ialottery blog

Denison Man Claims Latest Prize In Iowa’s “Lucky for Life®” Winning Streak

For the 4th time in 6 months, an Iowan has won big in the Lucky for Life multi-state lotto game.

Al Weltz of Denison won at the game’s second prize level and will receive $25,000 a year for life. He said he bought his winning ticket yesterday at the Ampride Truck Plaza on on U.S. Highway 59 N. in Denison after taking his mother to church.

How He Figured Out He Won

Al said he was getting ready for work this morning when he decided to check his ticket from last night’s Lucky for Life drawing. The winning numbers were 19-20-27-36-39 and Lucky Ball 6.

“First of all I thought I had four numbers and thought, ‘Hey great, I won $200!” he said.

But Al gave his ticket another look and noticed he had actually matched five numbers. Instead of $200, he really won $25,000 a year for life! But Al said he didn’t quite believe it, so he went back to Ampride where a store employee scanned his ticket on the lottery terminal and verified his win.

Word Got Out

Al has lived in Denison his whole life and told us he knows just about everyone around town. That includes one of his former teachers who was also in Ampride, and asked him how much he’d won.

“Then the radio station called an hour later, and heck, my uncle called from Florida and he heard about it somehow on Facebook!” he said.

By the time he claimed his prize today at the lottery’s main office in Clive, Al’s big win was anything but a secret!

He's Just The Latest Big Winner

Al joins three other Iowans who have won big prizes playing Lucky for Life in the past 6 months.

In December, Shelby Willis of Des Moines became Iowa’s first top prize winner in the game of $1,000 a day for life. He chose the cash option for his prize, receiving a lump-sum payment of $5.75 million.

Two other Iowans recently won at Lucky for Life’s second prize level, just like Al. Richard Hoversten of Des Moines claimed his prize in October, and Brandon Richey of Dallas Center claimed his in January.

Al is the 24th Iowa player to win a prize at Lucky for Life’s top two prize levels since the game debuted here in January 2016!

We’re On A Roll! Iowa Has Another Big Win In Lucky For Life

For the 4th time in 6 months, someone who bought a Lucky for Life® ticket in Iowa has won big in that multi-state game.

The latest big win hit during the weekend in Denison. Someone bought a ticket there that matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing to win at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

The winning ticket was purchased at Ampride Truck Plaza, 506 U.S. Highway 59 N. in Denison. Last night’s winning Lucky for Life numbers were: 19-20-27-36-39 and Lucky Ball 6.

The Ampride Truck Plaza will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Iowa’s current winning streak in Lucky for Life began in October, when a Des Moines man won at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life. Then in November, a Des Moines man won the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life. And in December, a Dallas Center man won a prize of $25,000 for life.

Prize Claim Details

Lucky for Life prizes won in Iowa must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing. The Lucky for Life prize won in Denison has to be claimed at the lottery’s main office in Clive.

If you think you're the big winner and have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, please give us a shout at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email [email protected].

Central Iowa Man Walked Around For Days With Big Winning Ticket In His Wallet

A central Iowa man walked around for days without realizing he had a lottery ticket in his wallet had won a prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Brandon Richey of Dallas Center claimed his prize today at lottery headquarters in Clive. He says he generally waits to check his lottery tickets until he has a few to scan at a time.

So nearly a week after the Lucky for Life® drawing where he won at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a week for life, he finally checked his ticket.

Checking It Once, Checking It Twice 

Brandon says he had stopped for coffee on his way to work, and while it was brewing, he decided to check his lottery tickets.

But when the lottery self-checker displayed the amount he’d won, he had trouble believing it. So he took his ticket to another store and checked it again. The results were the same!

Brandon works as a server at a West Des Moines restaurant and says that while he arrived at work soon after that, he may have been a little off that night! He says he was probably more distracted than he should have been as he tried to absorb his lottery news.

How He Won

Brandon bought his winning ticket at Kum & Go, 3105 Grand Prairie Parkway in Waukee, for the Dec. 15 drawing in Lucky for Life.

His ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life. That night’s winning numbers were: 9-12-22-36-45 and Lucky Ball 3.

Kum & Go received a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Brandon chose to receive his prize in the lump-sum option of $390,000 rather than as annuity payments over time.

He says he plans to pay off bills and then invest the rest of his winnings for the future.

Iowa Winning Streak

Brandon is Iowa’s 3rd big winner in Lucky for Life in 3 months.

In November, a Des Moines man won the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life. And in October, another Des Moines man won at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

Iowa has now seen 23 winners at Lucky for Life’s top 2 prize levels since the game debuted here in January 2016.

Winning Streak! 3rd Big Iowa Win In The Lucky For Life Game In 3 Months

We’ve got a winning streak going! For the 3rd time in as many months, Iowa has a big winner in the multi-state Lucky for Life® game.

The latest big win hit on a ticket purchased in Waukee for last night’s Lucky for Life drawing. The Waukee ticket matched the first 5 numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

The ticket was purchased at Kum & Go, 3105 Grand Prairie Parkway in Waukee. Last night’s winning Lucky for Life numbers were: 9-12-22-36-45 and Lucky Ball 3.

Kum & Go will receive a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

The Winning Streak

Iowa’s Lucky for Life winning streak started in October when a Des Moines man won at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life. Then in November, another Des Moines man won the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life.

With the latest win added in, Iowa has seen a total of 23 winners at Lucky for Life’s top 2 prize levels since the game’s January 2016 debut in our state.

Prize Claim Details

The Lucky for Life prize won in Waukee has to be claimed at lottery headquarters in Clive within 180 days of the drawing.

If the winner has questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they can give us a shout at 515-725-7900 or by email to [email protected].

Des Moines Man Says He Can Relax Now After Winning Prize Of $1,000 A Day For Life

Iowa’s first top prize winner of $1,000 a day for life in the Lucky for Life® game says his big prize will allow him to move closer to family.

Shelby Willis of Des Moines says his win will change things for himself, his children and his grandchildren. He knows it’s important and he wants to do get right in terms of managing his winnings.

Shelby, who is 64, was born in Iowa, but spent most of his adult life on the East Coast, where both of his daughters and his brother live today. He returned to live in Des Moines 12 years ago to help his father who was in poor health at the time. Now he’s looking to move east again, likely to New Jersey, to be near his family.

His Plans For His Winnings

Shelby says his win means he can relax and he won’t have to be as concerned with finances. He also looks forward to being able to get some important items on his list, including a townhome or condo in New Jersey.

But baseball is also on his mind! Shelby says he’s been a New York Yankees fan since the 1970s, so tickets to see the Bronx Bombers are definitely in his future.

How He Won

Shelby’s ticket matched all six winning numbers in Friday’s Lucky for Life drawing to win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life. The winning numbers that night were: 2-7-19-42-47 and Lucky Ball 4.

He bought his winning easy-pick ticket at QuikTrip, 1501 E. Grand Ave. in Des Moines. QuikTrip will receive a $5,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Instant Retirement

Shelby chose the cash option for his prize, getting a lump-sum payment of $5.75 million.

He says winning has meant “instant retirement” for him. After he realized on Saturday that he’d won big, he quit his job in the security industry.  

Shelby's prize is Iowa’s 22nd overall big winner in Lucky for Life since the game’s January 2016 debut in the state. The other big winners were all at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

Iowa Has Its 1st Top Prize Winner Of $1,000 A Day For Life In Lucky For Life Game

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a Des Moines convenience store has won Iowa’s first top prize of $1,000 a day for life in the multi-state Lucky for Life® game!

This is Iowa’s 22nd overall big winner in Lucky for Life since the game began in our state in January 2016. Iowa’s other big Lucky for Life winners have all been at the game's second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

Details About The Winning Ticket

The top-prize winning ticket matched all 6 winning numbers in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing to win $1,000 a day for life. The ticket was purchased at Quik Trip, 1501 E. Grand Ave. in Des Moines.

Last night’s winning Lucky for Life numbers were: 2-7-19-42-47 and Lucky Ball 4.

Quik Trip will receive a $5,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. It is sold by Iowa and 22 other U.S. lotteries.

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 would prefer that rather than lifetime annuity payments.

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.

Prize Claim Details

There are two options for claiming Lucky for Life’s top prize: annuity payments over time or a single, lump-sum payment. The annuity option would provide annual payments of $365,000 ($1,000 a day) for life. The lump-sum option would mean a one-time payment of $5.75 million.

The prize has to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive, and we strongly encourage a prize-claim appointment. Iowa Lottery offices are closed on weekends and will be closed on Monday for the Veterans Day holiday, so the earliest that this prize could be claimed is Tuesday.   

Lucky for Life winners in Iowa have to claim their prizes within 180 days of the drawing.

If the winner or winners of the Des Moines prize have questions, they’re welcome to call us at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email us at [email protected].

People Watching Leads Des Moines Man To Win $25,000 A Year For Life

A Des Moines man who has carried on his dad’s tradition of people watching decided to buy some lottery tickets during one such stop last week – and he hit big!

Richard Hoversten says people watching was something he and his dad did during the family’s weekly grocery trips when he was growing up. Richard says he’s gone forward with the tradition, and during a recent stop at Hy-Vee, 2540 E. Euclid Ave. in Des Moines, he decided to buy a few lottery tickets.

The next day, he checked the results of his tickets on the Iowa Lottery website and realized he’d won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life® game. Richard says he immediately called his son to double-check what he was seeing. And then he admits he was just dumbfounded for a bit!

Richard, who’s 79 and a retired Vietnam veteran, says he was then able to spread the word to his other children and grandchildren. And they believed his news!

Richard won Iowa’s 21st big prize in the Lucky for Life game since its January 2016 debut in the state. His easy-pick ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last Wednesday’s Lucky for Life drawing to win at the game’s second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.

That night’s winning Lucky for Life numbers were: 9-12-22-25-44 and Lucky Ball 9.

Hy-Vee will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling Richard his winning ticket.

Richard chose to receive his prize in its annuity option of $25,000 a year for life. He plans to use his winning to pay off bills and says he may travel more. He also plans to invest for the future and will continue supporting charities important to him.

Iowa Had 2 Big Winners In Last Night’s Lottery Drawings!

Update on Friday, Oct. 25: We're still waiting to meet the Lucky for Life winner, but the Powerball prize has been claimed! Anita Kent of Burlington claimed her $100,000 Powerball prize yesterday at our Cedar Rapids office. 

Iowa saw 2 big winners in last night’s lottery drawings. A Lucky for Life® prize of $25,000 a year for life was won in Des Moines and a $100,000 Powerball® prize was won in Burlington!

Details About The Winning Lucky for Life Ticket

The Lucky for Life ticket in Des Moines won Iowa’s 21st big prize in that game since its January 2016 debut in our state. The ticket matched the first 5 numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing to win at the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

The winning ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee, 2540 E. Euclid Ave. in Des Moines. Last night’s winning Lucky for Life numbers were: 9-12-22-25-44 and Lucky Ball 9.

Hy-Vee will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Details About The Winning Powerball Ticket

The Powerball ticket in Burlington initially matched 4 of the white balls and the Powerball in last night’s drawing to win $50,000. But whoever bought the lucky ticket added the Power Play® option to it, which doubled the prize to $100,000.

The winning ticket was purchased at Liquorland, 600 S. Main St. in Burlington. Last night’s winning Powerball numbers were: 2-15-27-29-39 and Powerball 20. The Power Play number was 2.

Liquorland will receive a $100 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Prize Claim Details

Lucky for Life and Powerball prizes won in Iowa have to be claimed within 180 days of the drawing.

The Lucky for Life prize won in Des Moines needs to be claimed at lottery headquarters in Clive, while the Powerball prize won in Burlington can be claimed at any of the lottery’s offices.

If the winners have questions before claiming their prizes, they’re welcome to reach out to us at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or [email protected].

Lucky for Life Winner Kept Checking Ticket To Be Sure He Got The Same Results!

I think we can all relate to this: A Des Moines man kept checking his winning lottery ticket to be sure the results would come up the same!

Paul Freeman just claimed a prize of $25,000 a year for life that he’d won in Monday night’s Lucky for Life® drawing. He says he checked his winning ticket at multiple stores and on the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app just to be sure it was real.

Paul’s wife is currently out of state, so he called her to share the news. She didn’t quite believe him at first, but he's pretty sure that with the winnings deposited in their account, she’ll be convinced!

Paul bought his winning easy-pick ticket at Price Chopper, 1819 Beaver Ave. in Des Moines. He matched the first five winning numbers but missed the Lucky Ball to win big. The winning numbers in Monday’s night’s drawing were: 15-17-35-40-45 and Lucky Ball 6.

His Plans For The Winnings

He chose to receive his prize in its lump-sum option of $390,000. He plans to use his winnings to become debt free.

Paul is 59 and a wine consultant for the Urbandale location of an international wine and spirits company. He says he’s always thought about what he’d do if he won a big lottery prize, so now he’s putting that plan into action. He's going to pay off debt and invest for the future so retirement can be comfortable and happy.

Paul says his wife is the only person he told about his win before he claimed the prize, so he anticipates he’ll get a lot of calls and texts once the news breaks!

Price Chopper will get a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Appanoose County Man Claims Lottery Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life

A southern Iowa man says he’d overslept a bit and was rushing to catch up when he learned he’d won a lottery prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Brent Oden of Cincinnati, a community of about 290 in Appanoose County, says he normally would have checked the results of his Lucky for Life® ticket on the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app. But in his rush, he gave it to a clerk at a local store to scan on the lottery terminal.

He says the woman ran the ticket through the machine, and then delivered this news: “I think you just hit something big.” Oden’s reaction? “Surely not.”

But it was true!

Brent, 56, who farms and owns a sanitation business, is Iowa’s 19th big winner in Lucky for Life since the game’s 2016 debut in our state.

His ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in Tuesday’s drawing to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The winning numbers in Tuesday’s drawing were 1-15-20-31-44 and Lucky Ball 18.

Oden bought his winning easy-pick ticket at Bratz Oil Corp., 102 Drake Ave. in Centerville, the same store where he had his ticket checked. He says his stars must have fallen in a row or something.

Then word in his small town spread quickly. Oden said his children, grandchildren, friends and people in the community all were calling to see if it was true.

Bratz Oil will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Brent chose to receive his prize in its lump-sum option of $390,000. He and his wife, Julie, say they’ll invest most of the winnings, but may spend some of it on a trip to Hawaii to fulfill Brent’s pledge that they’d go back after their honeymoon there.

Brent’s prize was the fourth major win by a lottery player in Iowa in five days. The winning streak started with a $1 million Mega Millions® prize won Friday in Davenport. Then on Saturday, an InstaPlay jackpot of nearly $400,000 was won in Cascade and a Powerball® prize of $2 million was won in Ottumwa.

An Ottumwa woman claimed the $2 million Powerball prize on Monday, while Oden claimed his prize yesterday. The other two major prizes remain unclaimed.

4th major lottery prize won in 5 Days in Iowa, the latest is in Lucky for Life

For the 4th time in 5 days, a lottery player in Iowa has won a major prize.

The latest big win hit last night in the Lucky for Life® game. Someone who bought a ticket in Centerville won a prize of $25,000 a year for life.

That follows a $1 million Mega Millions® prize won Friday in Davenport, and then on Saturday, an InstaPlay jackpot of nearly $400,000 in Cascade and a Powerball® prize of $2 million in Ottumwa.

An Ottumwa woman claimed the $2 million Powerball prize on Monday, while the other major prizes remain unclaimed.

The winning Lucky for Life ticket, purchased at Bratz Oil Corp., 102 Drake Ave. in Centerville, matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s drawing to win at the game's second prize level of $25,000 a year for life. The winning numbers in last night’s drawing were 1-15-20-31-44 and Lucky Ball 18.

It’s the 19th big Iowa win in Lucky for Life since the game debuted in our state in January 2016.

Bratz Oil will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the ticket winning $25,000 a year for life.

Here are the details about the other two recent major Iowa Lottery prizes that remain unclaimed.

InstaPlay: The Super 7s Progressive InstaPlay jackpot of $390,191 was won Saturday with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 717 First Ave. E. in Cascade.

Super 7s Progressive InstaPlay is a $30 game. Its jackpot starts at $50,000 and increases with each ticket sold statewide until it is won.

The InstaPlay product combines features from instant-scratch and lotto games. InstaPlay tickets are called scratchless because they have no security coating that needs to be removed to determine the prize won.

Mega Millions: The Mega Millions prize of $1 million was won Friday with a ticket purchased at Smokin’ Joe’s, 3120 Rockingham Road in Davenport. The ticket came within one number of Friday’s $320 million jackpot, matching the first five numbers but missing the Mega Ball.

The Davenport ticket was the only one in the country to win a $1 million prize in that night’s drawing.

Friday’s winning numbers were: 13-62-65-67-69 and Mega Ball 14. The Megaplier® was 5.

Smokin’ Joe’s will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket in Davenport.

Prizes won in Iowa of more than $250,000 must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. Lottery offices are open Monday through Friday, and appointments are strongly encouraged for those claims.

If the winners have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they're welcome to call us at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email us at [email protected].

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.