Pick 3 tickets they believe won prizes in the secondary drawing. In some instances, the claim involved may require additional documentation and review, so the prizes may not immediately be paid.

Players who believe they may have discarded a ticket that won a prize in the secondary drawing or who have other questions regarding the status of a Pick 3 ticket should contact the Iowa Lottery directly at 515-725-7900 or Wmaster@ialottery.com.

Pick 3 prizes in Iowa must be claimed within 90 days of the drawing for which they were eligible.

Pick 3 has been offered in Iowa since 1998. It features a top prize of $3,000 and odds of just 1:1,000 of winning it. Another intriguing aspect of the game comes in the variety of ways players can choose to play it. Plays in Pick 3 range from 50 cents up to $5 for the chance to match a three-digit combination of numbers from 000 to 999.

There are several ways to win in Pick 3. Players can choose a straight play, meaning that if the winning numbers are 1-2-3, they win a prize for matching that combination exactly: 1-2-3. Another option is to choose a box play, which allows players to win for matching the winning numbers but not in the exact order drawn (if the winning numbers are 1-2-3, you win for any play with those numbers, such as 3-2-1). Players also can choose a straight/box play, which allows them to win for matching the numbers in the exact order drawn or in any order.

Tax Forms For 2020 Winners Are Being Printed And Mailed Now

If you claimed an Iowa Lottery prize of more than $600 in calendar year 2020, check your mailbox in the next week or so for a form we're sending that you’ll need as you file your income taxes.

The document for most winners is called the W-2G form and it lists the total prize amount as well as any federal and state withholdings from your prize. (Lottery winners who are not U.S. citizens receive a document called Form 1042S.)

If you claimed multiple Iowa Lottery prizes of more than $600 in 2020, you’ll receive multiple forms from us, one for each prize claimed. (And congratulations on your wins, by the way!)

We’re required to mail all W-2G forms by Jan. 31, and they are being printed and mailed this week. In the image I included with this blog entry, you can see the form itself, so be on the lookout for it if you're expecting one from us!

If you think you should have received a tax form from us for calendar year 2020 and you've moved since you claimed your prize, please let us know your new address as soon as possible, or your form may end up at your old address. You can call the Iowa Lottery at 515-725-7900 or email us at wmaster@ialottery.com.

Be sure to include your name, old address, new address, and telephone number in case we need to contact you.

Mega Millions & Powerball Jackpots Combined Are Pushing $1 Billion

The jackpots in Mega Millions® and Powerball® continue their way up and are both now in the Top 10 for each game. The two giant jackpots combined are pushing $1 billion, with the Mega Millions prize amount raised earlier today.

The estimated Mega Millions jackpot for that game’s next drawing tomorrow night now stands at an estimated $520 million annuity, $383.4 million lump-sum option. That’s the 8^th-largest jackpot in the history of the game.

Powerball is nearly as big. Its next drawing is Saturday night, and the jackpot currently stands at an estimated $470 million annuity, $362.7 million lump-sum option. That makes it the 10^th largest jackpot in the history of the game.

Both jackpots have been growing for nearly an identical length of time. Powerball was last won in its drawing on Sept. 15, while Mega Millions was last won on Sept. 16. And now that the prizes are really getting up there, sales are picking up across the country.

This is only the third time that the two jackpots have topped $450 million at the same time.

But like so much else these days, the jackpots have been impacted by the COVID-19 emergency. The jackpots are primarily sales driven, and for months now, folks in wide swaths of the country haven’t been able to run errands or buy everyday items (including lotto tickets) like they normally might in a non-pandemic time. That’s kept the jackpots in both games tamped down. And when the jackpots are lower, sales overall in the games are lower. It can become a bit of a repeating cycle.

So, it’s interesting that both jackpots are on a roll right now, and they’re really close in amount. Hopefully this can be something lighthearted to help give everyone a break to just daydream for awhile. And as we’ve said so many times through the years, remember to play responsibly. It only takes one ticket for a chance to win.

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

For Only The Third Time: Jackpots Simultaneously Top $400 Million

UPDATE on Wednesday, Jan. 6: With no jackpot winner in Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing, that giant prize has risen further. Powerball's drawing is tonight! The new details are included here.

Something pretty rare is happening right now in Powerball® and Mega Millions®. For just the third time ever, the games' jackpots have simultaneously topped $400 million.

The Mega Millions jackpot now stands at an estimated $490 million annuity, $372.3 million lump-sum option for its drawing on Friday. The game’s jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin, and it hasn’t been this big for six months. It had reached $410 million in the drawing on June 9 when it was won with a ticket in Arizona.

The next Powerball drawing happens at 9:59 p.m. Wednesday. The Powerball jackpot currently stands at an estimated $410 million annuity, $316.4 million lump-sum option. The game’s top prize was last won on Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York. And it hasn’t been this big for nearly a year. The jackpot had reached $396.9 million when it was won in the drawing on Jan. 29 with a ticket in Florida.

Like so much else these days, the jackpots in both games have been impacted by the COVID-19 emergency. The jackpots are primarily sales driven, and for months now, folks in wide swaths of the country haven’t been able to run errands or buy everyday items (including lotto tickets) like they normally might in a non-pandemic time. That’s kept the jackpots in both games tamped down. And when the jackpots are lower, sales overall in the games are lower. It can become a bit of a repeating cycle.

So, it’s interesting that both jackpots are on a roll right now, and they’re really close in amount. Hopefully this can be something lighthearted to help give everyone a break to have some fun daydreaming during this trying time. And as we’ve said so many times through the years, remember to play responsibly. It only takes one ticket for a chance to win.

Here’s something we’re still watching during the current jackpot run: Human beings procrastinate about lots of things, and that applies to lottery tickets, too. The day of the drawing in Mega Millions and Powerball always sees the highest sales, and in Iowa, the busiest stretch has usually been from about 4 to 6 p.m. that day as folks left work and ran errands on the way home. But with so many people working from home right now, we’re still tracking the numbers to see if purchasing patterns will have changed this time around. The commute home from work just doesn’t exist in many instances now.   

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

I Scratched My Ticket Too Hard, What Should I Do?

In the holiday and post-holiday rush this month, we’ve heard from a couple lottery players who both made the same mistake and wondered what to do next. 

The players had scratched their tickets a little too hard and in the process, they damaged the code on the ticket that normally would be scanned to claim a prize. They were worried that without the code, the ticket couldn’t be redeemed. But there’s another way that the information can be entered!

Each lottery ticket that we sell here in Iowa has identifying numbers on it that can manually be entered into a lottery terminal to check the results of the ticket. It’s not something you as a player can do using our mobile app – the ticket code is required on the app.

But if the code can’t be read for some reason, a clerk at a lottery retail location or a staffer at one of our lottery offices can key in the identifying numbers from the ticket to determine its outcome. If the clerk at your local store isn’t sure how to do that, they can always call the Iowa Lottery’s retail hotline for help.

If you’d prefer to have us at the lottery check your ticket for you, please make an appointment to visit one of our offices, or in most cases, you can mail the ticket to us if that would be easier.

I’ll add this caveat to the details here: If your ticket is really badly mangled or damaged, it might not be possible for anyone to figure out the identifying numbers from it. And in that case, we might not be able to determine its outcome. As an example, a player who had spilled water on their Powerball tickets once microwaved them to try to dry them out. The tickets are printed on heat-sensitive paper, and you can probably guess what happened: Microwaving the tickets turned them solid black. There was no way for anyone to determine the details that had once been printed on them.

We’ll always do our best to help, but it’s important to keep your tickets in as good of shape as possible so you can claim any prize you’ve won!

Our Reminder Note: Lottery Tickets Are For The Grown-Ups

Here’s a reminder note we hope you’ll think back to as you’re shopping for gifts in the next few weeks.

Lottery tickets are popular as presents and stocking stuffers, and we’re all for having fun! But here at the Iowa Lottery, we’re also cognizant that our tickets – while colorful, entertaining and affordable – may not be something you want to give to those underage.

That same thing holds true for a wider range of products, too. Some video games and movies may not be appropriate for all ages due to their content. Alcohol and tobacco-related products have their own 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 that our products are for adults. Remember, you are gambling when you play the lottery.

The Iowa Lottery offers these reminders to minimize the risks associated with youth gambling:

• Be sure to give youngsters age-appropriate gifts.
• When you give lottery tickets as presents, please keep the person's age in mind.

And as always, if you or someone you know has questions about problem gambling, know that help is available 24/7 by text, live chat or telephone through the Your Life Iowa website or the 1-800-BETS OFF helpline.

Recognizing, Remembering & Helping Veterans Through The Veterans Trust Fund

As we recognize Veterans Day this week, we also can take heart in the extra help Iowa makes available to our state’s veterans and their families through a special program that isn’t available in a lot of other places. 

It’s the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, and we at the Iowa Lottery are proud that a portion of the proceeds raised from the sale of lottery tickets in Iowa goes to the Veterans Trust Fund each year. We just made our latest annual transfer of $2.5 million to the IVTF, and that brings the lottery’s total proceeds through the years to that program to nearly $32.4 million.

That’s help right here at home for those who have given so much for our country. The IVTF was started years ago to help fill in the gaps in federal veterans benefits by adding state help to the mix. It feels good to know Iowa has a solution like that in place, and we get to be a part of it.  

If you’re an Iowa veteran or the family member of an Iowa veteran and you’re looking for more information about the IVTF, you can visit va.iowa.gov and click on the “Trust Fund” link under the “Benefits” tab. There, you’ll find the categories for assistance from the fund as well as a copy of the application form. If you’d prefer an option to speak with someone, you can call the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs toll-free at 800-838-4692 or contact your local County Veterans Office. (There is a veterans office in every county in Iowa, but please be aware that office hours and other operating details may have changed right now during the COVID-19 emergency.)

While the Iowa Lottery raises money for the Veterans Trust Fund, it’s the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs that approves applications for assistance through the fund. Perhaps more than any other, it’s commision members' perspective that matters in terms of the impact that the Trust Fund has had in Iowa. Click on the video below to hear two members of the commission share the story of their own service to our country and why the IVTF matters so much to them.

In Plain Speak: New Tools To Help You Play Smart & Be Informed About The Lottery

We’ve been working for a while now on two new tools that have just gone live to help you best understand the details about playing the lottery.

Think of it this way: You wouldn’t buy a new vehicle or even a phone without first doing your research. So just like you gather information in other areas of your life, you can choose to be informed when you play the lottery by using the new tools.

One of them is a new section that just debuted today on the Iowa Lottery website. The eight-page section, called “Play Smart, Be Informed,” is a player’s guide to help you make informed decisions when you play the lottery.

The section includes details about how to play within your means, understand the odds in lottery games, and be a responsible winner. It also includes a list of common myths vs. the facts about lotteries and an interactive quiz you can take to see how you’re doing in understanding the details. We designed the quiz so that after taking it, you’ll receive a score like those from the classroom: 100 percent, 80 percent, etc. You can translate your numerical score into a corresponding grade (A-F), and decide if you need to keep studying. 

The section concludes with a page that focuses on what you can do if you think your lottery play has gotten beyond your control. The page includes this central statement: “If you’re worried that you’re spending too much on lottery tickets, or feel like playing the lottery is causing you stress or making you unhappy, don’t do it.”

A link to the new Play Smart, Be Informed section is in the grey footer area at the bottom of all pages on our website.

The other new tool designed to encourage informed decisions is on our lottery self-service kiosks and terminals in the 2,400 businesses in Iowa where lottery
tickets are sold. It’s a new “Play Responsibly” icon. By touching the icon, you can print a message about the help available in Iowa for problem gambling.

We recognize that it can be hard to have a conversation about problem gambling. So, by using the icon on a lottery self-service kiosk, you can print out a message that describes the many ways that help can be accessed in Iowa. The message states: “If you worry that you’re playing beyond your means or just have questions about problem gambling, help is available 24/7 here in Iowa through live chat, text, email or phone. Visit yourlifeiowa.org or call 1-800-BETS OFF. At the Iowa Lottery, we mean it: Playing smart is a lot more fun.”

The new Play Responsibly icon also has been added to the screens of Iowa Lottery terminals, and retail employees can use it to print out the same message.

Knowing that some people might worry whether use of the new icon is being monitored, we specifically programmed it so it can’t be tracked. We will not know how many times the icon is utilized, or from where that happens. We hope that decision can help clear the way for the information to make it at the right time to someone who needs it.

Player Comment: Hey, Your Crossword Games Don’t Follow The Rules …

A woman who recently emailed us pointed out that our Crossword scratch games don’t follow the same rules as traditional Crossword games. We let her know that’s correct, and if they did, players could end up missing out on a prize. Here’s why.

It appears that the woman had seen a list of guidelines online for crossword puzzle creators. But our Crossword scratch games have a purposefully different play style.

In a traditional crossword puzzle, all the spaces are blank, and the player uses the clues given to fill in the words that they think are correct and fit the spaces provided. But a word they choose may or may not be the correct answer within the overall puzzle.

In our Crossword scratch tickets, the words are already provided in the play area. As the player, you scratch off only those letters found in the “YOUR LETTERS” section of the play area. If the selection provided in “YOUR LETTERS” allows you to uncover a certain number of words on your Crossword ticket, you win a prize as indicated on the ticket.

If our Crossword tickets had only blank spaces on them, you as the player could end up filling in an incorrect word, which ultimately could cause you to miss out on a prize.

The rules governing our scratch games are published on our website. To see the rules for a specific Crossword scratch game, visit the scratch games page on our site and click on the game you want to play. When that individual game loads, you'll see a blue link to the official game rules for it.

We’re Moving Prize Claims Back Inside Our Offices

As we continue to safely find our way forward during this COVID-19 emergency, we’re making a change starting today in the way prizes can be claimed at the Iowa Lottery’s offices. After a summer of curbside prize claims outside, we’re bringing prize claims back inside our offices by appointment, with some restrictions that apply.

The video above walks you through the process so you’ll know what to expect if you come to see us to claim an Iowa Lottery prize in person. But please remember that we also have other prize-claim options available, understanding that some folks may not feel comfortable with in-person appointments right now. You can continue to mail or ship tickets to us in most instances, and you also have the option of using the secure dropbox at lottery headquarters in Clive.

To make a prize-claim appointment, please call the lottery office where you want to claim your prize to schedule a time and receive other details, including the documentation you’ll need to have with you. Here are our telephone numbers:

Clive: 515-725-7900
Cedar Rapids: 319-395-9313
Mason City: 641-424-6011
Storm Lake: 712-732-6662

If you’re claiming a prize on behalf of a group or have friends or family coming with you, please know that to help maintain social distancing, only the person claiming the prize will be allowed inside the lottery office.

My Mother Kept This Old Lottery Ticket From Years Ago…

We got an interesting blast from the past this week from a woman who found an old lottery ticket while going through her mother’s things after her mom had passed away.

 

With the ticket was a note from her mom stating that it was the very first lottery ticket ever sold in Iowa. The woman wondered if it was true. We did a little research, and found out that we can’t answer her question for sure. It may have been the first ticket sold at the Indianola gas station where her mom worked at the time, but that’s as far as our review in that regard can go.    

 

The first lottery tickets sold in Iowa were in the "Scratch, Match & Win" scratch game. It was a $1 game with grey tickets featuring a hand holding a coin and scratching a ticket.
 

That game was the Iowa Lottery’s debut product on Aug. 22, 1985, the first day that lottery tickets were sold in Iowa. It was the only game sold by the Iowa Lottery at the time. And while the kick-off celebration that day was at the Iowa State Fair, lottery ticket sales got underway at the thousands of retail locations across the state that sold tickets.
 
We know that during the first week of sales, lottery players bought 6.4 million tickets in that game, and by Nov. 1 when the game ended, they had purchased 28.1 million tickets in it.

 

It’s always fun to look back and see how much things have changed in the past 35 years. Thank you to this player for a walk down memory lane!

Player Question: Why Is There A Sales Cut-Off Before A Drawing?

A player who emailed us with questions about our lotto drawings unfortunately had some conspiracy theories to share as well, so I’m addressing those here in case the same rumor has made it way to you.

The player wondered why there is a sales cut-off time before the drawings in games like Powerball® and Mega Millions®. The player said he wants people to be able to buy tickets right up until the time of the drawing, arguing that doing so would eliminate the rumored possibility he’s heard that drawing officials sometimes spray a substance on the drawing balls used in lottery drawings to keep certain numbers from being selected.

That last part isn’t true, and the sales cut-off times in the games are there for a reason. Here’s the back story:

Sales cut-off times are one of the security processes that lotteries use to ensure that everything is ready to go for a drawing. With millions – and sometimes billions – of dollars involved in our drawings, it’s obviously important that mistakes are avoided!

Before a drawing can be held, all the lotteries in that game have to verify that their sales figures balance and all plays are recorded in the system. It’s a meticulous process, and we know it’s what the public expects.

The good news is that as computer speeds and technology have improved through the years, it now requires much less time to accomplish that work. So today, our sales cut-off times here in Iowa are an hour or less before our drawings. Years ago, the sales cut-off times were often two hours before the drawing, but we’ve been able to reduce that. And we hope it’s a convenience for our players and retailers.

I would imagine there will always be some time required for balancing and verification before a drawing can happen, but perhaps in the future, the time involved can be even shorter than it is today.

The exact sales cut-off times vary from state to state, depending upon the requirements in that particular state. Check your state lottery’s website for the information that applies in your area.

And when it comes to the drawings themselves, there are multiple layers of security involved.

For example, the machines and sets of numbered balls used in the drawings are kept in double-locked and sealed vaults, and are only taken out when the drawing manager, security officer, and independent auditor are all present.

And those aren’t ping-pong balls in the machines. The drawing balls are actually made of rubber and have to meet exact specifications through testing, weighing and measuring.

Multiple sets of balls are available for the drawings along with multiple sets of machines. The exact machines and numbered balls used in each drawing are randomly selected and everything that happens with them once they’re out of the vault is recorded on audio and video.

There also are testing procedures leading up to each drawing, with the entire process carried out under the supervision of an auditor and security officials.

From A Player: I’m Mad. That Store Said I Couldn’t Use A Debit Card.

A man who recently contacted us was mad that he couldn’t use a debit card at a local store to buy lottery tickets. The answer to his question isn’t whether it’s legal to do that in Iowa, but whether the location involved wants to allow it.

Here’s the background: State law in Iowa allows lottery tickets to be purchased with cash, debit cards, checks and gift cards, but a retail location isn’t REQUIRED to accept any form of payment if it doesn’t want to do so.

Real-world details including card fees and payment verification are part of the daily picture for retailers, and at the Iowa Lottery, we understand that. Businesses have their own payment policies, so check with the store involved if you have questions.

Another important point to remember is that it is illegal in Iowa for credit cards to be used to purchase lottery tickets.

Player Comment: I Think The Lottery Pays Out Less Today …

We heard this week from a man who was unhappy with the lottery, and let us know he’s convinced our prize payouts have gone down over time.

Now, I get that he wants to win big and likely won’t ever be truly satisfied unless that happens. But in fact, the Iowa Lottery’s prize payouts have gone up over time, not down. I’m sharing the numbers with you here so you’ll have the details involved.

In fiscal year 1986, the first year that the Iowa Lottery was in operation, 46 percent of each dollar in lottery sales in Iowa went to pay prizes. (Iowa Lottery sales that year totaled a little more than $85 million and prizes totaled $39.3 million.) 

In fiscal year 2020, our latest financial year that just ended June 30, 64 cents of each $1 in Iowa Lottery sales went to prizes. (Lottery sales in FY 2020 totaled about $372 million while prizes totaled $236.3 million.)  

That’s an 18 percent increase in our prize payouts since the lottery’s first year.

People can and do win Iowa Lottery prizes every day, and everyone has the same chance of winning. But you’re gambling when you play the lottery, so winning – and not winning – are both a part of it.

And if buying lottery tickets is making you unhappy or causing you stress, then take a break or maybe decide not to do it at all. It’s your decision as a consumer.

After The Storm: Our Cedar Rapids Office Is Unable To Process Prize Claims

Aug. 18 update: Our Cedar Rapids office is now able to process prize claims again! Clean-up from last week's storms continues, but progress IS being made! Thank you to everyone who has been part of the effort.    

In the wake of the powerful storm that swept across Iowa earlier this week, our Cedar Rapids office is unable to process prize claims.

We know that emergency crews are working as quickly as possible to make repairs, but damage in eastern Iowa is extensive. There currently is not a timetable for when our Cedar Rapids office will be able to resume paying prizes. 
 
If you have a prize to claim at an Iowa Lottery office, please know that curbside claims are available at our locations in Clive, Mason City, and Storm Lake. You also can mail your prize claim to us or use our secure dropbox at lottery headquarters in Clive. We have full details on the How To Claim A Prize page of our website.
 
If the Cedar Rapids office would be the most convenient for you to visit, you can always wait until a later date to claim your prize there. Just know that we don’t yet have an estimate for when that would be possible.

Take Care of Yourself, And If It’s Causing You Stress, Don’t Play

We’re all feeling extra stress these days with worries about health and safety and just the daily occurrences of life. My team and I here at the lottery can sometimes feel that stress coming through from the folks who contact us, and for whatever reason, this past week has seemed like a hot point for some people.

We do our best to help and provide clear answers to questions. And I’ll stress a point here on the blog that we’ve made to a couple people this past week, because we mean it sincerely.

Please remember that playing the lottery is gambling, and there's no guarantee you'll win when you buy a ticket. Gambling is a form of entertainment, like buying a magazine or watching a movie. How you choose to spend your disposal income is entirely your own decision.

A lottery ticket is always an optional purchase for you as a consumer. If playing the lottery is causing you stress or you don't enjoy it, then please don't do it.

And if you have concerns about problem gambling, please know that help is available 24/7 here in Iowa by visiting YourLifeIowa.org or calling 1-800-BETSOFF.

Take care of yourself out there!

Iowa Lottery Meets Budget Targets In Latest Fiscal Year

We've released the Iowa Lottery's annual results today, with its sales, proceeds to state causes, and prizes to players all meeting budget targets for fiscal year 2020 even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s gratifying to be able to look back at the past 12 months – and particularly the months of the public health emergency – and see that we’ve been able to adapt and deliver on our promise to responsibly generate revenue for important Iowa causes.

The preliminary figures today show that the lottery generated $81.5 million in proceeds to state causes for the year. Annual lottery sales in FY 2020 were $372 million, while prizes to players totaled $236.3 million. Lottery sales commissions to the local businesses statewide that sell its tickets totaled $24.3 million.

All of those figures are understandably down a bit from the previous year’s numbers. The lottery’s FY 2020 results were largely impacted by two main factors: the COVID-19 pandemic and a relative lack of big jackpots in national lotto games.  

The jackpots in Mega Millions® and Powerball® both repeatedly climbed into the stratosphere in fiscal year 2019, with the Mega Millions grand prize in particular reaching more than $1.5 billion in October 2018, the largest jackpot in the history of that game. But in FY 2020, both games’ jackpots were won more often at lower levels ($40 million to $100 million). That meant lower overall sales in both games, and the COVID-19 emergency impacted the lotto category even more, with sales in lotto games nationwide falling during the pandemic.

But at the same time, scratch-game sales in Iowa had a strong year. Scratch games sold well throughout FY 2020, including during the months of the pandemic. Iowans who suddenly had a lot of time at home made scratch tickets part of their entertainment options along with the puzzles, board games and bicycles that have been selling at such high rates they’re now in short supply in many places.      

Scratch-ticket sales in Iowa have set annual records each year since FY 2015, and did that again in FY 2020, totaling $262.4 million. That’s an increase of $11.8 million from the previous year’s total for that product.

The lottery retailer with the highest sales in Iowa for the year was the Hy-Vee at 1843 Johnson Ave. NW in Cedar Rapids. That store sold more than $911,000 in lottery tickets in FY 2020.

The largest lottery prize won during the year in Iowa was $1 million, and two players each claimed that amount. Shane Saxen of Correctionville claimed a $1 million Powerball prize in March, and a group of five friends from Eldora calling themselves "Just Us" claimed a $1 million Mega Millions prize in December.

Curbside Prize Claims Reminder: Our Offices Are Closed Tomorrow

It’s been a very busy and successful first month of curbside prize claims at the Iowa Lottery, and we’re glad to see that our players have found the process convenient and easy to use. And hey, we’re just glad to be able to interact with people again!

We’re doing our curbside appointments with virus-mitigation procedures in place to keep everyone safe, and it’s a process that’s worked well since we began using it on June 1. If you have a prize to claim directly from us at the lottery, check out the details on our Curbside Claims page so you’ll know how and where to make an appointment.

We’re loving the photos of our winners as they claim their prizes at their curbside appointments. There’s a slice-of-life feel to the images that shows it is possible for all of us to still have fun even with the challenges from COVID-19.

As a plan-ahead reminder, our offices are closed tomorrow (Friday, July 3) for the Independence Day holiday weekend, so we’ll see you all again on Monday. Have a very happy Fourth of July, everyone!

If I Spend $1 On A Lottery Ticket, How Does That Help Iowa?

We’ve added a new page on the Iowa Lottery’s website that answers a couple of the questions we receive the most: How is the money spent on lottery tickets used in our state, and what kind of help does that mean for Iowa? 

The new page can be found under the “Lottery Gives Back” link on our homepage. It replaces the previous “Where The Money Goes” page we’d utilized for a number of years. The details on the previous page focused on the historical use of lottery proceeds since the Iowa Lottery’s start in 1985. The new page expands on that.

At the top of the new page is a breakdown of how each $1 spent on lottery tickets in Iowa is used. The figures currently listed are for fiscal year 2019, and we’ll update that with each new year’s results as we have them. The biggest share of the money in FY 2019 of course went to players, with 62 cents on the dollar going to pay prizes. The second-largest category was proceeds to state causes, with 24 cents on the dollar going directly to Iowa programs.

Below those details are graphics that highlight how lottery proceeds help Iowa. You’ll find direct links there that you can use to learn more about the state programs that receive funding from the Iowa Lottery.

At the bottom of the page is a list of the programs that received lottery proceeds in the past, but are no longer current recipients. We hope that by dividing out the current and past uses of lottery proceeds, we’re clearly defining how the Iowa Lottery makes a difference in Iowa.

It’s So Nice To See Our Winners’ Smiling Faces Again!

This week, we were able to start interacting with our winners in person again through curbside prize claims at our offices in Storm Lake, Mason City and Cedar Rapids. And on Monday, curbside claims will begin at lottery headquarters in Clive.

It’s another step forward as we all do our best to continue navigating safely during the COVID-19 emergency. And I have to tell you, it’s been so incredibly NICE to see our winners’ smiling faces again! We’ve interacted with winners of large and small prizes this week in a curbside claims process that is working well.

Four of our winners from this week are shown here, and to each of them I say: CONGRATULATIONS! Thank you for helping to lift our spirits this week!

Back in March as the COVID-19 emergency was deepening, we made the decision that for the health of everyone, public access to our offices would need to be restricted. For more than two months, winning tickets needed to be mailed or shipped to the Iowa Lottery or put in the secure dropbox available at lottery headquarters. (If you’ve won an Iowa Lottery prize and would prefer to use one of those prize-claim methods, you’re welcome to do so!)

But curbside claims by appointment are now available as well, and the process went really smoothly this week. We hope to see YOU as a prize winner soon!

Additional Prize-Claim Option Coming Soon

As we continue to safely find our way forward during this COVID-19 health emergency, the Iowa Lottery is continuing to restrict public access at our offices, but we’re adding an additional prize-claim option.

Beginning on Monday (June 1), we’ll offer curbside claims by appointment at our offices in Storm Lake, Mason City, and Cedar Rapids. And a week later, on June 8, curbside claims by appointment will begin at lottery headquarters in Clive.

If you’ve won a lottery prize, you also have the option of mailing or shipping your ticket to us if you’d like, and we have a secure dropbox at lottery headquarters. Some people prefer a prize-claim process with no direct human interaction right now, and we understand that. That’s why we’re making a variety of prize-claim options available.

To utilize curbside claims, call the lottery office where you want to claim your prize to make an appointment and receive other details, including the documentation you’ll need to have with you. (Remember that all prizes of more than $250,000 must be claimed at lottery headquarters in Clive.)

Here are our telephone numbers:

Clive: 515-725-7900
Cedar Rapids: 319-395-9313
Mason City: 641-424-6011
Storm Lake: 712-732-6662

(Our How To Claim A Prize page provides a list of the documentation required, including a government-issued I.D., when claiming an Iowa Lottery prize. Direct links to our prize-claim documents are also available on that page.)

Our curbside claims process will be similar to the curbside procedures we’re all using in so many places these days. When you arrive at the lottery office, you’ll park in one of the spaces designated for curbside prize claims and stay in your vehicle. You’ll call the telephone number for the office involved to let staffers know that you have arrived, since the doors to our offices are closed. Please tell the lottery staffer you speak with the number of the curbside claims spot where you’re parked.

A lottery staff member wearing gloves and a mask will then bring prize-claim documentation out to your vehicle and maintain social distance while you complete the necessary forms. The lottery staffer will review the documentation with you, then return to the lottery office to process the claim.

After printing your prize check, the lottery staffer will bring it to you in your vehicle and complete any final paperwork details with you.

New Step In the Process When You Check A Ticket Using Our Mobile App

An update being made today to our mobile app allows you to clear out the results of the previous ticket before starting to scan another one.

We’re making the change after input from some players who said this additional step could help make the process of checking tickets on the app more clear for them. This update is designed to do just that.

So now, when you check a ticket on the mobile app and have had a chance to review the results, you’ll click the “Clear Scan Results” button to remove that information from the screen. You then can proceed with checking the next ticket, and since you’ve cleared the results of the previous one, you’ll be starting with a clean slate. We hope this change will be a positive!

We debuted our app for Apple AND Android devices back in 2017, and like any technology, we’ve updated it over time. If you already have our app (it’s called the Iowa Lottery’s LotteryPlus) on your device, there’s nothing you need to do to receive this update. It happens automatically. If you don’t yet have the app, feel free to install it from the Google Play Store® or Apple iTunes Store® as applicable for your particular device.

The most popular way that people use our app is to check the results of their lottery tickets. You can check lotto, scratch and InstaPlay tickets on the app, so you don’t have to visit a store or a lottery office to see if you’ve won. Two other popular ways that people use the app is to enter their tickets into our VIP Club drawings and to check the winning numbers in recent lotto drawings.

Thank you for playing the lottery, and we hope this update makes it even easier for you to use our mobile technology!

Shout-Out To Our Pets In This Time Of Crisis: Tomorrow Is National Pet Day!

They’re hanging out with us during this time of self-distancing – often while interrupting our conference calls and video chats – and we love them for it! So it seems like perfect timing that tomorrow is National Pet Day (but the date was actually set a long time ago).

That’s according to the National Day Calendar™, the website that tracks unusual national days and has a day for just about everything.

We all could use some lighter news to help raise our spirits right now, so tomorrow let’s remember to celebrate our pets, four-footed and otherwise! I’ve included here photos of the pets that belong to a couple of my co-workers at the lottery. (And now I’ll have to apologize to my crazy little dog for not including his picture here. But I couldn’t play favorites, now then, could I?)

The National Day Calendar folks remind us to use tomorrow as a time to do a few checks on our pets and help out those animals currently in shelters.

• Go through your pet’s toys and throw out any that are no longer safe.
• Remember to keep cords and toxins secure and away from your pets.
• Verify that your pet’s vaccinations are current and schedule an appointment when your vet’s office is open next for an update if that’s needed.
• Check your pet’s collars to ensure tags are secure and that the contact information you have on the tags is current.
• Take supplies to your local shelter for the animals there. And/Or, consider adopting a pet!

I wish everyone (and their pets) a good weekend. Please be well!

Have Iowa’s Back: Participate In The 2020 Census

During the next couple months, you’ll see messages from us at the Iowa Lottery reminding everyone why it’s so important that we help our state by completing the 2020 Census.  

For the next two weeks and again for two weeks in May, the lottery will run special messages on its lotto tickets encouraging everyone to participate in the Census. We’ll also have Census messages on the display screens at our lottery terminals and self-service kiosks where you buy tickets.

If you buy a lotto ticket this week in a game like Powerball® or Mega Millions®, look at the top. We hope the message you see there is self-explanatory:

Make Iowa count! Complete the 2020
Census online or by phone or mail.

The Census is a once-in-a-decade count that gives a snapshot of our nation about who we are and where we live. The results of the Census are used to make any number of critical decisions, like where communities should build new schools, where new roads are needed, and how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding should be spent in programs including Medicaid, Head Start, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The Census also determines the number of seats Iowa has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is used to draw the boundary lines for Congressional and state legislative districts.

In a nutshell, a complete and accurate Census count helps ensure that we as Iowans receive the political representation we deserve and that our taxpayer dollars are spent in a way that helps our state.

Iowa had top ranking in 2000 in getting its residents counted, with 76 percent of households in the state returning their Census forms. And in 2010, Iowa helped lead the way in the mail-in process for the Census, with 78 percent of households sending back their forms.

Earlier this month, U.S. households began receiving official Census Bureau mail with details about how you can complete the 2020 Census online, by phone or by mail. And if a count hasn’t been submitted for your household by later this year, Census staffers will visit homes from May to July to help make sure everyone is counted.

The Census Bureau is required by law to deliver its counts to the president and Congress in December.

So please take a few minutes to complete your Census form. Be counted for Iowa!