ialottery blog

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.

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.

Her Tongue Hurts From Holding In The News That She'd Won Big!

A Williamsburg woman jokes that her tongue hurts from biting it as she struggled to keep quiet about winning a lottery prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Sheri Wetjen says she can’t believe people didn’t read it in her face, but somehow, she and her husband managed to keep the news to themselves until she claimed her Lucky for Life® prize today at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.

Wetjen, 67, a long-time clerk at the Williamsburg Post Office, is Iowa’s 18th big winner in Lucky for Life since it debuted here in January 2016. Her easy-pick ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in Thursday’s drawing to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Wetjen purchased her winning ticket at Casey’s, 602 S. Highland St. in Williamsburg.

She says she saw details posted Friday morning by the Iowa Lottery that there had been a winner of $25,000 for life at the store where she bought her ticket. She remembered that the ticket was in her car at work and went out to check it on her phone.

Then came the task of getting her husband, Garth, to believe that she’d won big.

Sheri Wetjen says she sent him a text to share the news and his response was: “Quit joking with me!”

They went back and forth a few times until she sent him photographic evidence. Sheri says she took a screenshot of the ticket results on her phone and sent it to him. She says then he had to believe her!

The winning numbers in Thursday’s drawing were 1-7-20-21-38 and Lucky Ball 15. Casey’s will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Sheri Wetjen also won a $50,000 prize in a lottery scratch game in June 2020, but that was during the COVID-19 public health emergency when lottery prizes were claimed curbside from the car, by mail or by dropbox. She says she enjoyed having the full prize-claim experience this time around!

Sheri chose to claim her prize in the lump-sum amount of $390,000. She says that she and Garth have definite plans for the winnings: They’ll give some, because everybody should, and they’ll live some, taking the grandkids on vacation.

But first, they were figuring out how to tell their adult children and their local community that Sheri had won big. She says it’s a small town, so word will spread!

Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life In Lucky For Life Game Won In Williamsburg

Someone who bought a Lucky for Life® ticket at a Williamsburg convenience store won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in last night’s drawing.

It’s Iowa’s 18th big win in Lucky for Life since the game’s January 2016 debut in our state.

The ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The winning ticket was purchased at the Casey’s, 602 S. Highland St. in Williamsburg.

The winning numbers in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 1-7-20-21-38 and Lucky Ball 15. Casey’s will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. The game’s top two prize levels are described as “lasting as long as you do,” meaning that they are truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there’s a lump-sum option for players who want that rather than lifetime annuity payments.

Prizes at the top two levels in Lucky for Life need to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. If the winner or winners of the lucky ticket have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to call us at 515-725-7900 or email us at [email protected]

Players in Lucky for Life have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes won in Iowa.

Waterloo Woman Claims Prize of $25,000 a Year for Life

A Waterloo woman says a visit from a winged friend led her to buy a lottery ticket that won a prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Dawn Costa says that she used to play the Lucky for Life® game regularly with her mom, who passed away two years ago. Dawn says that her mother loved owls, and last week, an owl landed on the railing of her deck and stayed there for some time.

Although she hadn’t played in a while, Dawn decided the next day to buy a Lucky for Life ticket at the store where she and her mother used to purchase them. That easy-pick ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the game’s drawing on Jan. 12.

Before driving today to Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive to claim her prize, Dawn said she decided to look for the owl again. When she went out on her deck this morning, the bird was there. She said others at her condominium building wonder why the owl is always on her deck, but she knows why.

Dawn is Iowa’s 17th big winner in the Lucky for Life game since its January 2016 debut in our state.

She bought her winning ticket at Kwik Star, 1636 W. Fourth St. in Waterloo. The winning numbers in the Jan. 12 drawing were: 3-12-17-42-45 and Lucky Ball 6. Kwik Star will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Dawn chose to receive her prize in its lump-sum option of $390,000. She said she'll use her lottery winnings to pay off her mortgage and invest for the future.

Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life In Lucky For Life Game Won In Waterloo

Someone who bought a Lucky for Life® ticket at a Waterloo convenience store won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in last night’s drawing.

It’s Iowa’s 17th big win in Lucky for Life since the game’s January 2016 debut in our state.

The ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The winning ticket was purchased at the Kwik Star, 1636 W. Fourth St. in Waterloo.

The winning numbers in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 3-12-17-42-45 and Lucky Ball 6. Kwik Star will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. The game’s top two prize levels are described as “lasting as long as you do,” meaning that they are truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there’s a lump-sum option for players who want that rather than lifetime annuity payments.

Prizes at the top two levels in Lucky for Life need to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. If the winner or winners of the lucky ticket have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to call us at 515-725-7900 or email us [email protected]

Players in Lucky for Life have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes won in Iowa.

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.

Trip To The Store For Ice Leads To Lottery Win Of $25,000 a Year for Davenport Man

A Davenport man was just running to the store for some ice when he decided to buy some lottery plays. Fast forward to that night, and he won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life® game.

Steve Allen, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, claimed his prize today at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. He admitted he had a lot of trouble sleeping after realizing he’d won big. He said he was excited and pretty much in shock!

Steve said he was helping a friend with a remodeling project on Saturday in Buffalo, the small Scott County community where he grew up. The friend asked him to run to the store for a bag of ice. After making that purchase, Allen decided to use his leftover change to buy some easy-pick plays for Saturday’s drawing in the Lucky for Life game.

He said they got back to work after that and he didn’t think about his lottery plays again until he was about to fall asleep Saturday night. Then he checked the Lucky for Life drawing results and realized he matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

He admits he didn’t sleep much after that, and then had his sister drive him to claim his prize today, thinking he’d accidentally end up in Seattle if he tried to drive by himself!

Steve is Iowa’s 16th big winner in the Lucky for Life game since its January 2016 debut in our state. And, his ticket was the third purchased in 2022 in Iowa to win at the $25,000 a year for life prize level.

He bought his winning ticket at the Express Lane Gas & Food Mart, 1102 W. Front St. in Buffalo.

The winning numbers in Saturday’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 1-10-32-37-41 and Lucky Ball 8. The Express Lane Gas & Food Mart will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling Steve his winning ticket.

Steve says he plans to pay off his mortgage and his car, then invest the rest of his winnings for retirement.

Scott County Ticket Wins Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life In Lucky For Life Game

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a Scott County convenience store won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in last night’s drawing of the Lucky for Life® game.

It’s Iowa’s 16th big win in Lucky for Life since the game’s January 2016 debut in our state. It’s also the 3rd Iowa ticket purchased in 2022 to win at that prize level in the game.

The Scott County ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The winning ticket was purchased at the Express Lane Gas & Food Mart, 1102 W. Front St. in Buffalo.

The winning numbers in the drawing were: 1-10-32-37-41 and Lucky Ball 8. Express Lane Gas & Food Mart will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. The game’s top two prize levels are described as “lasting as long as you do,” meaning that they are truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there’s a lump-sum option for players who want that rather than lifetime annuity payments.

Prizes at the top two levels in Lucky for Life need to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. If the winner or winners of the Buffalo ticket have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to give us a shout at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email us [email protected]

Players in Lucky for Life have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes won in Iowa.

Black Hawk County Man Claims Prize of $25,000 a Year for Life

For more than a week, a Black Hawk County man knew he’d won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life game, but waited to claim his prize until he had a plan.

Joe Kapaun of Hudson says whenever a lottery jackpot gets really huge, he reads the articles that pop up about what to do if you win. And he’s taken to heart the advice that it’s smart to have a plan for the money.

So, Joe made his plan. He’s going to pay off debts, invest a big chunk of his winnings and maybe make one big “mad money” purchase: a hot tub.

Joe, who’s 67 and owns an engineering consulting firm, says a hot tub would just be a nice thing to have.

His easy-pick ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in the Lucky for Life drawing on July 24 to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Joe bought his winning ticket at the Git N Go Convenience Store, 124 Wood St. in Hudson. Git N Go will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

The winning numbers in the Lucky for Life drawing on July 24 were: 11-27-37-38-48 and Lucky Ball 16.

Joe said he checked his tickets the morning after the drawing while he was having some coffee and a cigar. He reviewed the numbers and then just to be sure, he scanned the lucky ticket on the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app. It showed that he had hit big!

He went inside right away to show his wife, Lola, the ticket and scan it again on the app. They both concluded it was real!

Kapaun is Iowa’s 15th big winner in the game since its January 2016 debut in our state. He’s also the second big winner in the game just this summer. In late June, a Davenport man claimed a prize of $25,000 a year for life that he won in the Lucky for Life drawing on June 27.

Kapaun chose to receive his prize in the lump-sum amount of $390,000.

He gives what may be the best answer ever when someone asks why he plays the lottery: “The chances of winning something increase in your favor when you buy a ticket.”

I’m going to borrow that one, Joe!

NE Iowa Ticket Wins Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a convenience store in Black Hawk County has won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life® game. Last night’s big win comes about a month after a Davenport man claimed that same prize he’d won in a drawing in June.

The Black Hawk County ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The winning ticket was purchased at Git N Go Convenience Store, 124 Wood St. in Hudson.

It’s Iowa’s 15th big win in the game since it debuted here in January 2016. It’s also the second big win in the game this summer.

In late June, Doug Schlickman of Davenport claimed a prize of $25,000 a year for life that he won in the Lucky for Life drawing on June 27.

The winning numbers in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 11-27-37-38-48 and Lucky Ball 16. Git N Go will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

The prize won in Hudson has to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery currently offers prize claims by appointment at its offices. Full details are available on the How To Claim A Prize page of our website.

If the winner or winners of the Hudson ticket have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to call us at the Iowa Lottery at 515-725-7900 or email us at [email protected]

Players in Lucky for Life have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes won in Iowa.

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.

His 2nd Big Win Of 2022: Davenport Man Claims Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life

A Davenport man who claimed a big lottery prize today said he was looking forward to the evidence he could take home to prove to his family and friends that he really did win.

Doug Schlickman said he thinks there will be a doubt until he gets home with a check. And he definitely got one: Doug claimed Lucky for Life’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Doug, who's 51 and works as a production control supervisor at John Deere Cylinder Works in the Quad Cities,  matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in the game's Monday drawing to win his prize. He bought his winning ticket at Kwik Star, 1225 E. Kimberly Road in Davenport.

He said as he was checking his lottery tickets yesterday on the lottery website, he first realized he’d won $4 for matching just the Powerball® in that game’s Monday drawing. Then he checked his Lucky for Life® tickets.

Doug said he had three tickets in the game and the numbers on the last one were all matching up. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, so he scanned the easy-pick ticket on the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app. It confirmed he definitely won $25,000 a year for life.

The winning numbers in Monday’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 2-12-16-29-40 and Lucky Ball 13.

Kwik Star will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Doug said that after he realized he’d won, he sent a text to his wife, Sarah, a nurse practitioner in an operating room. He asked her how it felt to be debt free. She just texted back with question marks. So, he took a screenshot of the winning message on the lottery’s mobile app and sent it to her.

Doug said they plan to pay off debt, then invest the rest of the winnings for their children’s college expenses and their own retirement.

His Lucky for Life prize is Doug’s second big lottery win of 2022. In January, he won a prize of $12,920.90 in the Cherry Twist Progressive InstaPlay game.

Doug said he enjoys the anticipation of playing the lottery – just the excitement of checking his ticket results. And he says he’s not done winning yet: He’s aiming for a Powerball or Mega Millions® jackpot next.

Davenport Ticket Wins Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a Quad Cities convenience store has won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life® game.

Last night’s big win in Davenport comes just a handful of days after a Cedar Rapids couple claimed the same prize from one of the game’s earlier drawings.

The Davenport ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s drawing to win Lucky for Life’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The winning ticket was purchased at Kwik Star, 1225 E. Kimberly Road in Davenport.

It’s Iowa’s 14th big win in the game since it debuted in January 2016 in our state.

Last week, a Cedar Rapids couple claimed a prize of $25,000 a year for life that they’d won in the Lucky for Life drawing back on Nov. 4. Chuck and Sherry Thomas said they knew shortly after the drawing that they won, but they purposefully waited to claim their prize until they had a plan in place for their winnings.

The winning numbers in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 2-12-16-29-40 and Lucky Ball 13. Kwik Star will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Prizes at the top two levels in Lucky for Life must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery currently offers prize claims by appointment at its offices. Full details are available on the lottery’s website here.

If the winner or winners of the Davenport ticket have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to give us a shout at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or [email protected]

Players in Lucky for Life have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes won in Iowa.

Nearly 8 Months Later, Cedar Rapids Couple Claims Prize Of $25K A Year For Life

For nearly eight months, we've wondered if we’d ever get to meet the winners of a Cedar Rapids prize of $25,000 a year for life. Well, now it’s happened!

Chuck and Sherry Thomas of Cedar Rapids claimed the prize they won in the Nov. 4 drawing of the Lucky for Life® game. The couple said they'd known the good news since shortly after the drawing, but they purposefully waited until yesterday to claim the prize so they had a plan in place for their winnings.

Chuck Thomas, who is 60, bought their winning easy-pick ticket at Casey’s, 641 Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids. He said he initially bought a ticket on a Wednesday, thinking it would be for the next night’s Lucky for Life drawing. What he didn’t realize was that in July 2021, Lucky for Life had changed from two drawings a week to nightly drawings. So, his ticket ended up being for Wednesday’s drawing.

As he drove past the Casey’s store, Chuck said he decided to stop and buy another ticket that actually would be for Thursday’s drawing. One of the plays on that ticket ended up winning Lucky for Life’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

Sherry Thomas, 55, said that at the time, they had just ordered new carpet for their home. She said that if they had won just a little sooner, they might have gotten wood floors.

The couple’s prize is the 13th big win by Iowa players in the game since it debuted in January 2016 in the state.

Chuck and Sherry chose to receive their prize in a lump-sum payment of $390,000. They said they were thinking about buying a hot tub with some of their winnings, but they plan to invest most of the money with an eye toward retirement. Chuck said their lottery win will hopefully make retirement a lot easier!

The winning numbers in the Lucky for Life drawing on Nov. 4 were: 6-9-12-23-41 and Lucky Ball 8. The couple’s ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win at the game’s second prize level.

Casey’s received a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

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.)  

Say What? 6 Lottery Prizes Of At Least $10,000 Are Unclaimed In Iowa

Are we as Iowans becoming really forgetful? Are we just procrastinating? Whatever the reason, six lottery prizes of at least $10,000 are unclaimed right now in the state. This is a reminder to double-check your tickets.

The largest amount on the list – a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life® game – has been unclaimed for nearly six months.

The winner bought the lucky ticket at Casey’s, 641 Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids, for the Lucky for Life drawing on Nov. 4, 2021. The ticket matched the five white balls but missed the yellow Lucky Ball that night to win the game’s second prize level. The winning numbers in the Nov. 4 drawing were: 6-9-12-23-41 and Lucky Ball 8.

The winner has until 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, to claim the prize at Iowa Lottery headquarters.

Here is a list of the other five big unclaimed prizes, and they’re also shown on a map in the video above if it helps to see them visually.

Game	Prize Drawing	Amount Won	Retailer	Expiration
Powerball	July 21, 2021	$50,000	Casey's, Council Bluffs	July 21, 2022
Powerball	Oct. 23, 2021	$50,000	Kum & Go, Stuart	Oct. 24, 2022
Extreme Green InstaPlay	March 29, 2022	$37,624	River Mart, W. Burlington	June 27, 2022
Word Search InstaPlay	April 14, 2022	$20,000	Casey's, Waukon	July 13, 2022
Extreme Green InstaPlay	March 12, 2022	$10,000	Casey's, Gilbertville	June 10, 2022

The lottery currently offers prize claims by appointment at its offices. If you’re one of the winners and you have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, please give us a shout at 515-725-7900.

In the last fiscal year, more than $1.3 million in lotto and InstaPlay prizes expired in Iowa without being claimed.

Time appears to be a factor. The Iowa Lottery reviewed plays from a sampling of recent lotto drawings and found that the vast majority of prize claims occurred within six months of the drawing date. Less than 3 percent of prizes from those drawings were claimed after that point. The Iowa Lottery will continue to review how it can best encourage and remind players to claim their prizes.

The money from lottery prizes that expire in Iowa without being claimed goes into the lottery's prize pools for future games and promotions, so it will be used to pay prizes, just not those prizes that have expired.

2 Big Prizes In 2 Years For This Iowan!

For the second time in two years, a southwest Iowa man has won a big lottery prize.

This afternoon, Delbert Littleton of Atlantic claimed the first of eight top prizes of $100,000 available in the Power 10X scratch game. That follows his big win from June 2020, when he won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life lotto game. He chose to take the lump-sum option of $390,000 for that prize.

Delbert said that both times, he was in his kitchen when he realized he’d hit big. And both times, he had a little trouble breathing and his heart started racing.

After his 2020 win, he said that he and his wife, Jodi, danced for joy in the kitchen. This time around, he called Jodi to share the news and then had to quickly pull the phone away from his ear when she started yelling in excitement.

Delbert said he bought tickets in the Power 10X game because it was new. He ended up with three winning tickets in a row. The first was a $20 winner that he redeemed for two more tickets in the game. One of those was a $10 winner and the other won the $100,000 prize.

Power 10X is a $10 scratch game that just began sales on April 5. Its tickets feature green-and-yellow graphics of arcing electricity. Prizes in the game range from $10 up to $100,000. Delbert bought his $100,000-winning ticket at Murphy USA, 1903 E. Seventh St. in Atlantic.

Delbert said that he and Jodi followed through on their plans after his 2020 win to buy a new house and get new vehicles. With this win, he has concrete plans again: He’s tired of using a push mower on their corner lot, so he says he’ll get a riding lawnmower. The couple also plans to take a nice vacation this year, and then they’ll invest the rest of the winnings.

Delbert said that this win makes the thought of retirement a little more relaxing.

Three Months In & Big Lucky for Life Prize Is Still Unclaimed

We’ve just passed the three-month mark for a big lottery prize here in Iowa that’s still unclaimed.

The prize of $25,000 a year for life was won in the Lucky for Life drawing back on Nov. 4. Someone bought the winning ticket at Casey’s, 641 Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids. The ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in that night’s drawing to win Lucky for Life’s second prize of $25,000 for life.

The winner has the option of claiming the prize in payments of $25,000 a year for life or as its lump-sum value of $390,000.

The winner still has plenty of time to claim this prize – players in Iowa have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes in Lucky for Life. But as more time passes, the ticket could be lost or thrown away.

Prizes at the top two levels in Lucky for Life need to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery currently offers prize claims by appointment at its offices. Full details are available on the lottery’s website here.

And if a lottery prize does expire without being claimed, what happens to the money? Here in Iowa, that money goes into the Iowa Lottery’s prize pools for future games and promotions. So it will be used to pay prizes, just not those prizes that have expired.

On our Unclaimed Prizes list, you can see all the prizes of $600 or more in Iowa that are currently unclaimed in lotto and InstaPlay games. You can sort the list by game, place of purchase, prize amount, date of win, or date of expiration to key in on the details that matter most to you.

Six Months To Go For $50,000 Powerball Prize In Council Bluffs

A big unclaimed prize in Iowa has just hit a significant milestone, so it’s a good time for me to remind everyone to double-check their tickets!

Today is the six-month mark for a $50,000 Powerball® prize won in Council Bluffs. That prize was won July 21 with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 3434 Nebraska Ave. in Council Bluffs. It will expire at the close of business on July 21 of this year if it’s not claimed by then at an Iowa Lottery office. (The prize-redemption hours in our offices close at 4 p.m.)

Players in Iowa have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim Powerball prizes.

You’re probably wondering: Why do prizes go unclaimed? Maybe the tickets involved get lost or misplaced. Maybe the player never checks them. Or maybe they only check to see if they’ve won the jackpot and don’t drill down to see that they can win other significant prizes (like $50,000)!

On our Unclaimed Prizes list on the Iowa Lottery website, you can see all the prizes of $600 or more in Iowa that are currently unclaimed in lotto and InstaPlay games. You can sort the list by game, place of purchase, prize amount, date of win, or date of expiration to key in on the details that matter most to you.

As of today, there are six prizes of $5,000 or more still waiting to be claimed in Iowa. The biggest one is a Lucky for Life® prize of $25,000 a year for life (or a $390,000 lump-sum option) that was won with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 641 Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids. There are about 10½ months to go until it would expire.

If you have any questions about claiming a prize, give us a call at 515-725-7900 or email us at [email protected] And, please double-check your tickets!

Did You Already Win? More Than A Dozen Large Prizes Currently Unclaimed In Iowa

There’s never a bad time to win a lottery prize. So here's a reminder from us that more than a dozen large lottery prizes are currently unclaimed in Iowa — so please double-check your tickets!

On our Unclaimed Prizes list on the Iowa Lottery website, you can see all the prizes of $600 or more in Iowa that are still unclaimed in lotto and InstaPlay games. You can sort the list in several different ways — by game, place of purchase, prize amount, date of win and date of expiration — to key in on the details that matter most to you.

As of today, there are a whopping 19 prizes of $10,000 or more that are waiting to be claimed. At the top of the list is a Lucky for Life prize of $25,000 a year for life (or a $390,000 lump-sum option) that was won with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 641 Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids.

As for prizes on that list that will expire the soonest, you’ll note that there are numerous prizes expiring on Jan. 3, 2022. That includes a $12,000 Pick 4 prize that was won in the Oct. 3 evening drawing on a ticket purchased at Price Chopper, 4343 Merle Hay Road in Des Moines.

All prizes on the list must be claimed at a lottery office or by mail. The Lucky for Life prize must be claimed at lottery headquarters in Clive. If you have any questions about claiming a prize, give us a call at 515-725-7900 or email us at [email protected]

Wowza! Double Big Iowa Prize News Hits In Lucky for Life On The Same Day

There must be something in the water when it comes to the Lucky for Life game right now in Iowa!

Someone who bought a ticket at a Cedar Rapids convenience store won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing. The big win came just hours after a central Iowa man claimed that same prize from an October drawing in the game.

The Cedar Rapids ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s drawing to win Lucky for Life’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The winning ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 641 Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids. It’s Iowa’s 13th big winner in the game since its Iowa debut in January 2016.

The Cedar Rapids prize hit the same day that a central Iowa man claimed the game’s prize of $25,000 a year for life that he won in the Oct. 13 drawing. Michael “Micky” Pietz of Adel said he had his winning ticket in his wallet for a couple weeks before checking it and realizing he’d won big.

The winning numbers in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 6-9-12-23-41 and Lucky Ball 8. Casey’s will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Prizes at the top two levels in Lucky for Life need to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery currently offers prize claims by appointment at its offices. Full details are available on the lottery’s website here.

If the winner or winners of the Cedar Rapids ticket have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to give us a shout at the lottery at 515-725-7900.

Central Iowa Man Claims Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life

A central Iowa man admits he had no idea he was a big lottery winner for a couple weeks because he hadn’t checked his ticket yet.

Michael “Micky” Pietz of Adel claimed a prize of $25,000 a year for life on Thursday in the Lucky for Life® game. As he talked with officials at lottery headquarters in Clive, he recalled that he had a few tickets in his wallet by the time he decided to check their results.

Pietz, 37, who works in the gas and utilities industry, said he was using a self-checker at a local store and didn’t notice at first the amount that it displayed for one of the tickets.

“I was talking with the clerk and not overly paying attention,” he said. “I scanned it and he’s like, ‘Wait a minute, what did that say?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know, probably something like $10.’ And I scanned it again and I thought, ‘That can’t be right.’ And I scanned it again and then I had him scan it.”

Still in disbelief, Pietz said he went home and asked his wife to scan the ticket using the lottery’s mobile app. All the results showed a ticket winning a prize of $25,000 a year for life.  

Pietz won his prize in the Oct. 13 drawing of the Lucky for Life game.  He is Iowa’s 12th big winner in the game since it debuted here in January 2016.         
 
Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. Its top two prize levels are described as “lasting as long as you do,” meaning that they are truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there is a lump-sum option for players who prefer that rather than lifetime annuity payments.

Pietz chose to receive his prize in a lump-sum payment of $390,000. He said that he and his wife planned to use the winnings to pay off debt, invest for their future, and establish educational accounts for their four children.

The winning numbers in the Oct. 13 drawing of Lucky for Life were: 13-16-18-23-33 and Lucky Ball 17. Pietz’s easy-pick ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

He bought his winning ticket at Kum & Go, 409 Nile Kinnick Drive S. in Adel. Kum & Go will receive a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

With his own story in mind, Pietz has advice for other winners checking the results of their tickets.

“Pay attention to them,” he said with a smile.  

Central Iowa Ticket Wins $25,000 A Year for Life

 

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a central Iowa convenience store won a prize of $25,000 a year for life last night in the Lucky for Life game. 

The lucky ticket was purchased at Kum & Go, 409 Nile Kinnick Dr. S. in Adel. It matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in Wednesday's drawing to win Lucky for Life's second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

It is Iowa's 12th big winner in the game since it debuted in January 16 in our state.

The winning numbers in last night's drawing were 13-16-18-23-33 and Lucky Ball 17. Kum & Go will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Players in Lucky for Life choose five numbers from a pool of 48 for the white balls and 1 out of 18 numbers for the Lucky Ball. Players can win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life by matching all six numbers selected in one of its drawings. The game’s second prize – for matching the first five numbers but missing the Lucky Ball – is $25,000 a year for life. Other prize levels in the game range from $3 up to $5,000.

Prizes at the top two levels in Lucky for Life must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery currently offers prize claims by appointment at its offices. Full details are available on the lottery’s website here.

A Convo With A Player About Random Numbers

I talked with a player this week about the concept of random numbers and what exactly that means for her lotto tickets. Here’s the background involved, in case you’ve ever wondered the same thing!

The woman said that she buys easy-pick tickets in Powerball®, Mega Millions® and Lucky for Life®. (In an easy-pick play, the lottery terminal or self-service kiosk randomly assigns the numbers on the ticket.)

The woman said she noticed that the same numbers can end up on different tickets, and that concerned her. She thought that if the numbers were randomly selected, they would all be different, or repeat extremely rarely. I explained that what she was describing is in fact not random.

When numbers are chosen at random, any outcome is possible: You can have multiple plays with all the same numbers. You can have plays with no repeat numbers. Or, you can have plays where some of the numbers repeat. If you put parameters on the numbers they won’t be random. 

Perhaps the way to look at it is that you can’t apply reason to random.

As I shared with the woman, the only way to avoid repeats in the numbers on your lotto tickets is to choose the numbers you play.

New Play Slips In Powerball & Lucky For Life Coming Later This Year

With Lucky for Life® just changing to nightly drawings and Powerball® adding Monday drawings next month, some folks have asked when our play slips for the games will be updated to reflect the new options. The quick answer is that we should have new play slips (in hard copy and electronically on the mobile app) for Powerball and Lucky for Life this fall. Here are the full details.

You might think the process would be as easy as having new play slips printed. But in reality, it takes significant computer programming and multiple rounds of testing in advance before new play slips can be deployed. We have to ensure they’ll work correctly with our lottery terminals, self-service kiosks and mobile app so you’ll get the numbers and options on your ticket that you wanted. 

The decisions about changes in Lucky for Life (which moved to daily drawings on July 19) and Powerball (which will have its first Monday drawing on Aug. 23) are made by all of the lotteries in the games. And those national timelines don’t always sync up seamlessly with the projects we have underway here in Iowa.

Next month, the Iowa Lottery’s statewide gaming system that links all lottery retail locations in the state will be replaced. That’s an enormous project that happens once a decade, and new play slips will need to wait until after that system conversion occurs.

The vast majority of lottery players here in Iowa (more than 90 percent of players in Powerball, for example) buy easy-pick plays, meaning they let the lottery terminal select the numbers on their tickets. But for those who do use play slips to choose their own numbers, we know that our play slips here in Iowa don’t currently reflect the new drawings in the games. We’re also discussing whether we can extend the number of drawings that you can purchase plays for in advance in our lotto games. That particular discussion comes with its own set of issues to be addressed, but we are looking at it.

So please know that new play slips are on our timelines, but they won’t be available here in Iowa for a little while yet.

She Didn’t Believe It At First, But A SE Iowa Woman Has Won $25,000 A Year For Life

Apparently, realizing you’ve won a big lottery prize but wanting to keep it quiet makes for a VERY long day at work.

That’s the word from a Mount Pleasant woman who claimed a prize today of $25,000 a year for life. Deb Perrott said she realized she’d won the prize before she went to work yesterday, but things hadn’t really sunk in yet. She said she kept feeling like someone should pinch her to see if she was dreaming. She also didn’t want to tell a lot of folks before she could get to the lottery to claim her prize, so with her mind whirling, work just dragged along.

Deb won her prize in Monday night’s Lucky for Life drawing. She said she learned the news just a few hours later when she popped awake about 1:30 a.m. and decided to check her lottery tickets.

She used her phone to check her numbers on the Iowa Lottery website, but was still a bit in doubt. After waking up her husband, Greg, they both were in disbelief about what they were seeing, so she went to a local convenience store to have a clerk there check the ticket on a lottery terminal.

Everything verified that she was indeed Iowa’s 11th big winner in Lucky for Life since the game’s debut in the state in January 2016. 

Deb said she called her adult children to share the news, but they also didn’t believe her at first. She said she’s not known as a practical joker, but for some reason, people kept thinking that she was “pulling their chains.”

Deb, who is 58 and works at a mail-management company, chose to receive her winnings in annual payments of $25,000. Her immediate plans after claiming her prize were to take her husband to lunch! She also said she might do a little traveling, but the bulk of her winnings will make a difference long term, helping with retirement.

The winning numbers in Monday’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 5-7-23-25-48 and Lucky Ball 8. Deb’s ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Her winning ticket was purchased at Gas Land Express, 309 W. Washington St. in Mount Pleasant. The business will receive a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Deb plays the same set of numbers for each Lucky for Life drawing and says she does it just for fun, never truly expecting to win big!

Ticket Purchased In Mount Pleasant Wins Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a southeast Iowa convenience store won a prize of $25,000 a year for life last night in the Lucky for Life game.

The Mount Pleasant ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s drawing to win Lucky for Life’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The winning ticket was purchased at Gas Land Express, 309 W. Washington St. in Mount Pleasant.

This is Iowa’s 11th big winner in the game since it debuted in January 2016 in our state.

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings twice a week, at 9:38 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. The game’s top two prize levels are described as “lasting as long as you do,” meaning that they are truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there is a lump-sum option for players who prefer that rather than lifetime annuity payments.

The winning numbers in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 5-7-23-25-48 and Lucky Ball 8. Gas Land Express will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Players in Lucky for Life choose five numbers from a pool of 48 for the white balls and 1 out of 18 numbers for the Lucky Ball. Players can win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life by matching all six numbers selected in one of its drawings. The game’s second prize – for matching the first five numbers but missing the Lucky Ball – is $25,000 a year for life. Other prize levels in the game range from $4 up to $5,000.

Prizes at the top two levels in Lucky for Life need to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday, and prize claims are currently available by appointment. The winner or winners of the Mount Pleasant prize can call the lottery at 515-725-7900 to make an appointment to claim it.

More Drawings Being Added In Powerball And Lucky For Life

Two of the Iowa Lottery’s popular lotto games will get additional drawings starting this summer.

Powerball® will move to drawings three times a week with a new Monday drawing being added to those currently held on Wednesday and Saturday nights.  And Lucky for Life® will move from two drawings per week to drawings each night.

The changes are designed to produce more winners, and in the case of Powerball, generate larger, faster-growing jackpots

The Lucky for Life update will happen first, with that game moving to daily drawings beginning on Monday, July 19. Lucky for Life’s current drawings are on Mondays and Thursdays. The change will give that game’s players a daily shot at winning its top prize of $1,000 a day for the rest of their lives.

Then in August, Powerball will move from two drawings per week up to three, with its first Monday drawing set for Aug. 23.

While the additional drawings will create more chances to win, they won’t change the game's prize levels, odds of winning, or ticket price.

Players in $2 Powerball will still choose their first five numbers from a pool of 69, and another number – called the Powerball – from a separate pool of 26. The Power Play® option is available for an extra $1 per play.

Lucky for Life players will continue to choose their first five numbers from a pool of 48 and another number – called the Lucky Ball – from a separate pool of 18. Lucky for Life is a $2 game where the top two prize levels are described as “lasting as long as you do,” meaning that they are truly for life. The game has been played in Iowa since 2016.

SE Iowa Man Claims Lottery Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life

A southeast Iowa man admits it took him a few days to realize he’d won a lottery prize of $25,000 a year for life, and he had the winning ticket in his pocket the entire time.

Craig Walker of Bloomfield claimed his big prize in the Lucky for Life game yesterday at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. He said that a few days after the drawing when he won, he noticed an announcement on the lottery’s website that someone in southeast Iowa was the winner. So he started checking his tickets and realized it was him!

Craig said word spread quickly about his news and people in his area are happy that someone local won.

Craig’s Lucky for Life ticket that matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in the Nov. 16 drawing to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. He said he bought his easy-pick ticket the day before the drawing when he stopped for a sandwich at a local convenience store.

The winning numbers in that night’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 3-8-16-38-44 and Lucky Ball 15. J’s One Stop in Bloomfield will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

There is a lump-sum option at the game’s top two prize levels for players who prefer that approach rather than lifetime annuity payments. Craig chose to receive his prize in its lump-sum amount of $390,000. He says it’s definitely going to help him with retirement!