The Lotto America jackpot is still climbing. No one hit the big prize in last night's drawing, so the jackpot climbs to an estimated $24.88 million annuity, $13.08 million cash option for Wednesday's drawing. Here are the winning numbers from last night's Lotto America drawing: 6-7-9-28-39 and Star Ball 2. The All Star Bonus number was 3. Good luck on your tickets!
Its bigger cousins may get more attention, but Lotto America® is making news of its own. The Lotto America jackpot is in record territory for that game, at an estimated $24.69 million annuity, $12.98 million cash option for tonight’s drawing.
Lotto America also is in the midst of its longest jackpot run ever. The game’s jackpot has been climbing since July 2021. It was last won in the drawing on July 14, 2021. A ticket purchased in Oklahoma won that night’s $8.04 million jackpot.
This isn’t the first time that Lotto America has gone on a long jackpot run. (A run is the period of time that the jackpot grows before it’s won). The game’s jackpot grew for a little more than 14 months from May 2018 to July 2019 before it was won in the drawing on July 10 that year. A Minnesota ticket won that $21.6 million prize.
Before the current jackpot amount, the previous record jackpot in Lotto America was a $22.82 million prize won in the game in March 2018.
Has an Iowan won a Lotto America jackpot? Yes! A Davenport man won a $4.38 million prize in the game in May 2018.
So how high will the current jackpot climb? Only time will tell. One thing is certain: Someone WILL win it, we just don’t know when.
Lotto America costs $1 to play and it has drawings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The game has a similar design to Powerball® and Mega Millions®, but its jackpots are smaller and a lot easier to win. Lotto America players choose five numbers from a pool of 52 and another number, called the Star Ball®, from a pool of 10. Players who match all six numbers selected in a drawing win the game’s jackpot.
Friday Afternoon Update: I initially posted this blog entry earlier today with details about the unclaimed Pick 4 prize you see here as well as a Powerball® prize in Stuart. In a case of perfect timing, a player came in just a few minutes later and claimed the $50,000 Powerball prize that had been won 11 months ago. It’s exciting to see it get claimed! This blog entry is now updated to remove references to the Stuart prize.
Time is ticking away for a sizeable Iowa Lottery prize that is still unclaimed. And an even bigger prize is also on the unclaimed list, but there’s plenty of time to go before its expiration date.
There are just a couple weeks left for a $30,000 Pick 4 prize won in Des Moines. It will expire on Oct. 5 if it isn’t claimed by the close of business that day.
The $30,000-winning Pick 4 ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 2849 E. Euclid Ave. in Des Moines, for that game’s evening drawing on July 7. The $30,000 prize, which is the largest amount a player can win in Pick 4, was won with a straight play, meaning it would win a prize only if it matched the winning numbers in the exact order they were selected in the drawing. The winning Pick 4 numbers that night were 3-7-6-2.
The winner of the Pick 4 prize has until 4 p.m. on Oct. 5 to claim it at an Iowa Lottery office.
Interestingly, a $1 million Mega Millions® prize also is unclaimed in Iowa, but there are months to go before its expiration date. The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the Mega Millions drawing on Sept. 6.
The Ames ticket was the only one in the country that night to win a $1 million prize by matching the first five numbers but missing the Mega Ball. That night’s winning numbers were: 6-17-46-59-68 and Mega Ball 2.
The winner of the $1 million Mega Millions prize has until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
If you’re a prize winner and you have questions before coming forward to claim your winnings, please give us a shout at 515-725-7900 or email us at wmaster@ialottery.com.
In the last fiscal year, more than $1.5 million in lotto and InstaPlay prizes expired in Iowa without being claimed.
Time appears to be a factor. The Iowa Lottery reviewed plays from a sampling of recent lotto drawings and found that the vast majority of prizes are claimed within six months of the drawing date. Less than 3 percent of prizes from those drawings were claimed after that point. The Iowa Lottery will continue to review how it can best encourage and remind players to claim their prizes.
The money from lottery prizes that expire in Iowa without being claimed goes into the lottery's prize pools for future games and promotions, so it will be used to pay prizes, just not those prizes that have expired.
The giant Mega Millions® jackpot has climbed even higher for Friday’s drawing. No one won the big prize in last night’s drawing, so the jackpot currently stands at an estimated $1.025 billion annuity, $602.5 million cash option for Friday.
That’s the 3rd-largest jackpot in the history of the game, and the 4th-largest jackpot ever offered in the United States.
When the jackpot reaches this level, it becomes harder to predict the grand-prize estimate heading into the next drawing. Stronger sales mean the jackpot will go even higher, so the initial jackpot estimate for Friday’s drawing could be raised again in the next few days.
3 Iowa Tickets That Came SO CLOSE
A total of 48,996 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes in last night’s Mega Millions drawing ranging from $2 up to $30,000.
Three Iowa tickets were just one number away from having at least a share of the jackpot. They each matched four of the five white balls and the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. And the Megaplier® option was added to one of the tickets, which multiplied that prize to $30,000.
The winning numbers in last night’s drawing were: 7-29-60-63-66 and Mega Ball 15. The Megaplier number was 3.
The $10,000-winning tickets were purchased at Kum & Go, 3215 Seventh Ave. in Marion; and Kwik Stop, 185 Peosta St. in Peosta. The $30,000-winning ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 1759 Madison Ave. in Council Bluffs.
Our New Signs Are Keeping Up!
In recent years when a jackpot reached into the billions of dollars, the Iowa Lottery’s jackpot signs in retail locations couldn’t display amounts that large. The lottery would display the current jackpot amount until it topped $999 million, then the signs would continue to display $999 million until the jackpot was won and returned to its starting amount.
When the Iowa Lottery updated its statewide gaming system last September, we also replaced our jackpot signs in retail locations. This is the first time that the “billions” option has been used since the new signs were installed in retail locations last year. And it makes me smile to see that they’re keeping up with the current jackpot amount! (The picture you see with this blog entry was taken today of one of the signs.)
Easy Picks vs. Your Own Numbers
The vast majority of tickets purchased in lotto games like Mega Millions and Powerball® are easy-pick plays, meaning that the lottery terminal assigns the numbers printed on the ticket. About 94 percent of the plays purchased in Iowa for last night’s Mega Millions drawing were easy picks.
But you also have the option of choosing your own numbers. You choose five numbers from a pool of 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball number from a separate pool of 25.
You win the jackpot if the numbers on your play match all six of the winning numbers in a Mega Millions drawing. But there are a total of nine prize levels in Mega Millions ranging from $2 up to the jackpot, so be sure to check your tickets for all the prizes you may have won.
And as always, remember that it only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly.
We’re gearing up for a weekend of fun in Newton! The Iowa Lottery will be at the Iowa Speedway starting later today for the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend.
We’ll have a tent in the vendor area behind the Grandstand at the Iowa Speedway where we’ll be selling tickets and giving away fun merchandise prizes to the folks who get to spin our prize wheel. And with tonight’s huge Mega Millions® jackpot on the line, it’s a perfect time to get a ticket! We’ll be selling lotto tickets, scratch tickets, and InstaPlay tickets at our tent.
We also get to be part of presentations on the Speedway’s main stage to highlight the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, one of the most important uses of lottery proceeds in our state. The Iowa Lottery has raised more than $34.8 million for the Veterans Trust Fund to date, and that money goes directly to help Iowa veterans and their families in need.
Sure, you play for the fun and the chance to win a prize. But you also know that a portion of every $1 spent on lottery tickets in Iowa goes to worthy state causes. We’re excited to join veterans and their advocates for these presentations tomorrow and Sunday!
And of course, the winners from this spring’s Powerball® INDYCAR Race Weekend promotion will be at the track for the headline concerts and races. Some of our promotion winners get VIP infield access for tomorrow’s concerts while another group of winners get to take two-seater race car rides on Sunday. It should be an action-packed weekend, all the way around! (Will Iowa will see a big jackpot winner to add to the excitement?!)
The Iowa Lottery’s tent at the Iowa Speedway will be open during these hours at the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend:
Here’s a quick reminder as the date comes closer: The Lotto America® game is adding another weekly drawing starting later this month.
On July 18, Lotto America will hold its first Monday drawing, expanding the game’s weekly lineup of drawings to three nights. Moving ahead, they’ll be on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This change in Lotto America follows the same move in Powerball®. That larger game added Monday drawings last year, expanding its lineup to three weekly drawings, also on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. And at about the same time, the Lucky for Life® game moved from two drawings per week to drawings each night.
The changes are designed to produce more winners and larger, faster-growing jackpots.
Some folks have asked, so I’ll emphasize here that Lotto America’s $1 ticket price, odds of winning, and prizes will remain the same. The only change is the schedule for the game’s drawings, with Mondays being added in.
Lotto America players will continue to choose five numbers from a pool of 52 for the white balls, and one number from a separate pool of 10 for the Star Ball®. The All Star Bonus® add-on feature is available for an additional $1 per play to multiply non-jackpot prizes.
You win the Lotto America jackpot by matching all six of the winning numbers in one of its drawings. Other prize levels in the game range from $2 up to $100,000.
A Davenport man who claimed a big lottery prize today said he was looking forward to the evidence he could take home to prove to his family and friends that he really did win.
Doug, who's 51 and works as a production control supervisor at John Deere Cylinder Works in the Quad Cities, matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in the game's Monday drawing to win his prize. He bought his winning ticket at Kwik Star, 1225 E. Kimberly Road in Davenport.
He said as he was checking his lottery tickets yesterday on the lottery website, he first realized he’d won $4 for matching just the Powerball® in that game’s Monday drawing. Then he checked his Lucky for Life® tickets.
Doug said he had three tickets in the game and the numbers on the last one were all matching up. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, so he scanned the easy-pick ticket on the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app. It confirmed he definitely won $25,000 a year for life.
The winning numbers in Monday’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 2-12-16-29-40 and Lucky Ball 13.
Kwik Star will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.
Doug said that after he realized he’d won, he sent a text to his wife, Sarah, a nurse practitioner in an operating room. He asked her how it felt to be debt free. She just texted back with question marks. So, he took a screenshot of the winning message on the lottery’s mobile app and sent it to her.
Doug said they plan to pay off debt, then invest the rest of the winnings for their children’s college expenses and their own retirement.
His Lucky for Life prize is Doug’s second big lottery win of 2022. In January, he won a prize of $12,920.90 in the Cherry Twist Progressive InstaPlay game.
Doug said he enjoys the anticipation of playing the lottery – just the excitement of checking his ticket results. And he says he’s not done winning yet: He’s aiming for a Powerball or Mega Millions® jackpot next.
The countdown is on for two Powerball® prizes of $50,000 that are still unclaimed months after they were won in Iowa. At the Iowa Lottery, we’re reminding you to double-check your tickets! One of the prizes will expire next month if it isn’t claimed in time, and the other will expire in October.
The first ticket up was purchased at Casey’s, 3434 Nebraska Ave. in Council Bluffs, for the Powerball drawing on July 21, 2021. The ticket matched four of the white balls and the red Powerball in that night’s drawing to win a $50,000 prize. The prize will expire next month – at the close of business on July 21 -- if it isn’t claimed by then at an Iowa Lottery office.
The other big unclaimed ticket was purchased at Kum & Go, 629 S. Division St. in Stuart, for the Powerball drawing on Oct. 23, 2021. It also matched four of the white balls and the red Powerball in that night’s drawing to win a $50,000 prize. That prize will expire at the close of business on Oct. 24 if it isn’t claimed in time at a lottery office.
A current list of unclaimed lotto and InstaPlay prizes of more than $600 in Iowa is available here. Details about how to claim a prize at an Iowa Lottery office are available here.
And here’s an interesting detail: Time does appear to be a factor in these situations! The Iowa Lottery reviewed plays from a sampling of recent lotto drawings and found that nearly all the prizes that were claimed happened within six months of the drawing. Less than 3 percent of prizes from those drawings were claimed after that point.
That’s something we'll continue to evaluate for how best to encourage and remind players to claim their prizes.
The money from lottery prizes that expire in Iowa without being claimed goes into the lottery's prize pools for future games and promotions, so it will be used to pay prizes, just not those prizes that have expired.
Here’s a question we’ve gotten this week about a complication some players have had with tickets for multiple drawings in lotto games like Powerball® and Mega Millions®.
The players knew they’d won a prize in one of the early drawings on their ticket, so they went to a local store to claim their winnings. And that’s where a complication came in. I give the background involved below along with details about what you can do if you’re ever in the same situation.
If you’ve never heard of a multi-draw ticket before, here’s how it works: In our lotto games, you can buy a ticket for just the next upcoming drawing or for several drawings at a time. A ticket with plays for more than one drawing is called a multi-draw ticket. It’s a convenience factor in today’s busy times, and a lot of players use the multi-draw option to save on trips to the store.
If you buy a multi-draw ticket and win a prize before the last drawing on your ticket has been held, you can claim your winnings right away, either at a lottery retailer or a lottery office, depending on the amount you’ve won. When your multi-draw ticket is scanned by the lottery terminal, you'll be paid your prize or get a prize claim form (again depending on the amount you’ve won) along with an exchange ticket for the drawings you have left. Your original ticket will be kept by the retailer as part of the prize-claim process.
An exchange ticket has the word “Exchange” printed on it just above the plays. Be sure to look for that word to know you’ve received the exchange ticket. To help you identify an exchange ticket, I've included an image of one here in the Powerball game with the word "Exchange" highlighted.
In the past few weeks, we’ve heard from some players who either didn’t get their exchange ticket when it printed from the lottery terminal or were given back their original ticket. The mix-up meant that they initially couldn’t claim any additional prizes they might have won, and that’s why they reached out to us. The folks in our Security Department were able to research what happened and track down the right details to help. But as a consumer, it’s always best to avoid complications like that.
If you’ve won a prize, you’re obviously excited and want to claim it quickly. So, feel free to do just that! But if you won on a multi-draw ticket, be sure to get the exchange ticket for the remaining drawings you still have to go!
(And, if you want to wait until all the drawings on your ticket have occurred before claiming your winnings, you're obviously welcome to do that. The details here about exchange tickets are helpful tips for those who want to claim their winnings early on.)
Here’s a player question that just came our way about lottery tickets that win a big prize. The person wanted to know if the retail location involved receives a bonus from the Iowa Lottery. The short answer is that yes, they definitely do! The details vary with the size of the prize and the lotto game where the prize was won.
Here in Iowa, retail locations receive a commission from the Iowa Lottery for every ticket they sell. And that total really adds up. In fiscal year 2021, the latest complete year for which the lottery has records, retailers were paid a total of $29.7 million in compensation from the Iowa Lottery. We’re gratified to know that the lottery is making a difference in the bottom line for local businesses!
In addition to the sales commission for each ticket sold, retailers in Iowa also receive bonuses from the lottery. For example, retailers get a peak sales bonus when the jackpots in Powerball® and Mega Millions® climb higher than $400 million. We at the lottery know that those are busier times for our retailers and we appreciate their work in selling lottery tickets.
Retailers also receive bonuses for selling lottery tickets that win a big prize. Iowa businesses that sell a jackpot-winning ticket in Powerball or Mega Millions receive a $10,000 bonus. Retailers that sell a jackpot-winning ticket in Lotto America® ticket get a $5,000 bonus, as do those that sell a ticket winning the top prize in Lucky for Life®. Retailers that sells a ticket winning Lucky for Life’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life receive a $500 bonus from the lottery.
There also are smaller bonuses for retailers that sell lotto tickets winning prizes of $100,000 or more. For example, a business that sells a lotto ticket winning a $100,000 prize receives a $100 bonus from the lottery, while a location that sells a lotto ticket winning a $1 million prize gets a $1,000 bonus.
Businesses that received bonuses from the Iowa Lottery have used that income in different ways through the years. For example, the owners of one business used their bonus from selling a jackpot-winning ticket for a new roof on the building. Others businesses have made donations to organizations in their local community.
It’s always fun to be part of the moment when a big prize is won and to learn more about the winner and retail location involved!
A player wrote to us this month and asked why it seemed like there were fewer jackpots in Lotto America than in comparable lotto games like Powerball® and Mega Millions®. He noted that the Lotto America jackpot hadn’t been hit in quite a while and wondered why.
It’s true: There have been seven Lotto America jackpot winners since the game began in November 2017, and the jackpot hasn’t been hit in more than 10 months. The last time it was won came on July 14, 2021, when a ticket purchased in Oklahoma won an $8.04 million jackpot.
But why has it been so long? It comes down to numbers. While Lotto America is a multi-state game that features a play style very similar to Powerball and Mega Millions, it’s played in far fewer states than its big brothers. There are 13 participating states in Lotto America: Iowa, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Dakota and West Virginia. This is a far cry from Powerball, with 48 participating lotteries, and Mega Millions, with 47.
Fewer participating states means fewer tickets are sold in any given drawing. And the less tickets that are sold, the less likely it is that the jackpot will be hit. This is true even though the odds of hitting the jackpot in Lotto America (1 in 26 million) are better than the odds of doing the same in Powerball (1 in 292.2 million) or Mega Millions (1 in 302.6 million).
We hear from many players who love Lotto America because it offers a chance at a multi-million dollar jackpot for only $1 per play. And with Wednesday’s jackpot at an estimated $13.79 million, there’s no doubt that players are eager to see where the next jackpot will be won.
Are we as Iowans becoming really forgetful? Are we just procrastinating? Whatever the reason, six lottery prizes of at least $10,000 are unclaimed right now in the state. This is a reminder to double-check your tickets.
The largest amount on the list – a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life® game – has been unclaimed for nearly six months.
The winner bought the lucky ticket at Casey’s, 641 Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids, for the Lucky for Life drawing on Nov. 4, 2021. The ticket matched the five white balls but missed the yellow Lucky Ball that night to win the game’s second prize level. The winning numbers in the Nov. 4 drawing were: 6-9-12-23-41 and Lucky Ball 8.
The winner has until 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, to claim the prize at Iowa Lottery headquarters.
Here is a list of the other five big unclaimed prizes, and they’re also shown on a map in the video above if it helps to see them visually.
Game
Prize Drawing
Amount Won
Retailer
Expiration
Powerball
July 21, 2021
$50,000
Casey's, Council Bluffs
July 21, 2022
Powerball
Oct. 23, 2021
$50,000
Kum & Go, Stuart
Oct. 24, 2022
Extreme Green InstaPlay
March 29, 2022
$37,624
River Mart, W. Burlington
June 27, 2022
Word Search InstaPlay
April 14, 2022
$20,000
Casey's, Waukon
July 13, 2022
Extreme Green InstaPlay
March 12, 2022
$10,000
Casey's, Gilbertville
June 10, 2022
The lottery currently offers prize claims by appointment at its offices. If you’re one of the winners and you have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, please give us a shout at 515-725-7900.
In the last fiscal year, more than $1.3 million in lotto and InstaPlay prizes expired in Iowa without being claimed.
Time appears to be a factor. The Iowa Lottery reviewed plays from a sampling of recent lotto drawings and found that the vast majority of prize claims occurred within six months of the drawing date. Less than 3 percent of prizes from those drawings were claimed after that point. The Iowa Lottery will continue to review how it can best encourage and remind players to claim their prizes.
The money from lottery prizes that expire in Iowa without being claimed goes into the lottery's prize pools for future games and promotions, so it will be used to pay prizes, just not those prizes that have expired.
The INDYCAR Series is staging back-to-back races this summer in Newton, and Iowa Lottery players can have the chance at tickets to the race weekend in a Powerball® promotion that started this morning.
VIP Club members can enter eligible Powerball tickets in the promotion with 190 prize packages to the INDYCAR Race Weekend on the line. Up for grabs are 20 VIP Suite Experiences and 75 single-day prize packages for the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 at the Iowa Speedway on July 23, and 20 VIP Suite Experiences and 75 single-day prize packages for the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 on July 24.
Each VIP Suite Experience includes two suite tickets (for either the Saturday or Sunday race), food, non-alcoholic beverages, $100 spending cash, lottery swag, and concert tickets. Each single-day prize package includes two grandstand race tickets (for either Saturday or Sunday), concert tickets, food vouchers, $100 spending cash and lottery swag.
All promotion winners get to attend the day’s pre- and post-race concerts. Tim McGraw will put on a pre-race concert on Saturday while Florida Georgia Line will put on the post-race concert the same day. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton will be in concert on Sunday.
If you’re a VIP Club member, you can enter winning and nonwinning Iowa Powerball tickets today through the morning on May 3. Each Powerball ticket entered equals one entry in the prize category you choose, regardless of the price of the ticket or the number of plays it.
The entry period runs through 9:59 a.m. on May 3, with the drawing to follow on May 5.
The latest Power Play winner is a northeast Iowa man who claimed a $150,000 prize this afternoon at our Cedar Rapids office. James Bardon of Durango took home that prize with a ticket he brought for Monday’s Powerball drawing.
James bought his winning ticket at Hartig Drug Company, 1600 University Ave. in Dubuque, and initially won a $50,000 prize by matching four of the white balls and the Powerball. But he also added the Power Play option to his ticket, and the Power Play number in Monday’s drawing was 3, so his prize tripled to $150,000!
In last Saturday’s Powerball drawing, William Dalzeil of Ainsworth won a $100,000 prize. His ticket also initially won $50,000 for matching four of the white balls and the Powerball. But he also had added the Power Play option to his ticket, and the Power Play number that night was 2, so his prize was multiplied to $100,000!
If you’re not familiar with the Power Play option, it costs an extra $1 per pay. It’s called a multiplier because it will multiply any prize you win except the jackpot by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times, depending on the Power Play number selected in that night’s drawing.
The biggest Power Play winners this month were Karla and Keith Elenz of New Hampton, who claimed a $2 million prize from the Jan. 10 Powerball drawing. Their ticket initially won a $1 million prize for matching the five white balls but missing the Powerball. But Karla, who bought their ticket at a local convenience store, had added the Power Play option, so their prize was multiplied to $2 million.
The next chance for someone to win a Power Play prize comes in tonight’s Powerball drawing. We’ll see what the news tomorrow may bring!
A big unclaimed prize in Iowa has just hit a significant milestone, so it’s a good time for me to remind everyone to double-check their tickets!
Today is the six-month mark for a $50,000 Powerball® prize won in Council Bluffs. That prize was won July 21 with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 3434 Nebraska Ave. in Council Bluffs. It will expire at the close of business on July 21 of this year if it’s not claimed by then at an Iowa Lottery office. (The prize-redemption hours in our offices close at 4 p.m.)
Players in Iowa have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim Powerball prizes.
You’re probably wondering: Why do prizes go unclaimed? Maybe the tickets involved get lost or misplaced. Maybe the player never checks them. Or maybe they only check to see if they’ve won the jackpot and don’t drill down to see that they can win other significant prizes (like $50,000)!
On our Unclaimed Prizes list on the Iowa Lottery website, you can see all the prizes of $600 or more in Iowa that are currently unclaimed in lotto and InstaPlay games. You can sort the list by game, place of purchase, prize amount, date of win, or date of expiration to key in on the details that matter most to you.
As of today, there are six prizes of $5,000 or more still waiting to be claimed in Iowa. The biggest one is a Lucky for Life® prize of $25,000 a year for life (or a $390,000 lump-sum option) that was won with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 641 Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids. There are about 10½ months to go until it would expire.
If you have any questions about claiming a prize, give us a call at 515-725-7900 or email us at wmaster@ialottery.com. And, please double-check your tickets!
In a slice-of-life moment, a northeast Iowa woman realized she’d left a $2 million-winning Powerball® ticket tucked into the sun visor of her car.
Karla and Keith Elenz of New Hampton claimed the $2 million prize today at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. Karla said they first got a head’s up about the big news when an email was sent Tuesday to all employees at the auto-parts manufacturing facility where they work. The Iowa Lottery had announced earlier that day that a $2 million prize was won in Monday’s Powerball drawing with a ticket purchased in the Chickasaw County community of about 3,500.
Karla, 53, said that in the email, her company shared the details about the lottery announcement and said they hoped the winner would be someone they knew. That prompted Karla to run out to her car in the parking lot, where she’d left a Powerball ticket in the sun visor.
She said she brought up the winning Powerball numbers on her mobile phone and compared those to the numbers on the ticket. Then she knew she had to find her husband.
Keith Elenz, 55, said he could tell Karla had something big to share, but in the rush of the moment, they understandably had a little trouble getting all the words out. He said his wife told him they won and he kept asking, “Won what?” When she told him she thought the prize was $2 million, Keith said his reaction was: “Noooo.”
The couple said they somehow kept the news to themselves for the rest of the afternoon, and then their communications difficulties took another amusing turn when they shared the details that evening with their family. Karla said her mom initially thought they’d won a $2,000 prize. Karla told her that she needed to keep adding more zeroes.
Karla and Keith both say that they plan to invest their winnings, continue working, and help local charities.
Karla bought their $2 million-winning ticket at Casey’s, 615 N. Linn Ave. in New Hampton. She chose her own numbers, playing a set that are significant to her. Their ticket was just one number away from having at least a share of Monday’s $26.8 million jackpot, initially matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball to win a $1 million prize.
But Karla also added the Power Play® option to the purchase, which multiplies the prize at the Match 5 level to $2 million. The New Hampton ticket was the only one in the country to win a $2 million prize in Monday’s drawing.
Monday’s winning numbers were 14-17-18-21-27 and Powerball 9. The Power Play option was 2. Casey’s will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket.
Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in northeast Iowa won a $2 million Powerball prize in last night’s drawing.
The $2 million-winning ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 615 N. Linn Ave. in New Hampton. The ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night’s $26.8 million jackpot.
The lucky ticket initially matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize. But whoever bought the ticket also added the Power Play® option to the purchase, which multiplies the prize at the Match 5 level to $2 million.
The New Hampton ticket was the only one in the country to win a $2 million prize in last night’s drawing.
Last night’s winning numbers were 14-17-18-21-27 and Powerball 9. The Power Play option was 2. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $38 million annuity ($26.4 million lump-sum option) for the game’s next drawing tomorrow night.
Casey’s will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket.
Prizes of $2 million must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday, and prize claims are currently available by appointment. The winner or winners of the New Hampton prize can call the lottery at 515-725-7900 to make an appointment to claim it.
Update on Jan. 6: Last night's Powerball jackpot, which ended up being even higher than the latest estimates heading into the drawing, was split by tickets in California and Wisconsin. The $632.6 million jackpot was the 7th-largest in the history of the game. Meanwhile, the Mega Millions® jackpot continues its run, currently at an estimated $278 million annuity, $193 million lump-sum value for that game's next drawing tomorrow.
Maybe it’s the cold weather sweeping across much of the country that’s got people looking for a chance to daydream, but something DEFINITELY has folks thinking about the jackpots in Powerball and Mega Millions.
The jackpots in both games have been raised even higher today, pushed up by strong sales across the country. Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is now an estimated $253 million annuity, $175.6 million lump-sum option.
And the Powerball jackpot for tomorrow night’s drawing is now an estimated $610 million annuity, $434.2 million lump-sum option. That’s the seventh largest jackpot in the history of the Powerball game.
3 Prizes Of $50K, 1 Of $20K Currently Unclaimed In Iowa
Now is a good time to remind you to double-check your tickets. And be sure to look for the other prizes you may have won, not just the jackpot! Three Powerball prizes of $50,000 and a Mega Millions prize of $20,000 won within the past six months are currently unclaimed in Iowa.
Each of the $50K-winning tickets was just one number away from the jackpot, matching four of the five white balls and the Powerball. And the $20K-winning Mega Millions ticket initially matched four of the five white balls and the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. But the player who bought the ticket also added the Megaplier option for an extra $1, which multiplied the prize to $20,000.
Here are the details about the unclaimed prizes involved:
$50K-winning ticket purchased at Casey’s, 3434 Nebraska Ave. in Council Bluffs, for the July 21 drawing.
$50K-winning ticket purchased at Kum & Go, 629 S. Division St. in Stuart, for the Oct. 23 drawing.
$50K-winning ticket purchased at Kwik Star, 205 N. Maryville St. in Calmar, for the Dec. 29 drawing.This prize was claimed Jan. 5. #WooHooForYou
$20K-winning ticket purchased at Casey’s, 4400 128th St. in Urbandale, for the Nov. 12 drawing.
Reminders For Office Pools
When the jackpots really get up there, a lot of folks start pooling their money to buy tickets as a group with co-workers, neighbors, or friends and family.
For example, one of our quick tips is for the person buying tickets on behalf of a group to keep a careful list of everyone who pitches in, how much money they contribute, and when! That can help answer any questions later about who was “in.”
It seems like Powerball® is top of mind for a whole lot of folks right now! Strong sales across the country during the New Year’s holiday weekend have pushed the jackpot even higher for tonight’s drawing.
Tonight’s jackpot is now an estimated $540 million annuity, $384.3 million lump-sum value.
There Are Monday Drawings?
And with the jackpot in the spotlight, we’ve gotten questions today from some people who didn’t realize Powerball has a Monday drawing. That change was made in August of last year. Powerball now has drawings every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The first Monday drawing in the game was held on Aug. 23, 2021.
Reminders For Office Pools
This is the point where a lot of folks decide to pool their money to buy tickets with co-workers, neighbors, or friends and family.
For example, one of our quick tips is for the person buying tickets on behalf of a group to keep a careful list of everyone who pitches in, how much money they contribute, and when! That can help answer any questions later about who was “in.”
3 Powerball Prizes of $50K Currently Unclaimed In Iowa
Three Powerball prizes of $50,000 won within the past six months are currently unclaimed in Iowa, and at the Iowa Lottery, we remind all our players to double-check their tickets!
Each of the $50K-winning tickets was just one number away from the jackpot, matching four of the five white balls and the Powerball.
Here are the details about the Powerball tickets involved:
$50K-winning ticket purchased at Casey’s, 3434 Nebraska Ave. in Council Bluffs, for the July 21 drawing.
$50K-winning ticket purchased at Kum & Go, 629 S. Division St. in Stuart, for the Oct. 23 drawing.
$50K-winning ticket purchased at Kwik Star, 205 N. Maryville St. in Calmar, for the Dec. 29 drawing.
If you watched the broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” you saw that a Pennsylvania player was selected as the $1 million winner in the special New Year’s Powerball® drawing live on air. But Iowa’s two finalists in the drawing say it was a fun night from start to finish. And they won prizes for being one of the five nationwide finalists.
In the images here, you can see Rob Long of Waterloo during the national television broadcast along with his wife, Heather, and their daughter, Rylie. And up in Titonka, Shari Beenken and her husband, Rod, were on TV with their children Jack, Madison and Katelyn.
THANK YOU to Rob and Shari for enjoying the moment and making the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year® drawing a ton of fun. After all, this was the first time that any state had more than one finalist for the $1 million prize!
Iowa’s finalists had two very different stories. Beenken, from a Kossuth County community of about 500, entered Powerball tickets in the drawing she purchased on her own, while Long entered tickets he bought on behalf of a group of his co-workers, friends and family who pool their money to buy tickets. He calls the group Lotto 22.
Rob, Shari and the other nationwide finalists received a $10,000 cash prize and a home party package also valued at $10,000, including a 70-inch LED TV, karaoke system and premium laptop computer. And then in the New Year’s drawing, Brian Mineweaser of Honey Brook, Pa., was selected as the $1 million winner.
UPDATE on Jan. 1, 2022: The $1 million winner was the finalist from Pennsylvania. Brian Mineweaser of Honey Brook, Pa., was selected in the drawing for the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year®.
Congratulations to Shari Beenken of Titonka and Rob Long of Waterloo, two of the five nationwide finalists for the $1 million prize! The winner will be announced live on air during ABC’s broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” from New York's Time Square. The drawing will be held about 12:15 a.m. EST in the new year.
We’ve add a new way for you to watch Powerball® drawings on the Iowa Lottery’s website.
Video of the Powerball drawings is now available on the Powerball page of our site. You can see the video boxes along the right side of the page. The top box, which has a blue background, shows a U.S. map with the areas highlighted where Powerball is played. The bottom box contains the actual footage of the latest Powerball drawing.
The drawings will stream live on our site as they occur at 9:59 p.m. Central time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Then once the livestream is completed, footage of the latest drawing will remain available on our site until the next Powerball drawing occurs. Once the footage of the new drawing is available, it will replace the previous version so that video of the most recent drawing is always available on our site.
The Powerball drawings are still televised in many areas, but with life feeling busier than ever these days, this new option gives you a place where you can always catch the latest drawing, live or on demand.
Here’s some exciting and unexpected news: Iowa has two of the five nationwide finalists for a $1 million prize that will be awarded in a special Powerball® drawing just after midnight in the New Year.
Iowa’s finalists have two very different stories. Shari Beenken of Titonka, a Kossuth County community of about 500, entered Powerball tickets in the promotion she purchased on her own, while Rob Long of Waterloo entered tickets he bought on behalf of a group of his co-workers, friends and family who pool their money to buy tickets. He calls the group Lotto 22.
With two players in the running, Iowa has a 40 percent chance of having the $1 million winner. The other finalists for the prize are from Illinois, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.
Shari, 57, is an office administrator at an Algona business. She said her heart was pounding, she had tears in her eyes and she was a bit in shock when she learned she was one of the finalists.
Rob, 50, is a warehouse associate in Waterloo, He said he also was shocked by the news, but then had fun sharing the details with his group. A lot of them didn’t know he’d entered their tickets in the promotion, and he said he loved seeing the surprise on people’s faces.
Iowa and 28 other lotteries in the Powerball game participated in this year’s edition of the First Millionaire of the Year promotion, which gave players the chance to enter their Powerball tickets for a shot at more winnings. Iowa Lottery players could enter tickets into the promotion back in September, and on Sept. 30, the Iowa Lottery selected 20 of them (including Beenken and Long) as semi-finalist winners of $2,500 each.
Those 20 Iowa winners along with the semi-finalists from the other states in the promotion were all then entered into a random drawing to determine the five finalists for the $1 million prize. And Iowa ended up with two of the five!
For being selected as a finalist, Shari and Rob each will receive a $10,000 cash prize and a home party package also valued at $10,000, including a 70-inch LED TV, karaoke system, premium laptop computer, and deluxe dinner for eight.
Rob held a drawing with the help of a member of his group and his wife to determine how the Lotto 22 would split up the home entertainment package. They put all the group members’ names in a bowl and selected winners of the merchandise prizes. The group is evenly splitting the $10,000 cash prize.
Shari said that if she’s the $1 million winner, she and her husband, Rod, plan to invest a majority of the winnings. But she said she’d spend a little of the money as well. She said she’s not extravagant, but she needs a new dishwasher.
If Rob is the $1 million winner, the prize will be split amongst his group, with each member receiving about $45,500 before taxes. Rob said that his wife, Heather, would like a newer vehicle, so his share of the winnings will likely go towards that. But he also has a purchase of his own in mind.
Rob said he’s an ‘80s guy who has always loved arcade games, and he wants his own Donkey Kong machine.
Shari, Rob and the other three finalists for the $1 million prize will be in their hometowns on New Year’s Eve. The national television broadcast will check in with them throughout the night. Then just after midnight EST, the $1 million winner will be announced!
For those wondering, here are the members of the Lotto 22:
From Clarksville: Scott Herrmann and Victor Herrmann From Denver: Bruce Gonnerman From Dunkerton: Michael Nicolaus and Nancy Smock From Independence: Bryan Cain and Kristen Kayser From Jesup: Ronald Kester From La Porte City: Bruce Long From Oelwein: Ellyn Perkins From Plainfield: Valeria Marks From Raymond: Randy Ruehs From Shell Rock: Grant Clark From Waterloo: Trish Bandfield, Mark Burke, Steven Foster, Kelvin Holmes, Rob Long, Nesffy Molina, Mike O’Connor, Martin Van Horn, Eric Woodward.
A player contacted us this week with a question we’ve seen in different versions through the years: Why are there more winners in this state-that state/big cities-small towns/East Coast-West Coast?
We think the root of the situation is that players won’t truly be satisfied unless THEY’RE the big winners. In reality, winners are determined by nothing other than pure, random chance. But population does factor in.
This particular player asked about Powerball, so I’ll concentrate here on details about lotto games. But the same general concept applies to any lottery game.
As background, 48 U.S. lotteries sell Powerball, 47 sell Mega Millions, and 13 sell Lotto America. The odds of winning in each game are the same for every ticket purchased, but there will be more winners in places where more tickets are being sold.
Another way of putting it is that if about 5 percent of lottery tickets are sold in a particular area, you expect to find about 5 percent of the overall winners there. That doesn't mean the players there are luckier, it just means that more tickets have been sold in that area, so there will be a larger corresponding number of winners there.
A state like New York (with a population of 20.4 million) or Florida (population 21.6 million) will see more winners than a smaller state like Iowa with a population of 3.2 million. Over time, lotteries will see a proportional number of winners comparative to their jurisdiction's population, and that has been the case in jackpot games.
Another obvious factor in the location of lottery winners is whether a state even has a lottery. Currently, there are five U.S. states that don't have one: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.
Update on Tuesday, Oct. 5: Last night's giant Powerball jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in California. And as I had referenced yesterday, strong sales across the country pushed the actual jackpot total past even the latest estimates made in advance. The final amount was $699.8 million annuity, $496 million lump-sum option. That's the 5th-largest prize in the Powerball game and the 7th-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
The giant Powerball® jackpot continues to climb, now at an estimated $685 million annuity, $485.5 million lump-sum amount, for tonight’s drawing. The official estimate was raised earlier today to its current amount, driven by strong sales during the weekend across the country.
The big prize is now the 6th-largest jackpot in the history of the Powerball game and the 8th-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. But in general, players buy the majority of tickets the day of a drawing, so it’s possible that tonight’s final jackpot amount will be higher than the advance estimates.
The Powerball jackpot has been growing for nearly four months. It was last won June 5 with a ticket purchased in Florida.
Drawing Details, And An Iowa Ticket That Came SO Close
The winning numbers in Saturday’s Powerball drawing were: 28-38-42-47-52 and Powerball 1. The Power Play number was 2. An Iowa ticket was just one number away from that night’s big prize and won $100,000.
The ticket initially matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. But whoever bought the ticket also added the Power Play® option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $100,000.
The $100,000-winning ticket was purchased at the Fareway supermarket at 1325 Albia Road in Ottumwa.
What Would $685 Million Look Like?
We calculated this for fun. Here is what $685 million in $1 bills would look like stacked up or stretched end to end:
A $1 bill is 0.0043 inches thick. That means $685 million in $1 bills would stretch 46.49 miles high. That’s way up there, but wouldn’t quite reach into space, which depending upon the definition used, begins at either 50 miles above sea level or 62 miles up.
And if they were lined up end to end, $685 million in $1 bills (each 6.14 inches long) would stretch for more than 66,380 miles. That’s enough to circle earth’s equator (24,901 miles) more than 2.5 times.
But could you actually get 685 million in $1 bills? Maybe. According to estimates, there are about 11.7 billion $1 bills in circulation in the United States.
General Reminders About How To Play
Giant jackpots bring a lot of first-timers and occasional players into the Powerball game. For those who want a refresher (or crash course), the Iowa Lottery keeps how-to-play videos on its website to provide the key points in just a couple minutes. Here is a direct link to that page: https://www.ialottery.com/Pages/Multimedia/HowToPlay.aspx
The deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for a Powerball drawing 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.
And, please remember to play responsibly. You only need one ticket to have a chance to win.
UPDATE 10/1/2021: The Powerball® jackpot for Saturday's drawing has just been raised to $635 million!
Have you heard? The Powerball jackpot has rolled again, this time climbing to the 6th-largest prize in the history of the game.
The jackpot for Saturday’s drawing now stands at an estimated $620 million annuity, $446 million lump-sum option. The big prize has been growing for nearly four months. It was last won in early June by a ticket in Florida.
When the jackpot reaches this level, we see two common themes in the questions coming our way: easy picks vs. your own numbers, and office pools.
Easy Pick: Yes or No?
At times like this when the jackpot really gets up there, folks reach out to ask us which has a better shot at winning – easy picks or numbers you choose yourself? The answer: The odds are the same for both. So just make the play that works for you. Here’s the background:
In lotto games like Powerball and Mega Millions®, you have the option of choosing your own numbers or letting the lottery terminal generate the numbers on your ticket. A play containing numbers selected by the lottery terminal is called an easy pick. A play containing numbers you choose is known as a manual play.
Through the years, more and more people have played easy picks because, well, they’re easy. You just ask for a ticket and it’s printed with the numbers in your play already selected. Today, more than 90 percent of the plays in Powerball and Mega Millions are easy picks.
And with easy picks making up more than 90 percent of the tickets purchased, they also make up more than 90 percent of winning tickets in the games. It doesn’t mean that easy picks are luckier, it’s simply that there are a lot more of them.
The odds of winning are the same for every ticket in our games, no matter the play type. So, if you want to choose your own numbers, go ahead and do that. Or, if you’d rather ask for an easy pick, feel free. It won’t impact your odds of winning a prize.
Reminders For Office Pools
This is the point where a lot of folks decide to pool their money to buy tickets with co-workers, neighbors, or friends and family.
For example, one of our quick tips is for the person buying tickets on behalf of a group to keep a careful list of everyone who pitches in, how much money they contributed, and when! That can help answer any questions later about who was “in.”
$50K Powerball Prize Still Unclaimed
Within the past week, two Iowa tickets were SO CLOSE to winning at least a share of the Powerball jackpot. They each were just one number off, matching four of the five white balls and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize.
One of those $50,000 prizes is still unclaimed, so double-check your tickets! The $50K-winning ticket was purchased at Git-N-Go, 209 E. Oskaloosa St. in Pella, for the Powerball drawing last Saturday (Sept. 25).
Update on Tuesday, Sept. 28: The Powerball jackpot continues to climb, now at an estimated $570 million annuity, $410.1 million lump-sum option, for tomorrow night's drawing. It's the 8th largest jackpot in the history of the game.
The Powerball jackpot is still on its big climb, but two Iowa tickets were so, so close to winning the giant prize in the past week. They each won $50,000, and the details about the stores that sold those tickets are below.
The Powerball jackpot stands at an estimated $545 million annuity, $392.1 million lump-sum option, for tonight’s drawing. It’s the 10th largest jackpot in the history of the game.
In the past week, two Iowa tickets were just one number away from winning the big prize. The tickets each matched four of the five white balls and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize.
First came a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 2070 NW 100th St. in Clive, which won a $50,000 prize in last Wednesday’s Powerball drawing. Then in Saturday’s drawing, a ticket purchased at Git-N-Go, 209 E. Oskaloosa St. in Pella, won $50K.
We’re excited to meet those winners -- and to see just how high the jackpot will go! Powerball’s grand prize hasn’t been this big since January, when dueling jackpot runs produced a $731.1 million Powerball jackpot won in Maryland and a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in Michigan.
Good luck, and remember, you only need one ticket to win!
Update on Thursday, Sept. 23: The Powerball jackpot continues to climb, now at an estimated $523 million annuity, $379 million lump-sum option, for Saturday's drawing. It's the 10th largest jackpot in the history of the game. Someone who bought a ticket in central Iowa came VERY close to winning Wednesday's jackpot. The lucky ticket was just one number away, matching four of the white balls and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. It was purchased at Casey's, 2070 NW 100th St. in Clive.
In the giant jackpot race, one of the big prizes has been hit but the other is still climbing.
Last night’s $431 million Mega Millions® jackpot was won by a ticket in New York, but the Powerball® jackpot continues to rise into the stratosphere.
The Powerball jackpot for tonight’s drawing is an estimated $490 million annuity, $355.1 million lump-sum option. This is the point where the jackpot tends to jump by big amounts between drawings as people all across the country are buying tickets, so it’s always fun to see if the jackpot has topped the advance estimate by the time the drawing takes place!
This is the highest the Powerball jackpot has been since January, when dueling jackpot runs produced a $731.1 million Powerball jackpot won in Maryland and a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in Michigan.
The Powerball jackpot has been rolling for more than three months. It was last won in Florida in the drawing on June 5.
Good luck with your tickets, and remember, it only takes one to win!
Playing Powerball® right now brings some extra fun to the mix. You’ll of course have a shot at the game’s big jackpots, and for the next three weeks, you can enter your Powerball tickets in the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year® promotion for a chance at 20 Iowa prizes of $2,500 cash plus the possibility of becoming the first Powerball millionaire of 2022!
The Powerball First Millionaire of the Year promotion started at 10 a.m. today, and the entry period runs through the morning of Sept. 28. Any Iowa Powerball ticket purchased on or after Sept. 1 is eligible for entry (winning and nonwinning tickets can both be entered).
Please note this important detail: Simply buying a Powerball ticket during the promotion period won’t automatically get you entered. You’ll need to buy a Powerball ticket in Iowa and then enter that ticket into the promotion through your VIP Club account. (Click here to join if you’re not already a member.)
Each eligible Powerball ticket entered will count as one entry into the promotion, regardless of the number of plays on it or how many drawings those plays may span.
We’ll hold the drawing Sept. 30 to determine the 20 Iowa winners of $2,500 cash. Each of those winners will also be eligible to become one of the five finalists nationwide for the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year drawing. The five national finalists will each receive a Celebrate@Home prize package valued at $20,000 and one of those finalists will be chosen as the $1 million winner as the First Powerball Millionaire of the Year.
Just after the ball drops to bring in the New Year, Powerball’s First Millionaire of the Year will be announced live on the broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” And yes, it could be you!
Aug. 25 update: The official results from Monday's Powerball drawing have been finalized and tickets in the game can again be checked and cashed. The estimated jackpot amount for tonight's Powerball drawing has also been updated.
The official results from last night’s Powerball® drawing have been delayed, meaning that tickets in the game can’t currently be checked or cashed in Iowa. This issue only involves Powerball – tickets in all other Iowa Lottery games can be processed as usual.
The Powerball drawing was held last night and the winning numbers from it are posted. But for the official draw results to be finalized, security protocols have to be met by all 48 lotteries in the game. Two lotteries outside of Iowa needed additional processing time. That has caused the current delay, and without the official results, the next estimated jackpot in the game can’t be set.
If you have a Powerball ticket, please hang onto it and we’ll provide an update when tickets in the game can be checked and cashed again.
We gave you the preview back in May, and now the time is almost here: Powerball’s first Monday drawing will happen next week.
Powerball is moving from two drawings per week up to three. The game will still have drawings on Wednesdays and Saturdays like it always has, and now Mondays will be part of the mix, too.
The changes in the game are designed to produce more winners and generate larger, faster-growing jackpots. But remember that while the additional drawings will create more chances to win, they won’t change Powerball’s prize levels, odds of winning, or ticket price.
Players in $2 Powerball will still choose their first five numbers from a pool of 69, and another number – called the Powerball – from a separate pool of 26. The Power Play® option is available for an extra $1 per play.
With the Monday drawings almost here, the countdown on advance plays in Powerball also will end soon. Normally, you can buy Powerball tickets for up to 10 consecutive drawings in advance in Iowa. But when a major change is made in one of our games, a standard part of the process is that advance plays are limited until the change takes effect. The procedure is designed to ensure that you have valid tickets for all upcoming drawings, both before and after the change.
Advance plays in Powerball are limited through tomorrow night. Once sales end for tomorrow’s night’s Powerball drawing, things will reset and you’ll be able to buy tickets for up to 10 drawings in advance again here in Iowa.
As the lottery’s vice president of external relations, I’m a member of the senior management team at the Iowa Lottery, where I’ve worked since 1999. I’ve spent my years at the lottery learning as much as I can about all the ins and outs of the lottery industry. I’ll put that knowledge to work here so I can share the behind-the-scenes details with you!