ialottery blog

Pssssst! After Six Months Without One, There’s A Big Jackpot

If you’ve felt like it’s been awhile since there’s been a giant jackpot in Powerball and Mega Millions, that’s because it has! But Mega Millions has some steam going right now, so we’ll all keep our eyes on that big prize.

What’s the backstory behind our recent “jackpot drought”?

There have been a lot of winners in Powerball and Mega Millions this year, and as luck would have it, the jackpots in both games have been won at what some would call a “lower level” these days. Now, that’s still in the tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars. But neither game’s jackpot has really climbed into the stratosphere since June.

Mega Millions has some steam going right now. Its jackpot has reached an estimated $372 million annuity, $251.6 million lump-sum option, for tonight’s drawing.

The last time the Mega Millions jackpot was this size or bigger was back in June, when it was won at $522 million in the drawing on June 7 with a ticket purchased in California.

And we can’t forget Powerball. It also has had a bit of a hiatus in gigantic jackpots. Powerball’s top prize hasn’t topped the $300 million mark since June 1, when it was won at $344.6 million with a ticket purchased in North Carolina.

The Powerball jackpot is at an estimated $160 million annuity, $108.7 million lump-sum option, for tomorrow night’s drawing.

Both games are working just as they should, and there will always be peaks and valleys in lottery jackpots. Maybe we just got spoiled with all the big jackpots we were seeing in the past couple years!

Conversation Starter: What Do Those Frequency Charts Mean?

Something we keep on our website for fun has sparked a lot of conversations over time, and while some folks swear they can use it to make predictions, it really and truly is just for fun. There’s no future-telling involved.

 

On our website, we have frequency charts that show the number of times a particular number has been selected in the drawings for our lotto games.

 

Do you like the number 8? It’s been selected 211 times as a white ball and 67 times as the Powerball since 1997. Are you partial to the number 39? It’s come up 84 times as a white ball and 11 times as the Mega Ball since 2010.

 

What’s all that indicate? Nothing, really. It’s just fun to track the drawing results. Lottery games and their drawings are based solely on random outcomes. There truly is no way to predict which numbers will be selected next in our games.

 

There’s only one “formula” that works when it comes to your chance of winning a lottery prize: You have to buy a ticket to have a chance to win!

 

So why is there such a variation in the number of times that certain numbers have been selected in lottery drawings? Part of it is just random statistics -- you really can’t predict which numbers will be drawn next. But a big part also is how long some of the numbers have been a part of the games.

 

Powerball and Mega Millions have both been redesigned several times through the years, with the numbers available to be played in them changing as the games have been updated.  Changes like that have a big impact on the number of times some numbers have been selected – or were even eligible to be selected in the drawings.

 

So, if you like the frequency charts in our lotto games, go right ahead and have fun with them. Click here for the frequency chart in Powerball, here for the chart in Mega Millions, here for the Lotto America chart, and here for the Lucky for Life chart.

 

You never know when your favorite number might move up on the list!

Feel-Good Friday: Two Inspiring Lottery Stories

Two lottery stories from this week are EXACTLY what we need for a feel-good Friday!

First up is the true tale of a Missouri bartender who got a huge, unexpected tip from a customer: a Powerball ticket that won a $50,000 prize! Taylor Russey of O’Fallon, Mo., said that one of the bar’s regulars buys tickets for everyone in the place every now and then. This time around, the ticket that the customer gave Russey won $50,000. Her ticket matched four of the white balls plus the Powerball in the Oct. 19 drawing to win the prize.

Next up is a North Carolina man who was on his way to his last chemotherapy appointment when he won a $200,000 lottery prize. Ronnie Foster of Pink Hill, N.C., said he saw a lot of zeroes on his scratch ticket and he just froze.

Foster said he was already happy because he was on his way to his last round of chemo, but winning the lottery officially made it his lucky day.

Good vibes to send us all into the weekend!

One Year Ago: Iowa’s Largest Powerball Jackpot Winner

Here at the lottery, we’re always looking ahead in our quest to deliver fun and exciting games for you, while responsibly raising revenue for the state of Iowa.

But every once in a while it’s fun to look back at where we’ve been, and a year ago at this time, we were having a lot of fun! This Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of Iowa’s biggest Powerball winner.

Lerynne West of Redfield won a $343.9 million jackpot prize in the Oct. 27, 2018, Powerball drawing, splitting the prize with a ticket purchased in New York. Lerynne, who became Iowa’s ninth Powerball jackpot winner, purchased her winning ticket at Casey’s, 425 Second St. in Redfield, a Dallas County community of about 830.

Nine days later, we had a lot of fun celebrating with her and her family when she came in to claim her prize. We were also touched by her desire to use her winnings to make a difference for others.

As we’ve mentioned before, we love hearing from you. So, tell us: Are you aiming for a Mega Millions, Powerball or Lotto America jackpot this weekend? And what would you do if you won?

 

17 Football Ticket Packages On the Line In ‘Kinnick Gridiron Giveaway’

Seventeen football-ticket prize packages to next month’s Illinois-Iowa game are on the line in a new promotion from the Iowa Lottery that just started.

From today through the morning of Nov. 12, lottery players who buy Powerball® tickets in Iowa can enter the “Kinnick Gridiron Giveaway” for a chance to win one of 17 prize packages to the Illinois-Iowa football game Nov. 23 in Iowa City.

Each prize package includes two tickets for seats in a VIP area in the North End Zone at Kinnick Stadium, food and nonalcoholic drinks during the game, $100 spending cash, and two bags with University of Iowa and Iowa Lottery swag.

Please note that simply buying a Powerball ticket during the promotion period won’t automatically enter you into the promotion. You’ll need to buy a Powerball ticket in Iowa anytime from today through 8:59 a.m. Nov. 12. Then, you’ll enter that ticket into the promotion through your VIP Club account. (Click here to join if you’re not already a member.) And remember, you can enter both winning AND nonwinning Powerball tickets!    

Each eligible Powerball ticket entered will count as one entry into the promotion, regardless of the number of plays on it or the drawings that those plays may span.

We’ll hold the drawing Nov. 13 to determine the Iowa Lottery winners who will be going to the Hawkeyes’ final home game of the year. Each trip prize package is valued at more than $1,000.

The Four Iowa Winners Going To NYC For New Year’s Are …

We held the drawing today to select the four Iowa winners who will go to New York City to ring in 2020 and have a shot at becoming the first Powerball Millionaire of the Year!

The winners are:

        Debb Pille, Carroll
        Linda Schellhorn, Elk Run Heights
        Deb Simpson, West Liberty
        Barb Wall, Hazel Green

From Sept. 4 through Monday, members of our free VIP Club could enter the Powerball New Year’s Rockin’ Eve promotion for a chance to win one of four trip packages to ring in 2020 in NYC. Each exclusive trip for two includes round-trip airfare; a three-night hotel stay in Times Square; two tickets to an NYC theater performance; a holiday dinner cruise on the Hudson River; $1,000 spending cash; and New Year’s Eve festivities including dinner, the Times Square party, and viewing of the iconic ball-drop.

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 with Ryan Seacrest 2020.” It could be one of the Iowa winners – we’ll all have to wait and see that night!

Lotteries from across the country are participating in the Powerball New Year’s Rockin’ Eve celebration and each is sending players to NYC for the party. The $1 million winner will be one of those trip winners.

Did You Notice? Something Unusual Happened In Powerball

Something pretty unusual has happened twice now in Powerball in just the past two weeks. Did you catch it?

Last night’s $80 million jackpot was won with a ticket in New York, but that’s not what I’m talking about. The unusual thing has to do with the Power Play feature in the game.

The 10X was selected as the Power Play multiplier in last night’s drawing and in the drawing a week earlier, on Aug. 28.

Overall, the 10X has been selected as the Power Play number just four times: once in 2017, once in 2018, and now twice so far in 2019.

When you add the Power Play option to your Powerball ticket, it will multiply any prize you win (except the Match 5 prize and the jackpot) by the number selected as the Power Play multiplier in that night’s drawing. A Powerball ticket costs $2 per play, and you can add the Power Play option for an extra $1 per play. 

When the Powerball drawing occurs, the first five numbers and the Powerball are selected by the iconic ball-drawing equipment we’ve all seen through the years, and there is a separate drawing to determine the Power Play number.   

In last night’s drawing, the Power Play number was 10, so the lucky folks who added the Power Play option to their tickets won 10 times the regular amount of their prize!

Here in Iowa, a total of 1,612 plays won prizes last night that were multiplied by 10X. The biggest of them was at the Match 4 level, meaning that the ticket involved matched four of the first five numbers and missed the Powerball. That ticket initially won a $100 prize, but with the Power Play option added, it won $1,000!

It’s relatively unusual for 10X to be selected as the Power Play multiplier because it’s not always available. When the jackpot for the next Powerball drawing is an estimated $150 million or less, a 10X is added to the pool of numbers that can be selected as the Power Play. When the jackpot in the game is more than $150 million, the 10X feature isn’t available, so the multipliers in the pool are 2X-5X.

With the 10X included, there are 43 numbers in the Power Play pool. Of those numbers, 24 are 2s, 13 are 3s, three are 4s, two are 5s, and one is a 10. Here’s what that looks like in table form:

43 Numbers In Power Play Pool
2X = 24
3X = 13
4X = 3
5X = 2
10X = 1

(When the 10X isn’t included, there are 42 numbers in the Power Play pool, and the breakdown of the rest remains the same.)

So, does it stand to reason that the Power Play number will be 2 more often? Yes. But the other multipliers also have a shot. And sometimes the 10X will come up!

Expiration Date Coming Close For $50,000 Powerball Prize In Central Iowa

A $50,000 Powerball prize in central Iowa will expire in about a month if it isn’t claimed in time and we’re reminding players to double-check their tickets.

The $50,000 unclaimed prize was won in the drawing on Sept. 1, 2018, with a ticket purchased at Fareway, 5500 E. University Ave. in Pleasant Hill. The ticket came close to winning that night’s $90 million jackpot, matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. The winning numbers that night were: 11-54-55-61-66 and Powerball 9.

Players in Iowa have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes in the Powerball game. But if the expiration date falls on a weekend or holiday when the lottery’s offices are closed, the winner has until the close of business on the next business day to turn in the ticket.

The Pleasant Hill ticket would have expired Sept. 1, but since that date is a Sunday and Sept. 2 is the Labor Day holiday, the winner or winners have until 4 p.m. Sept. 3 to claim the $50,000 prize at a lottery office.

The money from 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.

34 Years In The Making: Iowa Lottery Sets Records

The Iowa Lottery has just posted the best annual results in its 34-year history.

Lottery sales, proceeds to state causes, prizes to players, and retail commissions all set records in fiscal year 2019, which ended June 30. We think the results deliver on our promise to responsibly raise revenues for the state causes that are important to us all.

Click on the video above to see our thank-you message to our players, our retailers, and really, anyone who has an interest in the Iowa Lottery.

Our preliminary figures out today show that the Iowa Lottery generated a record $92.8 million in proceeds to state causes in FY 2019. Annual lottery sales were a record $390.9 million, while prizes to players totaled a record $241.9 million. Lottery sales commissions to the local businesses across Iowa that sell our tickets totaled $25.4 million, also a record.

Scratch games have always been the lottery's leading product category and led the way again in FY 2019, with those games accounting for a record $250.6 million in sales in Iowa. 

The lottery retailer with the most sales in Iowa was again the Hy-Vee store at 20 Wilson Ave. in Cedar Rapids. That location has been the No. 1 lottery retailer in Iowa for five straight years, and it sold nearly $950,000 in lottery tickets in FY 2019.

The largest prize won by an Iowa Lottery player in FY 2019 was a $343.9 million Powerball jackpot, and six other prizes of at least $1 million also were won in the state during the year. 

Iowa Co-Workers Celebrate $1 Million Win

Eleven members of the Cedar Rapids office pool sharing the $1 million prize in the “Woo Hoo A Million For You Giveaway” had fun celebrating today as they claimed the group’s winnings!

An Anamosa woman made the winning entry into the promotion on behalf of her office pool at Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids. The 34 co-workers in the office pool who call themselves The Dream Big Team each received about $29,000 before taxes.

Click on the video above to see the team members tell their story!

From May 29 through last Tuesday morning, lottery players could enter the Woo Hoo A Million For You Giveaway with any Powerball ticket they purchased in Iowa during that three-week timeframe. Players made a total of 165,265 entries into the promotion.

Laurie Ginder purchased the ticket that became the $1 million-winning entry at Casey’s, 500 E. Main St. in Anamosa. Casey’s will receive a $1,000 bonus from the lottery for selling that lucky ticket at one of its stores. 

This is the fifth lottery prize of at least $1 million won in Iowa so far in 2019.

Eastern Iowa Woman Wins Promotion’s $1 Million Prize, Will Split With Office Pool

An eastern Iowa woman won the $1 million prize in our “Woo Hoo A Million For You Giveaway” with a ticket she bought on behalf of her office pool.

We held the promotion’s prize drawing today, and an entry that Laurie Ginder of Anamosa made on behalf of her office pool was selected as the $1 million winner. Laurie and the 33 other co-workers in her office pool at Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids call themselves The Dream Big Team. 

Click on the video above to see Laurie’s reaction when Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn called to share the big news with her.

In April, a $1 million Powerball® prize expired in central Iowa without being claimed. The Iowa Lottery had issued several reminders about that unclaimed prize and held repeated events at the Nevada store where the winning ticket was purchased, but a winner never came forward.

Under Iowa law, the money from lottery prizes that expire without being claimed goes into the lottery’s prize pools for future games and promotions, so the lottery decided to hold a promotion this spring to give away the $1 million. The promotion’s name was a nod to the lottery’s long-time catch phrase of “Woo Hoo For You™.”

From May 29 through yesterday morning, lottery players could enter the promotion with any Powerball ticket they had purchased in Iowa during that three-week timeframe. Players made a total of 165,265 entries into the promotion.

Laurie purchased the ticket that became her office pool's $1 million winning entry at Casey’s, 500 E. Main St. in Anamosa. Casey’s will receive a $1,000 bonus from the lottery for selling that lucky ticket. 

This is the fifth lottery prize of at least $1 million to be won in Iowa so far in 2019.

Entries Have Ended & The $1 Million Prize Drawing Is Tomorrow!

Entries have ended in the “Woo Hoo A Million For You Giveaway,” and the prize drawing to determine the $1 million winner will be tomorrow!

Iowa Powerball players made a total of 165,265 entries in the promotion during its three-week entry period that closed at 8:59 a.m. today. I’d say the possibility of winning a $1 million prize in an Iowa-only promotion definitely caught people’s attention!

You’ll obviously want to know who won the big prize as quickly as possible – and we want that, too! Just know that behind the scenes, there are layers of security protocols involved and details that have to be double-checked. We do our best to complete the process as quickly as possible, but that work takes some time.

That’s why in the rules for the promotion, we explain that we’ll post the winner’s name on the lottery website by the end of the day on Thursday, or as soon as the information is available. We’ll announce the details just as soon as we can!

We’ll reach out directly to the $1 million winner at the email address provided in their VIP Club account and we’ll also call that person.

There’s no annuity option for the $1 million prize in the promotion, meaning that the winner will receive a check from the lottery for the net prize amount after withholdings. Here in Iowa, 24 percent federal withholding applies (which in the case of the $1 million prize is $240,000) along with 5 percent state withholding ($50,000 in this instance), so the winner will receive a prize check from the Iowa Lottery for $710,000.

The winner will need to claim the prize in person at lottery headquarters in Clive by 4 p.m. on June 27. Good luck to everyone in tomorrow’s drawing, and thank you for playing!

The Latest Player Mail Questions About Our $1 Million Promotion

Entries have been coming in for a little more than a week now in our “Woo Hoo A Million For You Giveaway,” and players have been asking some really good questions about the promotion, too. I’m sharing the Q-and-A here on the blog so you’ll have the same info.!

Q: Why can’t I enter a ticket from the May 29 Powerball drawing?

A: The ticket must have been purchased on May 29 or after to be eligible for entry into the promotion. A ticket from the May 29 Powerball drawing may have been purchased on an earlier date, so double-check the details on your ticket.  

Q: If I have a winning Powerball ticket, doesn’t the retail location keep the ticket after it is cashed?

A: Yes, that’s what happens. Iowa Lottery retail locations keep the winning tickets they cash for accounting and security purposes. So if you want to enter a winning Powerball ticket into the promotion, be sure to do that BEFORE you claim the prize.    

Q: Do I need to keep my Powerball tickets after I enter them into the promotion?

A: No. The entry itself provides the information we’ll need in the promotion drawing. (Just be sure to keep the ticket until after the Powerball drawing you bought it for so you can check to see if you won a prize in that drawing.)

Q: I want to enter the promotion, but I can’t access your website.

A: Were you at work when you tried to log onto the lottery’s website? Many employers block access through their networks to any gambling-related website, and that applies when you’re using your own device through the company’s wifi or you’re on a computer directly connected to the company network. You may get several different error messages in that situation. Try accessing our website from home, where you’ll be using your own Internet connection.

Q: Can I enter tickets from other lotto games in the promotion? What about Powerball tickets from other states?

A: Tickets in any game other than Powerball are ineligible, and will be disqualified from the promotion drawing. Powerball tickets from other states also aren’t eligible. Only Powerball tickets purchased IN IOWA during the promotion’s entry period from May 29 through 8:59 a.m. on June 18 are eligible.

Q: If I bought a Powerball ticket in Iowa, does that mean I’m automatically entered in the promotion?

A: No. You have to be a member of the lottery’s free VIP Club and enter your ticket into your VIP Club account to be entered. If you’re not already a member, click here to join.

Q: My Powerball ticket was good for more than one drawing. Does that mean I’ll get multiple entries in the promotion?

A: No. Each eligible ticket entered counts as one entry into the promotion, regardless of the number of plays on it or the number of Powerball drawings for which the ticket is eligible. To put it another way, 1 ticket = 1 entry.

Only In Iowa: Powerball Players Have Chance At $1 Million Prize

Now is your chance: For the next three weeks, Powerball® players in Iowa can enter a promotion for a shot at a $1 million prize.

Any Powerball ticket purchased in Iowa from today through 8:59 a.m. on June 18 can be entered into the “Woo Hoo A Million For You Giveaway.” After the three-week entry period, we’ll hold a drawing on June 19 to determine the winner of the promotion’s $1 million prize.

Call it our version of recycling! Back in April, a $1 million Powerball prize expired in central Iowa without being claimed. Someone bought that ticket at a Casey’s store in Nevada for the Powerball drawing on April 11, 2018. But the prize was never claimed, so it expired on April 11 of this year.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a $1 million prize has ever gone unclaimed in Iowa. We repeatedly called attention to the prize to try to find the winner, and now we’re dedicating our efforts to ensuring that this prize money finds its way to a new Iowa Lottery winner.

This is a truly Iowa-made effort: Our leadership team at the Iowa Lottery thought through how we could give away this $1 million, one of the district sales representatives in our Cedar Rapids office came up with the promotion name, and only Powerball tickets purchased in Iowa can be entered into the promotion for a shot at the prize.

Please note this important detail: Simply buying a Powerball ticket during the next three weeks won’t automatically enter you into the promotion. You have to be a member of the lottery’s free VIP Club and enter your ticket in your VIP Club account to be entered. Click here for a direct link to the VIP Club homepage where you can find details about joining if you’re not already a member. 

You’ve heard us say many times that the money from lottery prizes that expire without being claimed in Iowa goes into our prize pools for future games and promotions. Well, this big unclaimed prize gives us the chance to demonstrate that!

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 the plays may span.

The lottery retailer that sells the promotion’s $1 million-winning ticket will receive a $1,000 bonus from the lottery. That also was the case with the $1 million ticket in Nevada: Even though it was never claimed, Casey’s still got a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling that ticket at one of its stores. Our retailers work hard every day to sell our tickets, and this is one more way we can thank them.

We know that Iowa has faced some really challenging weather-related events this year, and folks in a large swath of our state are still finding their way through those difficulties. Maybe the buzz surrounding this unclaimed prize mystery and new promotion can give us all a short break to think about something else – and then as Iowans, we’ll get back to work to ensure our state recovers. And the Iowa Lottery will keep doing its best to raise proceeds to help with vital state causes right here at home.

Des Moines-Area Man Claims $2 Million Powerball Prize

A Des Moines-area man is Iowa’s fourth big winner of the year. Robert ‘Rob’ Maser of Urbandale is a regular lotto player. When he realized he’d won a $2 million prize in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, he called to tell his family and friends. Problem was, they didn’t believe him!

Rob called his dad and told him he’d won the lottery and said he was keeping his promise to buy him a boat if he ever won big. His dad called him a liar.

Rob then took photos of his winning-ticket receipt and sent them to his dad, wife and others so they’d know it was real.

He said this win will be going toward retirement. He doesn’t have plans to quit his day job but he does plan to take care of a few things around the house, like new carpet and paint.

Rob bought his winning ticket at Kum & Go, 4585 156th St. in Urbandale, where's he's a regular. He went there to scan his ticket first thing this morning and even the staff there didn’t believe it at first. Once they realized he really did win, they were very happy for him and took a few photos. The Kum & Go store will receive a $2,000 bonus check for selling the $2 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

He said he always adds the multiplier options to his lotto tickets in case a win just like this came up. He said he would have been disappointed if he’d only won  $1 million knowing it could have been $2 million for an extra buck. He initially matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize. But sine he added the Power Play® option to his purchase, it multiplied his prize to $2 million.

Wednesday’s winning numbers were: 7-17-33-61-68 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 2. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $270 million annuity ($168.9 million lump-sum option) for Saturday. The Urbandale ticket was the only one in the country to win a $2 million prize in Wednesday’s drawing.

Des Moines-Area Ticket Wins $2 Million Powerball Prize

Someone who bought a Powerball® ticket at a Des Moines-area convenience store won a $2 million prize in last night’s drawing.

It’s the fourth prize of at least $1 million won in Iowa so far this year.

The $2 million-winning ticket was purchased at Kum & Go, 4585 156th St. in Urbandale. The ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night’s $250.3 million Powerball jackpot.
 
The 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 multiplied the prize to $2 million. The Urbandale 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: 7-17-33-61-68 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 2. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $270 million annuity ($168.9 million lump-sum option) for Saturday.
 
Kum & Go will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

Prizes of $2 million must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday. If you think you’re the big winner and you have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, please feel free to give us a shout at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or wmaster@ialottery.com.

This latest big win in Iowa comes about a month after the last one. In late April, a Sioux City woman claimed a $1 million prize she’d won in the Mega Millions® game.

Later This Spring, We’ll Give Away That $1 Million Unclaimed Prize

Lottery players in Iowa will get another shot at the money from that $1 million prize that expired last week without being claimed.

On Thursday, the prize-claim deadline passed for a $1 million Powerball® prize won in April 2018 in central Iowa. We had issued several reminders about the unclaimed prize and held events at the Nevada store where the winning ticket was purchased, but a winner never came forward.

So later this spring, the lottery will give players another chance to win the money.

From May 29 through June 18, 2019, Iowa Lottery players will be able to enter a promotion called the “Woo Hoo A Million For You Giveaway” for a chance to win the $1 million prize. Any Powerball ticket purchased in Iowa during that three-week period will be eligible for entry. The drawing for the promotion’s $1 million prize will be held June 19. (You likely already picked up on the fact that the promotion’s name is a nod to the lottery’s long-time catch phrase of “Woo Hoo For You.”)

We believe this is the first time that a $1 million prize has gone unclaimed in the lottery’s 34-year history. Under Iowa law, the money from unclaimed lottery prizes goes into the lottery’s prize pools for future games and promotions. So with this one-time, $1 million giveaway, we’re putting that into action!

The $1 million prize was won in the Powerball drawing on April 11, 2018, with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 1800 S. B Ave. in Nevada. The ticket matched the first five numbers that night but missed the Powerball. The winner or winners had until the close of business at 4 p.m. on Thursday (April 11, 2019) to claim the $1 million prize at lottery headquarters in Clive. We repeatedly called attention to the unclaimed prize during the past year, and now we’ll dedicate our efforts to making sure that this prize money finds its way to a new Iowa Lottery winner.

Casey’s received a $1,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the $1 million prize at one of its stores, and that payment was made shortly after the prize was won.

There’s another distinction that also applies to this particular unclaimed prize money: When a jackpot prize in Powerball expires without being claimed, the money is returned to the states in the game in proportion to the percentage of sales that came from each state. But because the $1 million prize that expired was at Powerball’s Match 5 level, the entire $1 million will remain in Iowa to be given away as a prize here.    

When the promotion starts on May 29, we’ll have the rules and full details on our website at www.ialottery.com.

That $1 Million Prize Expired Without Being Claimed. So Now What?

We tried and we tried and we TRIED to find the winner of that $1 million prize in central Iowa, but it expired yesterday without being claimed. It’s a sad-but-exciting moment because it means you’ll get another shot at that money.

We’re working out the final details now about how we’ll give away the unclaimed prize money. Check back here for our big announcement at 10:30 a.m. Monday!

We’re Down To The Final Days For An Unclaimed $1 Million Prize In Central Iowa

Just a few days are left for a $1 million Powerball® prize won in central Iowa to be claimed, and this is our last-chance reminder for players to double-check their tickets.

We’ve been talking about it for nearly a year now, we’ve held events at the store where the winning ticket was sold, and we’ve had a sign in the window there for months about the prize, but so far, no one has come forward to claim it.

The winner has until the close of business at 4 p.m. this Thursday (April 11, 2019) to claim the $1 million prize at lottery headquarters in Clive.

Here are the details about it: The $1 million prize was won in the Powerball drawing on April 11, 2018, with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 1800 S. B Ave. in Nevada. It came close to winning that night’s $89.7 million jackpot, matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball. The winning numbers that night were: 16-18-27-55-67 and Powerball 18. The Power Play® number was 3.

In fiscal year 2018, more than $1.4 million in lottery prizes expired without being claimed here in Iowa. The money from unclaimed prizes in our state 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.

All Those Awesome ‘Bucket List’ Answers

We’ve had a question posted on social media for the past couple days, asking folks what they’d cross off their bucket list if they won tonight’s Powerball jackpot (estimated $750 million annuity, $465.5 million lump-sum option). The answers have been off-the-charts awesome!

A woman named Angie just replied with a GIF of an airplane flying all around the world. A woman named Mindy said she would go to see every volcano in the world. A guy named Chris said he’d immediately donate at least $250K to his favorite charity. A woman named Jaci said she’d take a “long, long, long sandy vacation.”

The answers just kept getting better:

Linda said she’d buy her town a new water tower with the community’s name on it and use her winnings to save the bees. Brandon said he’d use his winnings to buy land so he could make his own neighborhood for his family. Brian said he’d just enjoy being worry free about finances.

Heidi said she’d help stray animals. Jamilynn said she’d buy a huge building and turn it into a homeless shelter while also paying for college for her own children and nieces and nephews. Rick said he’d do whatever he wanted. Christian is looking forward to a flying Ironman suit and a personal space shuttle. 

As always, Iowans’ generosity came through in their answers, with person after person saying they’d help family and friends, charity, their church and their community.

One of the most creative answers I saw was from a man named Scott, who applied a little psychology to the situation: If he wins the Powerball jackpot tonight, he says he’ll be able to cross winning the lottery off his bucket list. Well played, Scott. Well played!

$1 Million Powerball Prize About To Expire!

Here is video from our event yesterday to highlight the $1 million prize that’s nearing its expiration date in central Iowa! We’re hoping to jog someone’s memory who purchased a Powerball ticket at this Casey’s in Nevada for the drawing on April 11, 2018, and won $1 million! The deadline to claim the prize is at 4 p.m. on April 11, 2019. Is it YOU?

Just 1 Month Is Left For Unclaimed $1 Million Prize In Central Iowa

It’s crunch time now.

There’s just a month to go for a $1 million Powerball® prize won in central Iowa, so we’re issuing another reminder for players to double-check their tickets. We held a news conference today in Nevada at the store where the $1 million-winning ticket was sold in the hopes that we can jog someone’s memory that they may have the winning ticket.  

The $1 million prize was won in the Powerball drawing on April 11, 2018, with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 1800 S. B Ave. in Nevada. It came close to winning that night’s $89.7 million jackpot, matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball. The winning numbers that night were: 16-18-27-55-67 and Powerball 18. The Power Play® number was 3.
 
The winner or winners have until the close of business at 4 p.m. on April 11, 2019, to claim the $1 million prize at lottery headquarters in Clive.

Casey’s received a $1,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the $1 million prize at one of its stores.

One other ticket that won a prize of at least $50,000 is unclaimed in Iowa and will expire within the next six months if the winner(s) don’t come forward in time to claim it. Here are details about that ticket:

Game           Prize Drawing                      Amount Won            Retailer                            Expiration
Powerball     Sept. 1, 2018                        $50,000                      Fareway, Pleasant Hill     Sept. 2, 2019 

If you think you’ve won an Iowa Lottery prize and have questions before coming forward to claim it, please reach out to us at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or wmaster@ialottery.com.
  
In fiscal year 2018, more than $1.4 million in lottery prizes went unclaimed in Iowa. The money from unclaimed prizes in our state 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.

 

Illinois Woman Claims $2 Million Powerball Prize She Won In Burlington

The winner of the $2 million Powerball prize this month in southeast Iowa is an Illinois woman who was in Burlington shopping when she decided to buy a Powerball ticket.

Lisa Hays of Monmouth, Ill., said she plans to buy a house and a new car and get a big jump start on her retirement planning now that she’s claimed her lottery prize.

Lisa said she was shopping when she decided to buy two Powerball plays on one ticket for the Feb. 9 Powerball drawing. She won $12 on the first play by matching just the Powerball, and $2 million on her second play by matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball. She said she realizes that if the numbers from the two plays had been combined differently, she could have won that night’s jackpot.

But she also says that $2 million is great, and she’s been freaking out about her win!

Lisa said she looked up the winning numbers the day after the drawing and initially was happy with a $12 win. Then she noticed what she’d matched on the next line of numbers on her ticket. She said she was having trouble believing her eyes, so she called her mom and had her double-check the results.

Lisa bought her winning Powerball ticket at Hy-Vee, 3140 Agency St. in Burlington. Because she had added the Power Play® option to her purchase, her initial winnings were multiplied. The $4 she initially won for matching just the Powerball was multiplied to $12, while her $1 million prize for matching the first five numbers on a different play was doubled to $2 million.   

Lisa, 49, who works as a teacher, said she buys Powerball tickets when the jackpot really gets up there, and she generally uses the easy-pick option, which lets the lottery terminal determine the numbers printed on her ticket.  

The winning numbers in the Feb. 9 Powerball drawing were: 1-2-3-7-39 and Powerball 25. No one matched all six numbers that night to win the jackpot and the big prize has continued to climb since then, now standing at an estimated $282 million annuity ($171.4 million lump-sum option) for Wednesday.

Hy-Vee will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

Earlier this month, a Quad-Cities man claimed a $1 million Mega Millions prize with a ticket he purchased at a central-Iowa convenience store for that game’s Jan. 15 drawing. Danny Lovett, a trucker driver from East Moline, Ill., claimed his $1 million prize on Feb. 4. 

And, another big Powerball prize in central Iowa is still unclaimed 10 months after it was won. That $1 million prize was won with a ticket purchased in Nevada for the Powerball drawing on April 11, 2018. Powerball prizes won in Iowa must be claimed within 365 days of the drawing for which they were won, so the Nevada prize will expire in about two months – at 4 p.m. on April 11 – if it’s not claimed before then.

Burlington Ticket Wins $2 Million Prize

Someone who bought a Powerball® ticket at a Burlington supermarket won a $2 million prize in last night’s drawing. It’s Iowa’s second big lottery winner in a month.
 
The $2 million-winning ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee, 3140 Agency St. in Burlington. The lucky ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night’s $223.6 million jackpot.

The 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 multiplied the prize to $2 million. The Burlington 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: 1-2-3-7-39 and Powerball 25. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $242 million annuity ($148.1 million lump-sum option) for Wednesday.

Hy-Vee will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

Prizes of $2 million have to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are closed on the weekend, so tomorrow is the first day that the prize can claimed. If you think you have the winning ticket and have questions, please feel free to contact us at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or Wmaster@ialottery.com.

Earlier this month, a Quad-Cities man claimed a $1 million Mega Millions® prize with a ticket he bought at a central-Iowa convenience store for that game’s Jan. 15 drawing. Danny Lovett, a trucker driver from East Moline, Ill., claimed his $1 million prize on Feb. 4.
 
And, another big Powerball prize in central Iowa is still unclaimed 10 months after it was won. That $1 million prize was won with a ticket purchased in Nevada for the Powerball drawing on April 11, 2018. Powerball prizes in Iowa have to be claimed within 365 days of the drawing, so the Nevada prize will expire in about two months – at 4 p.m. on April 11 – if it’s not claimed before then.

These Lucky Ducks Have Gotten A Break From Winter

I will admit this photo makes me jealous right now as we brave snow and frigid temps here in Iowa.
 
This bunch of Iowa winners has been someplace much, MUCH warmer this week, enjoying the Caribbean cruise vacation they won in last year’s “Power Cruise” promotion.

We got this group shot of our winners onboard the Royal Caribbean® “Majesty of the Seas®.” They’re just getting back today to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from their five-night cruise!

Seriously. Is It YOU? Unclaimed $1 Million Powerball Prize Hits 9-Month Mark

As of today, it’s been nine months since a $1 million Powerball prize was won in central Iowa, and it’s still unclaimed.

Someone bought the lucky ticket at Casey’s, 1800 S. B Ave. in Nevada, for the Powerball drawing on April 11, 2018, and ended up matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball that night to win the $1 million prize. In a community of about 6,800, we know people have been talking about it! The staff at the Casey’s store say it’s something they’re asked about nearly every day.     

Since the prize was won, we’ve held a news conference at the store, put up signs there, and issued several other reminders, all in the hope that we’d jog the winner’s memory and they’d come to lottery headquarters with the lucky ticket. But so far, we’ve heard nothing but crickets!

There’s still time to claim the prize. Players have 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim Powerball prizes here in Iowa. So, the $1 million prize must be claimed at our headquarters office in Clive by 4 p.m. on April 11. But with more and more time going by, we’re afraid that the ticket may have been lost or thrown away. We’re reminding everyone to double-check their tickets. Heck, triple- and quadruple-check them! 

The winning numbers in the drawing on April 11, 2018, were: 16-18-27-55-67 and Powerball 18. The Power Play number was 3.

So what will happen to the money if the prize isn’t claimed in time? Here in Iowa, unclaimed prize money goes into the lottery’s prize pools for future games and promotions. So, it will be used for prizes, just not that particular prize that expired.     

Winning a prize of this size can raise questions for the winner(s). If you think you have the winning ticket, you’re welcome to reach out to us at 515-725-7900 or wmaster@ialottery.com.

2 Powerball Prizes Of $100,000 Won At Stores Less Than 2 Miles Apart

It’s a week where we’ve seen patterns emerge here at the lottery! On Monday, I blogged about two winners who both talked about fake tickets as they claimed their prizes. (Their tickets were real, and they both took home big prizes). Today, a different pattern has jumped out at us: Two big Powerball prizes were won in the past week at central Iowa stores less than 2 miles apart!

Yesterday, Jacob Carpenter of Des Moines claimed a $100,000 prize he won in last Saturday’s Powerball drawing with a ticket he bought at Casey’s, 2070 NW 100th St. in Clive.

And in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, someone who bought a ticket at the QuikTrip at 9915 Douglas Ave. in Urbandale also won a $100,000 prize. That ticket is still unclaimed.

We mapped it out, and the two stores are a little more than a mile apart.

Both tickets initially won $50,000 by matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. But the Power Play option had been added to both tickets and the Power Play number in both drawings was 2, so the $50,000 prizes doubled to $100,000.

Congrats on your big win, Jacob! And we’re excited to meet the winner of the $100,000 prize from Urbandale when that person comes forward!

Player Mail: I Prefer The Megaplier vs. The Power Play …

A man from southeast Iowa recently emailed us to say that he prefers the Mega Millions game vs. Powerball because he thinks the multiplier feature in Mega Millions is better. He said he buys Mega Millions because of what he noticed and wanted us to know.

And he’s right: There ARE differences between the two games. The odds of winning are different in each game and the prize levels are different as well. The two games also have drawings on different nights (Tuesday & Friday for Mega Millions, Wednesday & Saturday for Powerball). And that IS the whole point.

Years ago, the two games were sold by different sets of lotteries, so each state sold either Powerball or Mega Millions. But after a new agreement among U.S. lotteries, beginning in 2010 states had the option of offering both games rather than just one or the other. The idea was to give players more choices, and the man’s email seems to say to me that we’ve achieved that. He has the choice to play Powerball or Mega Millions rather than just one option.

In addition to the multiplier feature that the man pointed out, another big difference between the games comes at the third-tier prize level for matching four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball or the Powerball, depending on the game involved. At that level, the prize in Powerball is $50,000 vs. $10,000 in Mega Millions. With the multiplier feature added to your ticket for an extra $1 per play, you can win up to $50,000 at that prize level in Mega Milllions compared to $500,000 in Powerball.

The play style obviously is similar between the two games, but their designs do offer some variations that set them apart. There are a lot of players for whom Mega Millions is the go-to game, while others prefer Powerball. It’s all about choices, and you definitely have them!

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

One of our players contacted us about the sales cut-off times before the drawings in our lotto games like Powerball and Mega Millions, and wondered why they couldn’t be eliminated. The man said he wants people to be able to buy tickets right up until one minute before the drawing. The short answer is that wouldn’t work from a security perspective. Here’s the back story:

 

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

 

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

 

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 before the drawing. Today, our sales cut-off times are an hour or less before our lotto-game drawings. Years ago, the sales cut-off time was 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 maybe in the future, the time involved will be even shorter than it is now.

 

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.

 

We’ll keep doing our best to keep the sales cut-off period involved here in Iowa as short as possible.

I Don’t Want To Buy Tickets In A Lottery Game If Players In Other States Are Part Of It, Too…

An email from one of our players highlights the balancing act that goes into the design of our lottery games.

 

In her email, the woman said she wants to see a game that’s only offered in Iowa because she doesn’t like playing our multi-state games, knowing that the jackpot could be won by someone in a different state. The woman’s perspective made us smile because on some level, we’d like it if ALL the winners were from Iowa. But that wouldn’t make players in other states very happy, would it?

 

This player’s viewpoint is why we do our best to have a variety of games available in the market. What appeals to one person may not appeal to someone else, so we keep lots of choices out there.

 

Games like Powerball and Mega Millions are sold by lotteries all across the country because that’s how they purposefully were designed. It takes a big population base playing those games to produce the giant jackpots involved, and you can’t have one without the other.

 

But we also have games that are exclusive to Iowa. Our Pick 3 and Pick 4 games are Iowa-only, as are our scratch games, pull-tab games and InstaPlay games.

 

We hope our game selection achieves the goal of different strokes for different folks. So, if you don’t want to play a multi-state game, you do have other choices!