ialottery blog

There IS A Jackpot Game That Costs Just $1 To Play & Has Easier Odds Of Winning

Here’s something that players regularly tell us they want in a lotto game. And in fact, it already exists.

You can play it today, and the game’s current jackpot is the second-highest in its history.

I’m referring to Lotto America®, the multi-state lotto game that costs $1 to play and has easier odds of winning than its larger cousins, Powerball® and Mega Millions®.

The Lotto America jackpot currently stands at an estimated $25.56 million annuity ($12.04 million lump-sum option) for tomorrow night’s drawing. That’s the second-largest jackpot ever offered in the game.

And, did you know that the largest Lotto America jackpot to date was won by an Iowan? That $40.03 million prize was won in April 2023 by a Dubuque man.

Some players tell us they wish there were an alternative to Powerball and Mega Millions, which both cost more than $1 per ticket and have long odds of winning. (You can’t achieve the giant jackpots that those games regularly produce without having a higher price point and longer odds.)

And so we’re left to wonder: If people SAY they want a $1 lotto game with easier odds of winning, are they playing Lotto America, which provides just that?

Things that make you go, “Hmmmm …”

Player Question: The Megaplier seems to come up a lot as 3. Is something wrong?

A player who called us this week thought something had gone wrong with the Megaplier® option in the Mega Millions® game. The short answer is: Nothing is wrong. But here’s the background involved, in case you’ve ever wondered about the same thing.

The man said he noticed that the Megaplier number has come up as 3 a lot in recent drawings, and he wondered if that meant something is wrong. In reality, the Megaplier number is being randomly selected as usual in each Mega Millions drawing. But it is likely that the Megaplier will come up as 2 or 3 more often.

How The Megaplier Works

You may already know that you can add the Megaplier option to your play in the Mega Millions game for an extra $1, and it will multiply any prize you win, except the jackpot.

So, for example, if your ticket matches the five white balls but misses the yellow Mega Ball, you’d win a $1 million prize. But if you’ve added the Megaplier option to your ticket and the multiplier number that night is 3, your prize will be tripled to $3 million.

That’s similar to the Power Play® option in Powerball® and the All Star Bonus® option in Lotto America®. The details for each multiplier option are in the game rules available on our website.

But when it comes to Mega Millions specifically, why can 2 or 3 be chosen more often as the multiplier? It’s due to the universe of numbers available to be selected as the Megaplier option.

There are 15 numbers in the Megaplier pool. Of them, 5 are 2s, 6 are 3s, 3 are 4s and 1 is a 5. Here’s what that looks like in table form:

15 Total Numbers In Megaplier Pool
2X = 5
3X = 6
4X = 3
5X = 1

So, does it stand to reason that the Megaplier number will come up more often as 2 or 3? Yes. But the other numbers also have a shot.

The Power Play option in Powerball and the All Star Bonus option in Lotto America work in a similar way.

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

32 Total Numbers In All Star Bonus Pool
2X = 15
3X = 10
4X = 4
5X = 3

Whether you play the lottery or not, we want everyone to have an accurate understanding of how the lottery works. Details like the ones we've provided here can help make that happen.

Player Question: Are The Multipliers Really Random?

A player just sent us a question you may have wondered about as well when it comes to the multiplier option in our lotto games, and how that number is selected.

In Powerball®, the multiplier feature is called the Power Play®; in Mega Millions®, it’s the Megaplier®; and in Lotto America®, it’s the All Star Bonus® option.

In each of the games, adding that option to your play will multiply any prize you win (except the Match 5 prize in Powerball and the jackpot in any of the games) by the multiplier number in that night’s drawing.

If the multiplier is 2X, the prize you win will be doubled. If it’s 3X, the prize will be tripled, and so on. Each of the games has its own probability for the multiplier feature.

Let’s use a real-world example from the Powerball game: A Powerball ticket costs $2 per play, and you can add the Power Play multiplier option for an extra $1 per play. For the Powerball drawing involving your ticket, you match four of the first five numbers but miss the Powerball. The Power Play number that night is 4X. You normally would win $100, but because you added the Power Play option to your ticket, your prize would be multiplied to $400.

The details about the multiplier feature are included in the game rules for Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America. The multiplier option in each game is selected from its own pool of numbers that is separate from the rest of the drawing.

Here is how the numbers look for the Megaplier option: There are 15 numbers in the Megaplier pool. Of those 15 numbers, 5 are 2s, 6 are 3s, three are 4s, 1 is a 5. Here’s what that looks like in table form:

15 Total Numbers In Megaplier Pool
        2X = 5
        3X = 6
        4X = 3
        5X = 1

So, does it stand to reason that the Megaplier number will more often be a 2 or 3? Yes. But the other multipliers also have a shot.

Now In Effect: Prize-Claim Period Updated In 4 Popular Lottery Games

The prep work had been underway for about five months, and now a notable change in four lottery games has taken effect. When you buy tickets in Powerball®, Mega Millions®, Lotto America® and Lucky for Life® in Iowa, you now have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim any prize you’ve won.

The change comes after analysis of prizes that expired in Iowa without being claimed. A review of recent drawings in the four games found that the vast majority of prizes were claimed within the first six months. In fact, less than 3 percent of prizes from those drawings were claimed after 180 days.

Until this weekend, the prize-claim deadline in the four games was 365 days from the drawing. After reviewing the prize-claim analysis, the Iowa Lottery worried that such a long prize-claim deadline was inadvertently causing some players to forget to claim their prizes. The passage of time may also have caused some tickets to be lost, damaged or thrown away.

The prize-claim change will hopefully mean that the maximum number of prizes won are claimed in the games.

As a lottery player in Iowa, here are the details that apply to your tickets.

In Mega Millions: Tickets purchased for Friday’s drawing (April 21) or before have a prize-claim deadline of 365 days from the drawing. Beginning with tickets purchased on Saturday (April 22), the prize-claim deadline is 180 days from the date of the drawing.

In Powerball, Lotto America and Lucky for Life: Tickets purchased for Saturday’s drawing (April 22) or before have a prize-claim deadline of 365 days from the drawing. Beginning with tickets purchased yesterday (April 23), the prize-claim deadline is 180 days from the date of the drawing.

The change has no monetary benefit to the Iowa Lottery: Under state law, the money from prizes that expire in Iowa without being claimed go back to players through the lottery’s prize pools for future games and promotions. In the past three fiscal years, the annual total in lottery prizes that expired in Iowa without being claimed ranged from about $1.3 million to more than $1.7 million.

The prize-claim periods in the Iowa Lottery’s other games are unchanged. Here are those details:

• Tickets in Iowa-specific lotto games (Pick 3 and Pick 4) are valid for 90 days from the date of the drawing.
• Tickets in scratch games are valid for 90 days after the announced end of the game.
• Tickets in pull-tab games are valid for 90 days after the announced end of the game.
• Tickets in InstaPlay games are valid for 90 days from the date of purchase.

Follow The Money-Brick Road!

We don’t know who they are yet, but Iowa’s Lotto America® jackpot winner from this weekend definitely has folks buzzing!

You’ve likely heard by now that a ticket purchased in Dubuque won Saturday’s Lotto America jackpot of $40.03 million annuity, $21.28 million cash option. That's the largest prize ever offered in the Lotto America game.

People have asked us which option is better when claiming a jackpot prize: annuity or lump-sum. And that answer truly is up to the winner involved – they get to choose. That’s why we always suggest that our winners consult a trusted financial advisor or lawyer to make plans for their winnings before they step forward to claim the prize.

What do the two options look like for this jackpot?

If the Lotto America jackpot winner chooses the annuity option, they’ll receive 30 payments over 29 years. The money on hand from the sale of tickets for the jackpot would be invested, which would generate interest over time. The initial amount of the investment plus the interest earned over all those years would add up to $40.03 million.

The annual annuity payments to the winner would increase over time to accommodate for inflation. The first payment would be a little more than $600,000, while the 30th and final payment would be about $2.48 million. The first annuitized payment would be made when the prize was claimed, and the other payments would be made on the anniversary date of the claim. Withholding would apply to each payment, with a current federal rate of 24 percent and state rate of 5 percent.

If the winner chooses the lump-sum option, they’ll receive a one-time payment of $21.28 million before taxes. Federal withholding of 24 percent ($5.1 million) would automatically apply to that total, along with state withholding of 5 percent ($1.06 million). The Iowa Lottery would make a net payment of $15.1 million to the winner by wire transfer.

Please check your tickets!

As we wait for someone to present the jackpot-winning ticket, we at the Iowa Lottery remind our players to check their tickets for any prize they may have won, not just the jackpot. There are nine prize levels in Lotto America ranging from $2 up to the jackpot. Your ticket may have won at one of the lower levels, even if you didn’t win the grand prize.

We’re getting ready!

We’ve had fun this week prepping for our winner to come see us at lottery headquarters in Clive.

As you can see from the images here, we made a “money brick road” that the winner can follow in our auditorium as they make their way to the stage. Hey, this kind of thing will likely only happen once in a person’s life, and we want the winner's jackpot claim to be a fun and memorable day!

P.S. From the size of the bills involved, you can probably tell that our road is made of fake money, right? But it still makes you smile and that’s the whole point. :)

Not Joking: Iowa Ticket Wins $40 Million Lotto America Jackpot In April 1 Drawing

We’re not kidding, this is not an April Fool’s joke: Someone in Iowa won the Lotto America® jackpot in last night’s drawing.

The jackpot-winning ticket was purchased at Eichman’s, a restaurant and convenience store at 11941 U.S. Highway 52 N. in Dubuque.

The jackpot in last night’s drawing was a record for the Lotto America game: $40.03 million annuity, $21.28 million cash option.

Stacy Eichman is the owner of Eichman’s, which has been in her family since 1931. She says she hears people all the time saying: What are the odds? She says she’s still processing the big news and is waiting for it to truly sink in.

The Lotto America jackpot had been growing since July 2021. Before this latest run, the game’s jackpot record was a $22.82 million prize won in March 2018 by a Minnesota family.

Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn is currently vice chair of the Lotto America game group. He said that as the jackpot continued to climb, the Iowa Lottery emphasized that the odds of winning it in Iowa are the same as anywhere else. And now it’s happened here! He calls it a moment to celebrate for the winner, the retailer, and the lottery.

The jackpot-winning ticket matched all six numbers in last night’s Lotto America drawing, which were: 2-38-43-46-51 and Star Ball® 7.

Eichman’s will receive a $5,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the jackpot-winning Lotto America ticket.

Lotto America is known as the smaller cousin of Powerball®. The game costs $1 to play and has drawings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, just like Powerball. It has the same playstyle as Powerball, with players selecting numbers from two separate pools for a chance to win. But Lotto America’s jackpots start at a smaller level and the game has easier odds of winning.

Lotto America is sold by 13 lotteries, and Powerball is offered by 48.

Jackpot prizes won in Iowa are claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive, and appointments are strongly encouraged. To make an appointment or contact the lottery with questions, the winner or winners are welcome to call the lottery at 515-725-7900 or by email at [email protected].

Lottery offices are closed on weekends, so tomorrow is the earliest that the prize can be claimed. As always, the Iowa Lottery encourages its big winners to consult a lawyer or financial planner before stepping forward to claim the prize.

This is the second Lotto America jackpot won in Iowa. A Davenport man won a $4.38 million jackpot in the game in May 2018.

The Lotto America jackpot returns to $2 million annuity, $1.06 million cash option, for the game’s next drawing tomorrow night.

Countdown Is Underway In Iowa For Multi-Draw Tickets In Four Lotto Games

The number of drawings for which you can buy tickets in advance will be limited for about the next month in four popular lotto games in Iowa.

The stepdown on advance plays is being utilized because the prize-claim period in the games is changing. The stepdown has already started in Mega Millions® and will begin in the next few weeks in Powerball®, Lotto America® and Lucky for Life®.

The stepdown on advance plays began March 21 in Mega Millions. The same limit will begin April 1 in Powerball and Lotto America, and on April 13 in Lucky for Life.

The stepdown ensures that the same game details apply to all tickets sold for a particular drawing. 

Players normally can buy tickets for up to 10 drawings in advance in the four games. But during the stepdown period, the number of advance plays you can buy will continue to count down until you can only buy tickets for the next drawing.

The stepdown in Mega Millions will continue through that game’s drawing on April 21. The stepdown in Powerball, Lotto America and Lucky for Life will continue through their drawings on April 22.

After that, the number of drawings for which you can buy tickets in advance in the games will return to 10.     

Back in December, the Iowa Lottery Board voted to change the prize-claim period in the four games to 180 days from the date of the drawing.

The current Iowa prize-claim deadline in those games is 365 days from the drawing date. That’s the longest in the United States and outside the norm for the U.S. lottery industry.

A review of recent drawings found that the vast majority of prize claims happened within six months of the drawing date.

In fact, less than 3 percent of prizes from those drawings were claimed after 180 days.

Iowa is currently one of only 14 U.S. lotteries with a 365-day deadline for a player to claim a prize in a multi-state lotto game. By contrast, 33 lotteries require prizes to be claimed within 180 days or six months (182 days).

That lengthy claim period could inadvertently mean that some players throw away their tickets or lose or damage them.  

And from a security perspective, the passage of time makes it more difficult for anyone to accurately recall the details of a ticket purchase and provide that information for verification purposes.

Tickets purchased after the April 21 drawing in Mega Millions will have a prize-claim deadline of 180 days. That also will apply to tickets purchased after the April 22 drawing in Powerball, Lotto America and Lucky for Life.

Any tickets purchased before then will still have a 365-day deadline for prize claims.      

The change has no financial benefit to the Iowa Lottery. Under state law, the money from prizes that expire in Iowa without being claimed will continue to go back to players through the lottery’s prize pools for future games and promotions.

In the past three fiscal years, the annual total in Iowa Lottery prizes that expired without being claimed has ranged from about $1.3 million to more than $1.7 million.   

For comparison purposes, these are the prize-claim periods for the Iowa Lottery’s other products, which won’t be changed.

• Tickets in Iowa-specific lotto games (Pick 3 and Pick 4) are valid for 90 days from the date of the drawing.
• Tickets in scratch games are valid for 90 days after the announced end of the game.
• Tickets in pull-tab games are valid for 90 days after the announced end of the game.
• Tickets in InstaPlay games are valid for 90 days from the date of purchase.

Jackpot Considerations: This Or That? Mix and Match? One Of Each?

Update at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2: Neither jackpot was hit on Wednesday, so they'll keep growing for at least one more drawing! Saturday's Powerball jackpot stands at an estimated $700 million, while the Lotto America drawing on Saturday will feature an estimated jackpot worth $34.57 million.

Knowing that lottery jackpots are always dependent on the results of the next drawing, two big prizes in particular are creating a study in contrasts for tonight!

The Powerball® jackpot for tonight’s drawing has climbed to an estimated $653 million annuity, $350.5 million cash option. That’s the 8th-largest jackpot in the history of that game.

Not to be left out, the Lotto America® jackpot for tonight is an estimated $34.52 million annuity, $18.52 million cash option. That’s a record for the Lotto America game.

We sometimes hear from folks who say that “one person doesn’t need all that money” when it comes to the really giant prizes. (Sales would disagree with that statement, given that sales climb higher as the jackpot grows, and higher sales in turn push the jackpot higher.)

But with these two jackpots tonight contrasting with each other, the question is: Do you want this or that? Mix and match? Maybe one of each?

The odds of winning both jackpots are long (to determine that number, take the odds of winning Powerball and multiply them by the odds of winning Lotto America), but we are saying there’s a chance. :)

Good luck with your tickets in tonight’s drawings! 

Iowa Lottery Board Votes To Change Prize-Claim Deadlines in 4 Games

In an effort focused on prizes that expire without being claimed, the Iowa Lottery Board has voted today to change the Iowa prize-claim period in four multi-state games: Powerball®, Mega Millions®, Lotto America® and Lucky for Life®.

The Lottery Board’s unanimous decision will change the prize-claim deadline in those lotto games to 180 days from the date of the drawing. The current prize-claim deadline in those games is 365 days from the drawing date. That’s the longest in the United States and it’s outside the norm for the U.S. lottery industry.

The change will not take effect for some time yet. The lottery needs to successfully complete testing on its statewide gaming system before the change can be made. The lottery anticipates making the change in the first quarter of calendar year 2023 after providing notice to players.

The change has no monetary benefit to the Iowa Lottery: Under state law, the money from prizes that expire in Iowa without being claimed will continue to go back to players through the lottery’s prize pools for future games and promotions.

In the past three fiscal years, the annual total in Iowa Lottery prizes that expired without being claimed ranged from about $1.3 million to more than $1.7 million.

Lottery staff recommended the prize-claim change after nearly a year of research. The lottery’s review of recent drawings in the games found that the vast majority of claims happened within the first six months. In fact, less than 3 percent of prizes from those drawings were claimed after 180 days.

Iowa is currently one of only 14 U.S. lotteries with a 365-day deadline for a player to claim a prize in a multi-state lotto game. By contrast, 33 lotteries (including the three most populous U.S. states) require those prizes to be claimed within 180 days or six months (182 days).

The passage of time could lead some players to unintentionally throw away their tickets or for the tickets to become damaged or lost.

Time also is an important consideration from a security perspective. As time passes, it becomes more difficult for those involved to accurately recall the details of a ticket purchase and provide that information to the Iowa Lottery for verification purposes.

These are the prize-claim periods for other Iowa Lottery products, which will remain unchanged:

• Tickets in Iowa-specific lotto games (Pick 3 and Pick 4) are valid for 90 days from the date of the drawing.
• Tickets in scratch games are valid for 90 days after the announced end of the game.
• Tickets in pull-tab games are valid for 90 days after the announced end of the game.
• Tickets in InstaPlay games are valid for 90 days from the date of purchase.

Free Play With Every 5th Ticket Purchased Statewide In Lotto America

When you play Lotto America® in Iowa right now, you may get a nice surprise: a free ticket.

From now through the end of the day next Friday (Nov. 25), for every fifth ticket purchased statewide in Lotto America, the lottery terminal or self-service kiosk will automatically generate a free $1 ticket in the game. You’ll hear the “Surprise, player bonus!” sound from the machine as the free play prints out.

With the Lotto America jackpot at its highest level ever -- $30.39 million for Saturday night's drawing -- this seemed like the perfect time to add some extra fun for players in the game.  

Every Lotto America purchase of at least $1 counts as one ticket in the promotion, regardless of the number of plays on the ticket.

The free plays kicked in with the start of the business day this morning and will continue through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25.

Remember that it’s not every fifth ticket purchased from a specific lottery terminal or kiosk that's eligible for a free play. It’s every fifth ticket purchased statewide, so the free-play bonus will hit in stores all across Iowa during the next eight days,

So listen for the “Surprise, player bonus!” sound when you buy a Lotto America ticket!

Pball Jackpot Now An Estimated $800 Million, 2nd Largest In History Of Game

The Powerball® jackpot made it through last night’s drawing and is still growing! It now stands at an estimated $800 million annuity, $383.7 million cash option for Saturday’s drawing.

That’s the second highest jackpot in the history of the game and the fifth largest lottery prize ever offered in North America.

When the jackpot reaches this level, it’s harder to predict the grand-prize estimate heading into the next drawing. Stronger sales drive the jackpot up and can mean revisions of the prize estimate, as we’ve seen this past week.

The Powerball jackpot has reached its current level because it has been growing for nearly three months. It was last won on Aug. 3 with a ticket in Pennsylvania.

I’ve Heard That The Odds Change As The Jackpot Grows …

There are a lot of beliefs out there about playing the lottery, and some of them aren’t … quite accurate. When it comes to the Powerball jackpot, some people say that players have a harder time winning when the jackpot climbs because more people are buying tickets.

But if that were the case, how would we ever know the odds of winning – would they change with each ticket sold?

The odds of winning in Powerball do not change. They’re the same for every play purchased in the game.

For the Powerball jackpot specifically, the odds of winning it are about 1 in 292.2 million because that’s how many ways the numbers available in the game can be combined to make a play. When the winning numbers are selected, they’re one of about 292.2 million possibilities. Will the numbers on your ticket match?

Easy Pick vs. Your Own Numbers

The vast majority of tickets purchased in games like Powerball and Mega Millions® are easy-pick plays, meaning that the lottery terminal assigns the numbers printed on the ticket. About 95 percent of the plays purchased in Iowa for recent drawings in the games were easy picks. 

But players also can choose their own numbers. They choose five numbers from a pool of 1 to 69 for the white balls and one number from a separate pool of 26 for the red Powerball.

Neither option is luckier. The odds of winning are the same for every ticket purchased in the game. There are more winners from easy-pick tickets simply because the majority of tickets purchased are easy picks.

A player wins the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a Powerball drawing. However, there are a total of nine prize levels in Powerball ranging from $4 up to the jackpot, so the Iowa Lottery reminds its players to be sure to check their tickets for all the prizes they may have won.

Reminders About Group Play

When a jackpot reaches into the stratosphere, group play increases, with many lottery players buying tickets in office pools or with family and friends. The Iowa Lottery keeps group play reminders on its website to help players keep lottery pool play fun and hassle free.

Among the suggestions: Keep an accurate list of everyone who puts in money for a particular drawing and how much they contribute. And, provide everyone in your pool with photos or copies of the group’s tickets before the drawing.

And Hey, Another Jackpot Also Is Making News!

Powerball isn’t the only game at the moment with a headline-making jackpot.

Its smaller cousin, Lotto America®, is in record jackpot territory for that game. The current Lotto America jackpot stands at an estimated $29.38 million annuity, $14.09 million lump-sum option, for that game’s Saturday drawing.

The Lotto America jackpot has been climbing since July 2021. Before this latest run, the previous record jackpot in Lotto America was a $22.82 million prize won in March 2018. Lotto America costs $1 to play and 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.

Please Play Responsibly

And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly.

Big Powerball Jackpot Keeps Growing!

The giant Powerball^® jackpot for tonight has climbed to an estimated $700 million annuity, $335.7 million cash option!

The jackpot is now the fifth highest in the history of the Powerball game. It’s been growing for nearly three months and was last won on Aug. 3 with a ticket purchased in Pennsylvania.

Here in Iowa, three tickets came oh, so close to at least a share of the giant prize in Monday’s drawing. All matched five of six numbers and were just one number away from winning that night’s $680 million jackpot. The three tickets each won $50,000, and were purchased at:

• QC Mart, 3545 Eastern Ave. in Davenport.
• Kwik Shop, 309 N. Locust St. in Glenwood.
• Fareway, 214 N. Magnolia Drive in Cedar Falls.

But Powerball isn’t the only game with a lofty jackpot. Its smaller cousin, Lotto America^®, is in record jackpot territory for that game. The current Lotto America jackpot stands at an estimated $29.11 million annuity, $13.96 million lump sum for tonight’s drawing.

Lotto America costs $1 to play and 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. 

While we’re all having fun with these large jackpots, the Iowa Lottery reminds its players to please play responsibly. It only takes one ticket to have a shot at a prize.

Lotto America Jackpot Is Now In Record Territory For That Game

Update on Tuesday, Oct. 11:

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 $26.1 million annuity, $13.37 million cash option for Wednesday's drawing.  Here are the winning numbers from Monday night's Lotto America drawing: 4-8-14-32-44 and Star Ball 4. The All Star Bonus number was 4. 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.

Starts July 18: Lotto America Is Moving To 3 Drawings Each Week

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 Countdown Is Starting For Multi-Draw Tickets In Lotto America

With Monday drawings being added next month in Lotto America®, a countdown is starting on the number of drawings in the game for which you can buy tickets in advance. The countdown is a standard procedure when a major update is made in one of our lotto games, and it’s designed to ensure you have valid tickets.

Powerball® did it last year, and now Lotto America also is moving to drawings three nights a week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The first Monday drawing in the game will be held on July 18.

In games like Lotto America, you can buy tickets for just one drawing at a time or for several drawings in a row. That decision is entirely up to you as the customer -- some people like to do their lottery shopping for multiple drawings all at once while others prefer to buy their tickets one at a time. When you buy plays for multiple drawings in advance, you have what is called a multi-draw ticket.

Normally, you can buy Lotto America tickets for up to 10 consecutive drawings in advance here in Iowa. But the countdown means that after tomorrow night’s drawing in the game, that number will be down to nine. And after Saturday’s drawing, it will be down to eight.

The countdown on advance plays will reach zero just before the first Monday drawing in the game. Once sales begin July 18 in the “new” Lotto America with three drawings each week, things will reset and you’ll be able to buy tickets for up to 10 drawings in advance again here in Iowa.

During the countdown period, if a clerk at a lottery terminal tries to process plays for drawings beyond the allowable date range, they’ll receive an error message stating: “Draw date not available for sale.” And if you try to purchase plays at a lottery self-service kiosk that are outside the available range, you’ll get an error message stating: “Out of valid draw range.”

Please note that the countdown on advance plays in Lotto America does not impact the advance plays available in our other lotto games. It’s a Lotto America-specific change that will be in place for the next month or so.

Multi-Draw Tickets: What To Do If You Claim A Prize Before All The Drawings Are Done

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.)  

Player question: About that Lotto America® jackpot

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.

For Ticket Entry In The Current Promotion, It’s The Purchase Date That Matters

Here’s a clarification we’ve shared with some players this week who didn’t know why they couldn’t enter their tickets into the Lotto America® Play It Again Promotion® with a total of $100,000 in prizes on the line. It’s the purchase date that determines a ticket’s eligibility for entry, not the drawing date.

Since Monday morning, lottery players in Iowa have been able to enter eligible Lotto America tickets into the promotion where we’ll give away a total of 33 prizes, including a top prize of $20,000. That promotion drawing will be held on March 31.

(And you likely already know this, but the promotion drawing is separate from the Lotto America game drawings, which are held each Wednesday and Saturday.)

We’ve been contacted by some players who thought they should be able to enter their tickets in the promotion and were confused by the “ineligible” messages they received.

It turns out that they were referencing the wrong date.

In a game like Lotto America, the drawing date you’ve purchased the ticket for is in large font in the center, just above the plays you bought. And while players sometimes buy their tickets on same day as the game drawing involved, that’s not always the case. Many times, they buy their plays in advance – and the purchase date is what applies for the promotion.

The purchase date is in the upper right corner of the ticket, in a year-month-date format. You can also see the exact time that the ticket was printed. Lotto America tickets purchased on or after March 1 are eligible for entry into the promotion.

Be sure to double-check the purchase date on any tickets you want to enter in the promotion!

You Can Enter Lotto America Tickets For A Chance To Win Up To $20K In Cash

The Lotto America® game is in the spotlight right now in a promotion that gives you the chance to enter tickets for a shot at $100,000 in prizes, including a $20,000 top prize.

The Lotto America Promotion began at 10 a.m. this morning, allowing VIP Club members to enter eligible Lotto America tickets for a chance at one of 33 cash prizes. In the promotion, the lottery will award:
        • one prize of $20,000
        • two prizes of $10,000
        • five prizes of $5,000
        • 10 prizes of $2,000
        • 15 prizes of $1,000.

The three-week entry period runs through 9:59 a.m. March 29. Only recent tickets can be entered – any Lotto America tickets purchased on or after March 1, 2022, are eligible for entry. And in keeping with past lotto promotions, each ticket entered will equal one entry in the drawing regardless of the ticket value or the number of plays on the ticket.

A player can win only one cash prize in this promotion. To give all tickets the maximum chance of winning, the winner of the highest cash prize will be selected first, with the second-largest second and so on until all cash prizes have been awarded.

The lottery will announce the winners after the drawing on March 31.

Good luck with your promotion entries!

How To Help: Find The Play ‘Em All Option

An eastern Iowa woman’s email prompted this blog entry, and I’ll do my best here to walk you through how to find the ‘Play ‘Em All’ feature on the lottery terminal in case you ever have trouble buying it.

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

The woman who emailed us this week said she was having trouble buying the Play ‘Em All option because employees in some of the stores in her area didn’t know about the option or how a customer could buy it. We’ve asked if she can share with us the stores involved so we can follow up with them to go over the details. But sometimes the best plan as a consumer is to have the information yourself.
 
Here in Iowa, the clerk can find the Play 'Em All feature on the lottery terminal by touching the "Special Offers" tab in the top right-hand corner of the terminal's main screen. That tab brings up the Play ‘Em All screen, and the clerk can then touch the icon for the game you want to buy.

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

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

Player Comment: I Don’t Understand The Power Play/Megaplier Option …

Now that we’re a little ways out from last month’s hub-bub when the jackpots were sky-high in Powerball® and Mega Millions®, I’m circling back to a question we got at the time from folks who said they just don’t understand the Power Play® and Megaplier® options or what they mean.

The Power Play and Megaplier both cost an extra $1 per play. They’re called multipliers because they multiply any prize you win except the jackpot.

For the Power Play or Megaplier to kick in, you first have to win a prize in a drawing. If you win a prize and you've added the multiplier option to your ticket, in most instances, your prize will be multiplied by that number. (Remember that the jackpot amount is not multiplied in either game, and in Powerball, the $1 million Match 5 prize goes to $2 million with the Power Play added.) 

Here are a couple examples to help with the explanation:

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

2.) You win a $500 Mega Millions prize by matching four of the five white balls in that night’s drawing. You added the Megaplier option to your ticket and the Megaplier number that night is 4. Your initial $500 prize will be multiplied by 4, so you’ll ultimately win a $2,000 prize because you added the Megaplier option!

If you’re more a visual learner, we also cover this topic in our "How To Play" videos. Click here for a link to the main page for the videos.

And not to be left out, there also is a multiplier option in the Lotto America® game. It’s called the All Star Bonus® and also costs an extra $1 per play.

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

Player Question: Why Do Some Numbers Come Up More Often As The Multiplier?

A player recently emailed us with a question about the All Star bonus option in the Lotto America game, and since the same concept applies to the multiplier option in Powerball and Mega Millions, I’ll cover all three of them here.

The player wondered why the number 2 comes up more often as the All Star Bonus in Lotto America. You may already know that the Bonus option can be added to a play in the Lotto America game for an extra $1, and it will multiply any prize you win. The All Star Bonus is similar to the Power Play option in Powerball and the Megaplier option in Mega Millions.   

The answer to the player’s question is found in the game rules, which are available on our website as part of the details for each game.  

The All Star Bonus option can multiply a Lotto America prize (except the jackpot) by 2, 3, 4 or 5. So, for example, if your ticket matches the five white balls in a drawing but misses the Star Ball, you’d win a $20,000 prize. But if you’ve added the All Star Bonus option to your ticket and the Bonus number that night is 3, your prize will be multiplied to $60,000.

In the Powerball game, the Power Play option can multiply prizes (except the jackpot and the Match 5 prize) by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times. And in Mega Millions, the Megaplier option can multiply prizes except the jackpot by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times.

But when it comes to Lotto America specifically, why does the number 2 come up more often as the multiplier? It’s due to the universe of numbers available to be selected as the All Star Bonus. There are 32 numbers in the All Star Bonus pool. Of them, 15 are 2s, 10 are 3s, 4 are 4s, and 3 are 5s. Here is what that looks like in table form:
32 Total Numbers In All Star Bonus Pool
2X = 15
3X = 10
4X = 4
5X = 3

So, does it stand to reason that the All Star Bonus number would come up more often as 2 or 3? Yes. But the other multipliers also have a shot. It’s the same concept for the multipliers in our other big-jackpot games.

Here are the details for the Power Play option in Powerball:
43 Total Numbers In Power Play Pool
2X = 24
3X = 13
4X = 3
5X = 2
10X = 1

And here are the details for the Megaplier option in Mega Millions:
15 Total Numbers In Megaplier Pool
2X = 5
3X = 6
4X = 3
5X = 1

Lotto America Jackpot Changes Will Follow Those In Powerball & Mega Millions

Changes will be made next month to the jackpot in Lotto America that are similar to the updates already made in Powerball and Mega Millions.

After the Lotto America drawing on June 13, the starting jackpot amount in the game and the rate that the jackpot increases between drawings will be based upon sales and interest rates, with no fixed minimums.

The adjustments are needed to ensure that the game’s ticket sales can support its jackpots and other prizes. The current COVID-19 public health emergency has drastically impacted life for us all and altered normal consumer behavior for all types of products, including ticket purchases in lottery games like Lotto America. Interest rates also have declined during the health crisis, and that in turn drives down the annuity amount of the game’s jackpots.

We know that folks have many more important issues on their minds these days than purchasing lotto tickets, and in many locations around the country, they're not in a position to buy them at all. That in turn means changes have to be made on different fronts, including in the Lotto America game.

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!

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?

 

Player Mail: What Happened With The Lotto America Jackpot?

In the past month, several players have asked us about the Lotto America® jackpot – and specifically, how it could grow so long without being won. Well, all that has changed! And it goes to show something you’ve heard us say many times: You just never know when the next big winner will hit!

Wednesday’s $21.6 million Lotto America jackpot was won in that night’s drawing by someone who bought a ticket in Minnesota. The Minnesota Lottery says the lucky ticket was purchased at a convenience store in Ramsey, Minn., a suburb of the Twin Cities. The game’s jackpot had been growing since May 2018, when it was won in Iowa. Chuck Anderson of Davenport claimed that $4.38 million jackpot.

Lotto America debuted in November 2017, and its jackpot has been won three times so far. A brother and sister from Badger, Minn., split the first jackpot won in the game, a $22.8 million prize in March 2018.

So, why the long gap between jackpot wins this time around? Lotto America is played in 13 states, as opposed to Powerball®, which is sold by 47 lotteries, and Mega Millions®, which is sold by 46 lotteries. It’s designed to have a smaller jackpot than those larger games, which means that overall, fewer people are playing it.

There was a long run between Lotto America jackpot wins this time, but as the game’s 2018 winners show, that won’t always be the case! The game's jackpot has returned to its starting amount of $2 million annuity, $1.32 million lump-sum option, for tomorrow night’s drawing. 

July 15 update: The Minnesota Lottery has now released the details about the Minnesota man who claimed the Lotto America jackpot from last Wednesday's drawing. Jeffery Love and his wife, Vickie, of Elk River, Minn., both called into work Friday and said they'd need the day off because they had a huge prize to claim! Click here to see to their story.

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Player Mail: Are The Multipliers Really Random?

A man named Mark just sent us an interesting email about the multiplier option in our lotto games. You likely already know this, but in Powerball, the multiplier feature is called the Power Play; in Mega Millions, it’s the Megaplier; and in Lotto America, it’s the All Star Bonus option.

In each of the games, adding that option to your play will multiply any prize you win (except the Match 5 prize in Powerball and the jackpot in any of the games) by the number selected as the multiplier in that night’s drawing.      

Mark wanted to know how the multiplier number is chosen in each game, and what the probabilities are for the multiplier feature being 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, etc. The quick answer is that there is a separate drawing for the multiplier number, and the odds vary. 

All this talk of multipliers might be a tad confusing, so let’s use a real-world example from the Powerball game. A Powerball ticket costs $2 per play, and you have the option of adding the multiplier option to your play for an extra $1. Let’s say that in the Powerball drawing for which you bought your ticket, you match four of the first five numbers. And the Power Play number in that night’s drawing is 3X. You normally would win $100, but because you added the Power Play feature to your ticket, your prize would be multiplied to $300.

The details about the multiplier feature are included in the game rules for Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America. But here are more details with Powerball as the example: Remember that when the jackpot for the next Powerball drawing is $150 million or less, a 10X is added to the Power Play pool, giving players the chance to multiply most prize levels by up to 10 times. When the jackpot in the game is more than $150 million, the 10X feature isn’t available, so the multipliers that can be selected are 2X-5X.

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

43 Total 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 of the numbers remains the same.)

So, does it stand to reason that the Power Play number will be 2 more often than 3? Yes. But the other multipliers also have a shot.

Thanks for the question, Mark!    

Barcode Not Showing On Your Monthly Coupon? There’s A Way Around That.

In the past month, we’ve heard from some members of our VIP Club who had trouble getting the barcode to display on their monthly free-play coupon, and they thought that meant the coupon couldn’t be redeemed. But there’s a work-around for that so you can still get your free play. I’m sharing the inside scoop with you here on the blog so you’ll have the details, too!

If for some reason the personalized barcode doesn’t print on your monthly VIP Club coupon or it doesn’t display when you call up the coupon on your mobile device, ask the retailer to manually enter the coupon. They’ll need to press the “Special Functions” tab on the lottery terminal’s main screen, then press the “Coupon” button on the left side the screen. That will bring up a box where they can key in the 16-digit code printed on your coupon so it can be redeemed.

Also remember that you need to present your coupon to the retailer BEFORE the ticket is printed. This month’s VIP Club coupon is for a free $1 play in Lotto America, so look for it in your VIP Club newsletter! 

Davenport Man Claims $4.38 Million Lotto America Jackpot

Iowa’s first jackpot winner in the Lotto America game claimed his $4.38 million prize today! Chuck Anderson of Davenport said he knows he beat long odds by winning a jackpot with a ticket he got as a free play in a lottery promotion.
 
He said he won’t believe it’s all real until the money is actually deposited in the bank.

Anderson, 52, won Iowa’s first jackpot in Lotto America just six months after the game’s start. And in an interesting twist, his winning ticket was one that he got for free from the Iowa Lottery.

His winning ticket came from the Kwik Star convenience store at 2850 W. Locust St. in Davenport. This month, the Iowa Lottery is giving away free lotto plays in a promotion called “Lotto Surprise.” Throughout the month, random players will receive free lotto plays when they buy tickets in a particular game. During the first week of May, the qualifying purchase was a Powerball® ticket and the free plays involved were in the Lotto America game. So, Anderson’s jackpot-winning ticket in Lotto America was generated as a free play when he bought a Powerball ticket.

Anderson’s ticket matched all six numbers in Saturday’s Lotto America drawing, which were: 8-15-18-32-45 and Star Ball 1.

Anderson said that he didn’t check the results of his tickets for a couple days after the drawing. And when he saw the winning numbers on the lottery website, he said he had to look again – and again. He said it took a little while for it all to sink in!

Anderson said he’s working with legal and financial advisors to make responsible decisions with his winnings, and he plans to invest the money for his future. He said he’s excited for the opportunity to help family and feels lucky to have won this prize.

Anderson chose to receive his prize as the lump-sum amount of about $2.6 million.