If you’re in the Ames area on Tuesday, join us as we highlight a $1 million Mega Millions® prize won there that has only three months until its expiration date.
The $1 million-winning Mega Millions ticket was purchased at The Filling Station/Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the game’s drawing on Sept. 6, 2022.
That drawing took place just after the long Labor Day holiday weekend, with Labor Day 2022 being celebrated on Sept. 5. And that same weekend, Iowa State won its 2022 football season opener at home against Southeast Missouri State. There may have been a lot of folks visiting the Ames area that weekend who aren’t regularly there.
The Filling Station/Gateway Expresse is a combination kitchen-bakery-convenience store along University Boulevard, a busy thoroughfare near several large hotels on the south side of Ames.
We’ll be at the store Tuesday morning to highlight the $1 million unclaimed prize and remind players to double-check their tickets. The Lottery’s Summer Street Team will set up a promotion tent outside the business and have our prize wheel on the scene from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, giving you the chance to win lottery merchandise with a qualifying lottery purchase at the store.
We’ll also give out free plays in Mega Millions and Powerball® while supplies last.
We’ll go live on Facebook at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday from the store, so if you can’t join us in person, you can see the event online.
Right now in Iowa, 10 prizes ranging from $10,000 up to $1 million are unclaimed. Please double-check your tickets!
The winner or winners of the $1 million prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6 of this year to claim it at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
Will we find the winners of the unclaimed prizes? Only time will tell! Help us spread the word!
A player just sent us a question you may have wondered about as well when it comes to the multiplier option in our lotto games, and how that number is selected.
In Powerball®, the multiplier feature is called the Power Play®; in Mega Millions®, it’s the Megaplier®; and in Lotto America®, it’s the All Star Bonus® option.
In each of the games, adding that option to your play will multiply any prize you win (except the Match 5 prize in Powerball and the jackpot in any of the games) by the multiplier number in that night’s drawing.
If the multiplier is 2X, the prize you win will be doubled. If it’s 3X, the prize will be tripled, and so on. Each of the games has its own probability for the multiplier feature.
Let’s use a real-world example from the Powerball game: A Powerball ticket costs $2 per play, and you can add the Power Play multiplier option for an extra $1 per play. For the Powerball drawing involving your ticket, you match four of the first five numbers but miss the Powerball. The Power Play number that night is 4X. You normally would win $100, but because you added the Power Play option to your ticket, your prize would be multiplied to $400.
The details about the multiplier feature are included in the game rules for Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America. The multiplier option in each game is selected from its own pool of numbers that is separate from the rest of the drawing.
Here is how the numbers look for the Megaplier option: There are 15 numbers in the Megaplier pool. Of those 15 numbers, 5 are 2s, 6 are 3s, three are 4s, 1 is a 5. Here’s what that looks like in table form:
15 Total Numbers In Megaplier Pool
2X = 5
3X = 6
4X = 3
5X = 1
So, does it stand to reason that the Megaplier number will more often be a 2 or 3? Yes. But the other multipliers also have a shot.
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:
They may be in the smallest lottery office pool ever, but that didn’t stop them from winning big.
This afternoon, two central Iowa men claimed a $1 million Mega Millions® prize they won on Tuesday. Randy Ferriss of Nevada and Colton Snyder of Huxley are long-time employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Ames. They’ve pooled their money for years to play the lottery, and at different times, there were more members in their group.
Randy says he thought they should stop playing several times, but Colton would say they should keep going.
They won their $1 million prize with small winnings from recent tickets. Colton says they turned a $2 winner into $1 million! But to temper that, Randy says they’ve been playing a long time.
Where It Started
Randy bought their $1 million-winning ticket at Casey’s, 1800 S. B Ave. in Nevada. They came within one number of having a share of Tuesday’s $20 million Mega Millions jackpot, matching the first five numbers but missing the Mega Ball.
Their easy-pick ticket was one of four across the country to win a $1 million prize in Tuesday’s drawing, with the others in California, Maryland and Ohio.
Tuesday’s winning numbers were: 7-9-15-19-25 and Mega Ball 4. The Megaplier® was 2. With the jackpot that night won in New York, the big prize stays at an estimated $20 million annuity, $10.5 million lump-sum option, for the game’s next drawing tomorrow.
How It Was Going
Randy and Colton are both 52 and have worked together for 26 years. Colton says that when Randy started calling him last night, he knew something was up.
Randy says he looked at the numbers on the ticket and thought they had won, but he decided to go to the store where he bought it to check it there. Then he called Colton and said they needed to meet at the Casey’s in Huxley to check it again.
Randy says it was a situation where you just can’t be too sure. Colton had to rib him a bit, saying Randy kept thinking they were doing something wrong!
Where They’ll Go From Here
The two plan to take time to decide what to do with their winnings. Randy says he and his wife will probably pay off their house and then really formulate a plan. Colton says that he and his wife have been talking about some small home improvements, so they’ll likely do those.
They plan to keep playing the lottery together in their office pool, but just this once, they won’t let their winnings keep riding!
Randy and Colton claimed the third significant lottery prize this month in Iowa.
On April 10, a Dubuque man claimed a $40.03 million Lotto America® jackpot, while on April 11, a Davenport man claimed a $500,000 top prize in an Iowa Lottery scratch game.
Casey’s will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket in Nevada.
For the third time this month, someone who bought a lottery ticket in Iowa has won a significant prize. The latest lucky strike hit in Nevada, where a Mega Millions® player won a $1 million prize last night in that game’s drawing.
The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 1800 S. B Ave. in Nevada. The ticket came within one number of having a share of last night’s $20 million jackpot, matching the first five numbers but missing the Mega Ball.
Details For Last Night’s Drawing
The Nevada ticket was one of four in the country to win a $1 million prize in the drawing, with the others in California, Maryland and Ohio.
Last night’s winning numbers were: 7-9-15-19-25 and Mega Ball 4. The Megaplier® was 2. The jackpot was won in New York, so the big prize stays at an estimated $20 million annuity, $10.5 million lump-sum option, for the game’s next drawing on Friday.
Earlier this month, a Dubuque man claimed a $40.03 million Lotto America® jackpot, while a Davenport man claimed a $500,000 top prize in an Iowa Lottery scratch game.
Casey’s will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket in Nevada.
Why It Matters To Check Your Ticket
You know that the Iowa Lottery emphasizes the importance of checking your tickets, and two situations in central Iowa demonstrate why that matters.
The Casey’s in Nevada that sold this latest $1 million-winning ticket is the same store that sold a ticket winning a $1 million Powerball® prize that expired without being claimed in April 2019.
The Iowa Lottery gave players another shot at those winnings through a promotion that same year, and a group of 34 co-workers at a Cedar Rapids company ended up splitting the prize.
And, a $1 million Mega Millions prize in Ames has been unclaimed for nearly eight months. That winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse (also known as The Filling Station), 2400 S. University Blvd. in Ames. It matched all five white balls but missed the Mega Ball to win at the game's second prize level in the drawing on Sept. 6, 2022. The winner or winners of the Ames prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6 of this year to claim it.
Where To Claim The Prize
Prizes of $1 million have to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. Lottery offices are open Monday through Friday, and appointments are strongly encouraged for claims at that level.
To make an appointment or contact the lottery with questions, winners are welcome to call the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email to [email protected]
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.
She follows a specific process to get her tickets, and this time, it came through with a $1 million prize.
"Look at me, I'm shaking. I guess it's starting to hit," Marla Ballard told officials on Thursday as she claimed her Mega Millions® prize at lottery headquarters in Clive. “I’m kind of overwhelmed right now.”
Ballard, 60, of Des Moines, matched all five white balls but missed the Mega Ball to win a $1 million prize in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing. She's worked out an arrangement with her neighbor, Ron Hubbard: Once the jackpot reaches $100 million, she gives him money to buy her tickets when he buys his own. Hubbard purchased his neighbor's lucky easy-pick ticket at QuikTrip, 3941 SE 14th St. in Des Moines.
Then, a couple days after each drawing, Hubbard writes down the winning numbers and comes over again to show his neighbor. After hearing a $1 million-winning ticket was sold in Des Moines, he wasted little time.
“He was over first thing this morning, too,” Ballard said with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘Who’d be knocking at our door this early in the morning?’”
Tuesday’s winning numbers were: 1-7-23-38-55 and Mega Ball 2. The Megaplier® number was 3. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $254 million annuity, $133.7 million lump-sum option for Friday’s drawing.
QuikTrip will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.
Ballard said that amid the rush of emotions surrounding her win, she hasn’t yet thought about what she’ll do with her winnings.
Another $1 million Mega Millions prize won in Iowa remains unclaimed after more than six months. That winning ticket, purchased at Gateway Expresse (also known as The Filling Station), at 2400 S. University Blvd. in Ames, matched all five white balls but missed the Mega Ball to win at the game’s second prize level in the drawing on Sept. 6, 2022. The winner or winners of the Ames prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it at lottery headquarters in Clive.
Someone who bought a Mega Millions® ticket at a Des Moines convenience store won a $1 million prize in last night’s drawing!
It’s the fifth Mega Millions prize of at least $1 million won in Iowa in the past year.
The $1 million ticket was purchased at QuikTrip, 3941 SE 14th St. in Des Moines. It came within one number of winning last night’s $229 million Mega Millions jackpot. It was one of three tickets nationwide to win a $1 million prize. The other two were in California and North Carolina.
The ticket in Des Moines matched the first five numbers but missed the Mega Ball to win a $1 million prize. Last night’s winning numbers were: 1-7-23-38-55 and Mega Ball 2. The Megaplier number was 3.
No one matched all six numbers to win last night’s jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $254 million annuity, $133.7 million lump-sum option, for the next Mega Millions drawing on Friday.
QuikTrip will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.
Prizes of $1 million must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open for prize claims from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. The winner or winners of the Des Moines prize can call the lottery at 515-725-7900 to make an appointment to claim it.
Mega Millions prizes won in Iowa must be claimed within 365 days of the drawing.
Another $1 million Mega Millions prize won in Iowa is still unclaimed after more than six months. That winning ticket, purchased at Gateway Expresse (also known as the Filling Station) at 2400 S. University Blvd. in Ames, matched all five white balls but missed the Mega Balls to win at the game’s second prize level in the drawing on Sept. 6, 2022. The winner or winners of the Ames prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it.
Iowa Lottery players saw a lot of luck in the Friday the 13th Mega Millions® drawing while the night’s giant jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in Maine. An lowa ticket was just one number away from having a share of the big prize.
The final jackpot amount ended up at $1.348 billion annuity, $723.5 million cash option.
Total Prizes Won In Iowa
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 51,282 prizes in last night’s drawing. One Iowa ticket was just a number away from a share of the jackpot.
That ticket matched four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball to initially win a $10,000 prize. But the player who bought the ticket also added the Megaplier option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $20,000.
The $20,000-winning ticket was purchased at: Kwik Star, 855 SE Alice’s Road in Waukee.
The $20,000 prize can be claimed at any Iowa Lottery office. If the winner has questions before claiming their prize, they are welcome to call the Iowa Lottery at 515-725-7900 or email to: [email protected]
The winning numbers in last night’s drawing were: 30-43-45-46-61 and Mega Ball 14 The Megaplier® number was 2.
How Did The Jackpot Climb So High?
The Mega Millions jackpot had climbed into the stratosphere because it had been growing for nearly three months. It started growing with the drawing on Oct. 18, then continued rolling through more than two dozen drawings before being won last night.
The Mega Millions jackpot returns to $20 million annuity, $10.7 million cash option, for the game's next drawing on Tuesday.
Iowa Sales For Last Night’s Drawing
Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $2.9 million in Mega Millions tickets for last night's drawing, including nearly $1.8 million yesterday alone.
But the average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing remained about $6, or three plays per ticket.
Unclaimed $1 Million Prize In Ames
A $1 million Mega Millions prize won in central Iowa is still unclaimed after four months. I’m continuing to highlight it, hoping to jog the winner’s memory in time for the prize to be claimed.
The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the game's drawing on Sept. 6. It was the only ticket in the country that night to match the five white balls but miss the yellow Mega Ball to win at the game's second prize level.
The winner or winners of the $1 million prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
Gateway Expresse received a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.
One of the biggest lottery jackpot drawings in history is happening tonight on Friday the 13th. What will luck bring in the Mega Millions® game?
The Mega Millions jackpot for tonight’s drawing is the second largest in the game, at an estimated $1.35 billion annuity, $724.6 million cash option.
Friday The 13th Drawing
Despite the superstitions that abound, Friday the 13th is just another day. There will be two of them this year: Jan. 13, and Oct. 13, which means two Mega Millions drawings will occur on the date linked with so many beliefs in the unknown.
Mega Millions jackpots have been won multiple times across the country on Friday the 13th, so those players definitely did not have an unlucky day.
What’s That About ‘Coverage’?
By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of all the possible combinations in the game have been purchased for a particular drawing. It’s called coverage – how many of the combinations have been “covered.”
The coverage estimate for tonight’s Mega Millions drawing is now about 42 percent.
A higher coverage percentage can mean it’s more likely there will be a jackpot winner, but it is not a definite.
(The odds of winning the jackpot in Mega Millions are about 1 in 302.6 million because that’s how many ways the numbers in the game can be combined to make a play. The winning numbers selected will be one of those combinations. Will your ticket match?)
The Difference Mega Millions Sales Will Make For State Causes
The final details won't be available until later, but the impact of this month's strong Mega Millions sales will mean more help for meaningful state causes in Iowa. Lottery players will have played a big part in helping our state.
Each year, 100 percent of Iowa Lottery proceeds go to support state causes. In its latest financial year, the Iowa Lottery raised nearly $98 million for state programs that help everything from veterans and law enforcement to education, parks and conservation, agriculture, and human services.
Since its start in 1985, the Iowa Lottery has raised more than $2.3 billion for state programs. More details are here: https://ialottery.com/Pages/Pressroom/IALotteryGivesBack.aspx
Please Play Responsibly
And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Playing smart is a lot more fun.
The Mega Millions® jackpot is now the second largest in game history, reaching an estimated $1.35 billion annuity, $707.9 million cash option, for Friday’s drawing.
In addition to being one of the biggest jackpots in Mega Millions, the giant prize is now the fourth-highest U.S. lottery jackpot. It follows the world-record Powerball® jackpot of $2.04 billion won in early November.
An Iowa Ticket Came Close On Tuesday
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 42,591 prizes in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, including a ticket that was just one number away from having at least a share of that night’s big jackpot.
That ticket initially matched four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. However, the person who bought the ticket added the Megaplier® option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $30,000.
The $30,000-winning ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 418 S. Seventh St. in Chariton.
Tuesday’s winning numbers were: 7-13-14-15-18 and Mega Ball 9. The Megaplier number was 3.
A player wins the Mega Millions jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing. However, there are a total of nine prize levels in Mega Millions ranging from $2 up to the jackpot, so the Iowa Lottery reminds its players to be sure to check their tickets for all the prizes they may have won.
Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $2.4 million in Mega Millions tickets for Tuesday’s drawing, including more than $1.2 million in tickets on Tuesday alone.
I’ve Heard That The Odds Change …
There are a lot of beliefs about playing the lottery, and some of them aren’t accurate. For example, when it comes to the Mega Millions jackpot, some say that players have a harder time winning when the jackpot climbs because more people are buying tickets.
The odds of winning in Mega Millions do not change. They’re the same for every play purchased in the game.
The odds of winning the game’s jackpot are about 1 in 302.6 million because that is how many ways the numbers available in the game can be combined to make a play. When the winning numbers are selected, they’re one of about 302.6 million possibilities.
Will the numbers on your ticket match?
And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly.
Mega Millions Jackpot At $1.1 Billion For Tuesday’s Drawing
Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot has reached an estimated $1.1 billion annuity, $576.8 million cash option.
This is the third-highest jackpot in Mega Millions game history and the fifth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot.
The Mega Millions jackpot has reached this level because it has been growing for nearly three months. It was last won on Oct. 14.
The Day Of The Drawing Sees The Highest Sales
Through the years of Powerball and Mega Millions drawings, one phenomenon has been clear: The day of the drawing has the highest sales. Maybe it’s procrastination, maybe it’s players just remembering to buy a ticket, or maybe it’s folks who specifically plan to buy a ticket that day.
The busiest time of sales on the day of the drawing generally is from 4-7 p.m. as many people stop to run errands on their way home from work. While Iowa generally has not seen the long lines that can occur in other parts of the country, expect to see a lot of other folks also buying tickets if you’re doing so on Tuesday.
Why Does ‘Coverage’ Matter?
By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of all the possible combinations in the game have been purchased for a particular drawing. It’s called coverage – how many of the combinations have been “covered.”
The coverage estimate for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing is now more than 36 percent.
A higher coverage percentage can mean it’s more likely there will be a jackpot winner, but it is not a definite.
(The odds of winning the jackpot in Mega Millions are about 1 in 302.6 million because that’s how many ways the numbers in the game can be combined to make a play. The winning numbers selected will be one of those combinations. Will your ticket match?)
Things To Consider As You Dream Big
The Iowa Lottery has heard from a lot of people with dreams of winning and thoughts about what they would do if they win. To provide specifics about the details that come with a giant lottery win, the Iowa Lottery has produced a video called “You Won! Now What?”
It is available on YouTube here.
Iowa Stats From Mega Millions’ Latest Drawing
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 31,631 prizes in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing and had purchased more than $1.7 million in tickets for the drawing.
Friday’s winning numbers were: 3-20-46-59-63 and Mega Ball® 13. The Megaplier® number was 3.
The average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing remained about $6, or about three plays per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that a lot of people had fun playing and didn’t go overboard.
$1 Million Unclaimed Mega Millions Prize In Ames
With first-time and occasional players buying tickets for the giant drawing, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone to check their tickets for all prizes they may have won, not just the jackpot.
There are nine prize levels in Mega Millions, from $2 for matching the Mega Ball® alone up to winning the jackpot for matching all six numbers in a drawing.
A $1 million Mega Millions prize won in central Iowa remains unclaimed after four months.
The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the game's drawing on Sept. 6.
The winner or winners of the $1 million prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
Gateway Expresse received a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.
Please Play Responsibly
And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly.
The Mega Millions® jackpot is in the game’s Top 3, with the estimate for the big prize remaining at $1.1 billion annuity, $568.7 million cash option, for tomorrow night’s drawing.
That’s the third-highest jackpot in the history of the game and the fifth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot.
Overall, Mega Millions was won six times in 2021 and six times in 2022. The game’s drawings happen at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Reminders About Group Play
When the jackpot reaches into the stratosphere like it is now, a lot of lottery players pitch in to buy tickets in office pools or with family and friends.
During the world-record Powerball jackpot run late last year, two separate groups of co-workers in eastern Iowa each split a $50,000 prize they won in their office pool.
The Iowa Lottery keeps group play reminders on its website to help you keep lottery pool play fun and hassle free.
Among the suggestions: Keep an accurate list of everyone who puts in money for a particular drawing and how much they contribute. And, provide everyone in your pool with photos or copies of the group’s tickets before the drawing.
Iowa Stats From The Latest Mega Millions Drawing
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 31,631 prizes in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing and had purchased more than $1.7 million in tickets for the drawing.
Friday’s winning numbers were: 3-20-46-59-63 and Mega Ball® 13. The Megaplier® number was 3.
The average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing was about $6, or three plays per ticket. It’s good to see that a lot of people had fun playing and didn’t go overboard.
What If You Win?
The Iowa Lottery has a video giving a quick overview of the process when someone wins a big prize. The video details the forms required when claiming an Iowa Lottery prize, the cash vs. annuity decision for a jackpot winner, the withholdings involved for lottery prizes, and open records requirements for lottery winners in Iowa.
The video is available online for anyone who would like to see the details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugXmP-7Qbm8
$1 Million Mega Millions Prize Still Unclaimed In Ames
With first-time and occasional players buying tickets for the giant drawing, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone to check their tickets for all prizes they may have won, not just the jackpot.
There are nine prize levels in Mega Millions, from $2 for matching the Mega Ball® alone up to winning the jackpot for matching all six numbers in a drawing.
A $1 million Mega Millions prize won in central Iowa remains unclaimed after four months.
The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the game's drawing on Sept. 6. It was the only ticket in the country that night to match the five white balls but miss the yellow Mega Ball to win at the game's second prize level.
The winner or winners of the $1 million prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
Gateway Expresse received a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.
Please Play Responsibly
And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly.
The Mega Millions® jackpot continues to push higher! The giant prize is now an estimated $1.1 billion annuity, $568.7 million cash option, for the game’s next drawing on Tuesday.
That is the third-highest jackpot in the history of the game and the fifth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot. It follows the world-record Powerball® jackpot of $2.04 billion won in early November.
The Mega Millions jackpot has reached this level because it has been growing for nearly three months. It was last won Oct. 14.
Iowa Sales & Prizes From Last Night's Drawing
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 31,631 prizes in last night’s Mega Millions drawing and had purchased more than $1.7 million in tickets for it.
Last night’s winning numbers were: 3-20-46-59-63 and Mega Ball® 13. The Megaplier® number was 3.
But the average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing remained about $6, or about three plays per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that a lot of people had fun playing and didn’t go overboard.
$1 Million Unclaimed Mega Millions Prize In Ames
When the jackpot reaches into the stratosphere like it is now, the game’s player base expands, with a lot of first-time and occasional players buying tickets. The Iowa Lottery reminds everyone to check their tickets for all prizes they may have won, not just the jackpot.
There are nine prize levels in Mega Millions, from $2 for matching the Mega Ball® alone up to the jackpot for matching all six numbers in a drawing.
A $1 million Mega Millions prize won in central Iowa remains unclaimed after four months.
The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the game's drawing on Sept. 6. It was the only ticket in the country that night to match the five white balls but miss the yellow Mega Ball to win at the game's second prize level.
The winner or winners of the $1 million prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
Gateway Expresse received a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.
Easy Pick vs. Your Own Numbers
The vast majority of tickets purchased in games like Powerball and Mega Millions are easy-pick plays, meaning that the lottery terminal assigns the numbers printed on the ticket. About 94 percent of the plays purchased in Iowa for Friday’s Mega Millions drawing were easy picks.
But players also can choose their own numbers. They choose five numbers from a pool of 70 for the white balls and one number from a separate pool of 25 for the Mega Ball.
Neither option is luckier. The odds of winning are the same for every ticket purchased in the game. There are more winners from easy-pick tickets simply because the majority of tickets purchased are easy picks.
Please Play Responsibly
And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly. Playing smart is a lot more fun.
Update at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 6: While the annuity estimate for tonight's Mega Millions® jackpot is still $940 million, the estimate for the jackpot's cash value has grown a little to $486 million. Remember that both figures are estimates based on sales projections. There usually are differences between the advance estimates and the final jackpot amount because the biggest percentage of ticket sales happen on the day of the drawing.
The current Mega Millions jackpot is the sixth-largest lottery prize ever offered in the United States.
Post-Holiday Focus
The timing of the current Mega Millions jackpot run has been a little unusual, spanning the entire holiday season and continuing on. The past few weeks have been busy with holiday travel, family gatherings and year-end celebrations, but now that the New Year has begun, folks are back in their normal routines and Mega Millions sales are ticking up.
What’s in store for 2023?
The Mega Millions jackpot has been growing for more than two months. It was last won on Oct. 14. Overall, Mega Millions was won six times in 2021 and six times in 2022. Now we’ll see what 2023 brings!
Drawing Details
A total of 19,761 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing. The winning numbers that night were 25-29-33-41-44 and Mega Ball 18. The next drawing in the game happens at 10 p.m. tomorrow.
Sales Cut-Off Time
If you’re buying a Mega Millions ticket, remember that there is a sales cut-off time for Friday night’s drawing.
Here in Iowa, that time is 8:59 p.m. on the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that, you’ll still have a valid play, but it will be for a future drawing and you won’t be in on Friday’s big money!
The cut-off deadline is an automated procedure and it can’t be pushed back. There have been Iowa players who waited too long and missed the cut-off time, so please remember that deadline.
Details About Cash vs. Annuity – And Taxes
If a jackpot winner were to choose the annuity option for tomorrow’s big prize (that amount is currently estimated at $940 million), they would receive an immediate payment followed by annual payments that increase by 5 percent per year for 29 years and add up to the annuity total.
In that scenario, the cash on hand in the jackpot pool from the sale of tickets in the game is invested in securities, and the winner receives payments over time. Withholdings are applied to each payment that the winner receives.
If a winner were to pass away before receiving all their payments, the money would go into that person’s estate. The lottery would make future payments as determined by the estate or the court.
If a jackpot winner were to choose the cash option for tomorrow night’s prize (that amount is currently estimated at $483.5 million), they would receive the lump-sum amount in the jackpot pool from the sale of tickets in the game.
There is no interest income in that scenario because the money is not invested. Another way of putting it is that the “rest of the money” does not exist in that instance. The winner receives the lump-sum amount in one payment, with withholdings applied to the entire amount.
Here in Iowa, 24 percent federal withholding applies to a jackpot prize along with 5 percent state withholding. Withholdings are automatically applied before the payment is made to the winner and cannot be modified or waived.
Withholdings are designed to cover the jackpot winner’s tax liability from claiming a large lottery prize. However, the total taxes that a winner owes is dependent upon their financial circumstances outside of winning the lottery. In some instances, the withholding is not enough, in other instances, it’s too much.
The details would be sorted out in the winner’s income-tax filing for the year. That’s why the Iowa Lottery always encourages its winners to consult a lawyer or financial planner before they claim their prize.
Please Play Responsibly
And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly. Playing smart is a lot more fun.
The jackpot for tonight’s Mega Millions® drawing stands at an estimated $785 million annuity, $403.8 million cash option. That’s the 4th-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history and the 6th-largest jackpot ever offered in the United States.
Any jackpot amounts on the list that are higher than the current Mega Millions grand prize are all above the $1 billion mark. Tonight’s drawing happens at 10 p.m.
The current record for a Mega Millions jackpot is $1.537 billion, won in October 2018. The world record for any lottery jackpot is the $2.04 billion Powerball® grand prize won in November with a ticket in California.
There have been times when Powerball and Mega Millions climbed into the stratosphere together. This time around, it seems like the games are taking turns – so polite, right? Powerball climbed to its world-record amount in November, while Mega Millions is climbing now. It demonstrates what we’ve said so many times: You never know when the next big winner will hit!
Two Iowa Tickets That Came Close
Two Iowa tickets were just one number away from having at least a share of Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot. They each matched four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball® to win a $10,000 prize. They were purchased at:
The Mega Millions jackpot has been growing for more than two months – it was last won in the drawing on Oct. 14. Mega Millions was won six times in 2021 and six times in 2022. Now we’ll see what 2023 brings!
When the big prize reaches this level, it becomes harder to predict the estimates for it in advance. Stronger sales nationwide push the jackpot even higher, and that’s what has been happening during the past week or so.
Remember The Sales Cut-Off
If you’re buying a Mega Millions ticket, remember that there is a sales cut-off time for tonight’s drawing! Here in Iowa, the sales cut-off time is at 8:59 p.m. on the night of the drawing.
If you buy a ticket after that, you’ll still have a valid play, it'll just be for a future drawing and you won’t be in on tonight’s big money! The cut-off deadline is an automated procedure and it can’t be pushed back. There have been people who waited too long in the past and missed the cut-off, so please remember that deadline.
And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone to play with their head not over their head. It only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly.
Here’s an interesting new factoid: Powerball® and Mega Millions® both made the Top 10 List for U.S. search terms in 2022.
Google released its Year In Search details this week, and this is its list of Top 10 searches in the United States for 2022:
1. Wordle
2. Election results
3. Betty White
4. Queen Elizabeth
5. Bob Saget
6. Ukraine
7. Mega Millions
8. Powerball numbers
9. Anne Heche
10. Jeffrey Dahmer
The Google data shows that searches for Mega Millions spiked in July when the game’s jackpot was on its way to $1.337 billion for the drawing on July 29. That’s the second-largest jackpot ever offered in Mega Millions and the fourth-largest lottery jackpot in the world. Two people in Illinois claimed that prize.
Searches for “Powerball numbers” spiked in November when that game’s jackpot was on its way to a world-record amount of $2.04 billion for the Nov. 7 drawing. A ticket in California won that night’s giant prize.
It’s fun to see the things that got us all talking – and searching – in the past year!
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:
A $1 million Mega Millions® prize that is still unclaimed in Ames will hit the three-month mark tomorrow, and the Iowa Lottery is reminding its players to double-check their tickets. Seven other prizes ranging from $10,000 up to $250,000 also are unclaimed in Iowa!
The $1 million-winning Mega Millions ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the game’s drawing on Sept. 6. It was the only ticket in the country that night to match the five white balls but miss the yellow Mega Ball to win at the game’s second prize level.
The winning numbers in the Sept. 6 drawing were: 6-17-46-59-68 and Mega Ball 2. The Megaplier® number was 4.
The winner or winners of the $1 million prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
Gateway Expresse received a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.
Here are details about the seven other sizeable lottery prizes in Iowa that also are unclaimed (listed by prize amount):
| Game | Prize Drawing | Amount Won | Retailer | Expiration |
| Powerball | Oct. 15, 2022 | $250,000 | Murphy USA, Cedar Rapids | Oct. 16, 2023 |
| Powerball | Oct. 29, 2022 | $150,000 | Floyd Food & Fuel, Sioux City | Oct. 30, 2023 |
| Powerball | Nov. 5, 2022 | $150,000 | Hy-Vee C-Store, Sheldon | Nov. 6, 2023 |
| Powerball | Nov. 7, 2022 | $100,000 | Casey’s, Dubuque | Nov. 7, 2023 |
| Mega Millions | May 6, 2022 | $10,000 | Gas & Goodies, Libertyville | May 8, 2023 |
| Mega Millions | July 26, 2022 | $10,000 | Kum & Go, Marion | July 26, 2023 |
| Super 7s Instaplay | Dec. 3, 2022 | $10,000 | Haddy’s, Center Point | March 3, 2023 |
If the winners have questions before coming forward to claim the prizes, they are welcome to call the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email to [email protected]
The lottery currently offers prize claims by appointment at its offices. Full details are available on the lottery’s website here.
In the last fiscal year (FY 2022), more than $1.5 million in lotto and InstaPlay prizes expired in Iowa without being claimed.
Time appears to be a factor. The Iowa Lottery reviewed plays from a sampling of recent lotto drawings and found that the vast majority of 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.
For the third time in the past two months, someone in Iowa has won a lottery prize of at least $1 million! The latest big win happened last night in Powerball®.
Someone who bought a Powerball ticket at a convenience store in Danbury, a community of 320 in Woodbury County, won a $1 million prize in the game’s drawing last night.
The Danbury ticket was one of only two across the country that won a $1 million prize in the drawing, with the other in Wisconsin. A Kentucky ticket won a $2 million prize last night.
Iowa’s $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at KCK’s Food and Fuel, 503 Iowa Highway 175 in Danbury. The ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night’s $485 million jackpot.
The Danbury ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize. Last night’s winning numbers were: 19-30-36-46-60 and Powerball 25. The Power Play® number was 3.
No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $508 million annuity, $256.3 million lump-sum option, for Wednesday.
KCK’s Food and Fuel will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.
Four lottery prizes of at least $1 million have been claimed so far in 2022 in Iowa. Three prizes at that level, including the Danbury ticket, are currently unclaimed. The other two big unclaimed prizes are in the Powerball and Mega Millions® games. Here are details about them:
| Game | Prize Drawing | Amount Won | Retailer | Expiration Date |
| Powerball | Oct. 10, 2022 | $2 million | Casey’s, Forest City | Oct. 10, 2023 |
| Mega Millions | Sept. 6, 2022 | $1 million | Gateway Expresse, Ames | Sept. 6, 2023 |
Prizes won in Iowa of more than $250,000 must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday. If the winner or winners need information before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to give us a shout at 515-725-7900 or email us at [email protected]
Powerball players in Iowa have 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prizes.
Update on Tuesday, Oct. 11:
The Lotto America jackpot is still climbing. No one hit the big prize in last night's drawing, so the jackpot climbs to an estimated $26.1 million annuity, $13.37 million cash option for Wednesday's drawing. Here are the winning numbers from Monday night's Lotto America drawing: 4-8-14-32-44 and Star Ball 4. The All Star Bonus number was 4. Good luck on your tickets!
Its bigger cousins may get more attention, but Lotto America® is making news of its own. The Lotto America jackpot is in record territory for that game, at an estimated $24.69 million annuity, $12.98 million cash option for tonight’s drawing.
Lotto America also is in the midst of its longest jackpot run ever. The game’s jackpot has been climbing since July 2021. It was last won in the drawing on July 14, 2021. A ticket purchased in Oklahoma won that night’s $8.04 million jackpot.
This isn’t the first time that Lotto America has gone on a long jackpot run. (A run is the period of time that the jackpot grows before it’s won). The game’s jackpot grew for a little more than 14 months from May 2018 to July 2019 before it was won in the drawing on July 10 that year. A Minnesota ticket won that $21.6 million prize.
Before the current jackpot amount, the previous record jackpot in Lotto America was a $22.82 million prize won in the game in March 2018.
Has an Iowan won a Lotto America jackpot? Yes! A Davenport man won a $4.38 million prize in the game in May 2018.
So how high will the current jackpot climb? Only time will tell. One thing is certain: Someone WILL win it, we just don’t know when.
Lotto America costs $1 to play and it has drawings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The game has a similar design to Powerball® and Mega Millions®, but its jackpots are smaller and a lot easier to win. Lotto America players choose five numbers from a pool of 52 and another number, called the Star Ball®, from a pool of 10. Players who match all six numbers selected in a drawing win the game’s jackpot.
News is breaking today that the $1.337 billion Mega Millions® jackpot from back in July has been claimed, split by two people in Illinois. Here are articles about it from Forbes and WGN-TV.
Now folks are asking about big lottery prizes that have expired without being claimed. And specifically, has a jackpot prize ever expired? That has happened. In fact, several jackpots have expired without being claimed, and they each were worth millions.
The list includes:
• a $77 million Powerball® jackpot won in 2011 in Georgia.
• a $68 million Mega Millions jackpot won in 2002 in New York.
• a $63 million SuperLotto Plus® jackpot won in 2015 in California.
• a $51.7 million Powerball jackpot won in 2002 in Indiana.
• a $46 million Mega Millions jackpot won in 2006 in New York.
So why do lottery prizes go unclaimed? There likely are as many reasons as there are people who play. Maybe the person never checked their ticket and it eventually got lost or thrown away. Maybe the ticket got ruined – sent through the washing machine or the dryer. Maybe something sticky got spilled on it and it ended up getting stuck to a surface somewhere.
We send our huge congratulations to the big winners in Illinois! And to everyone else, this is a gentle reminder to check and double-check your tickets!
For the third time this summer, an Iowa player has won a Mega Millions® prize of at least $1 million. The latest prize was won in Ames.
Someone who bought a ticket at an Ames convenience store won a $1 million prize in last night’s Mega Millions drawing. The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames. The ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night’s $191 million jackpot.
Last night’s winning numbers were: 6-17-46-59-68 and Mega Ball 2. The Megaplier® number was 4. The Ames ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Mega Ball to win a $1 million prize.
No one matched all six numbers to win last night’s jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $210 million annuity, $114 million lump-sum option for Friday’s drawing.
The Ames ticket was the only $1 million winner across the country in last night’s drawing.
Gateway Expresse will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.
In late July, a Davenport man won a $2 million Mega Millions prize with a ticket he bought at a Quad Cities convenience store. And in August, a West Union man won a $1 million Mega Millions prize with a ticket he bought at a convenience store in the northeast Iowa community of Ossian.
Prizes of $1 million must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday, and prize claims are currently available by appointment. The winner or winners of the Ames prize can call the lottery at 515-725-7900 to make an appointment to claim it.
A Davenport man has claimed a $2 million Mega Millions® prize today that he won in the game’s giant jackpot drawing nearly a month earlier. Ben Sanford is splitting the winnings with his stepfather, Jason Sanford.
Ben Sanford, 37, said he’d known since shortly after the July 29 drawing that he won big, but he waited to claim the prize while he and his stepfather made plans for the winnings. The two said they usually buy tickets together and have always said they would split their winnings.
Ben Sanford said he bought six plays for the Mega Millions drawing on July 29. The game’s jackpot that night had climbed to more than $1.3 billion, the second-highest grand prize ever offered in the game.
One of Sanford’s easy-pick tickets matched the first five numbers that night to initially win $1 million. But Sanford had added the Megaplier option to his purchase, which multiplied the total winnings to $2 million.
The winning numbers in the July 29 drawing were: 13-36-45-57-67 and Mega Ball 14. The Megaplier number was 2.
Ben Sanford said he checked his tickets the night of the drawing, and yelped in surprise when he realized that one of them had hit big. He said he immediately went downstairs to share the news with his stepdad, who was half-asleep while watching sports and asked if they could talk about it in the morning.
The next day, Jason Sanford said it all became very real for both of them.
The two said they would carefully invest the winnings, and Ben Sanford may get a new car.
A northeast Iowa man was so flustered when he realized he’d won a $1 million Mega Millions® prize that he left his winning ticket behind at the store.
But the story turned out well: The small-town grapevine reconnected him with the ticket within about 30 minutes.
Tad Alber, 57, of West Union claimed his $1 million prize today at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. He said he was working Saturday at the West Union Event Center, which is owned by his family, and hadn’t heard that a ticket in the nearby community of Ossian won a $1 million prize in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing.
As the afternoon went on, Tad said he got hungry and decided to go to a local store for some chicken. While he was there, he asked the clerks to check his Mega Millions tickets.
Tad said that when the clerk told him he’d won $1 million, he was so shaky and excited, he almost forgot to pay for his food and ended up leaving the winning ticket behind.
Tad said that when he got back to the event center, he was telling some of his relatives about his big win when one of them got a call from the manager at the store. The manager said that Tad had left his winning ticket there and he needed to go get it right away. Tad jokes that he may have used up all his family’s luck that day!
Tad bought his $1 million-winning ticket at Casey’s, 200 W. Main St. in Ossian. His ticket came within one number of having at least a share of Friday’s $99 million jackpot, matching the first five numbers but missing the Mega Ball. It was the only $1 million-winning ticket nationwide in Friday’s drawing.
Friday’s winning numbers were: 12-18-24-46-65 and Mega Ball 3. The Megaplier® number was 4. Casey’s will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.
Tad’s ticket is the fourth in Iowa to win a prize of at least $1 million in 2022.
He said that he plans to use a portion of his winnings to buy a restaurant in nearby Clermont owned by his brother, Jeff, but which has been closed since the COVID-19 emergency. Tad said he thinks it’s time for the business to re-open and now he can make that happen.
Someone who bought a Mega Millions® ticket in northeast Iowa won a $1 million prize in last night’s drawing.
The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Casey’s 200 W. Main St. in Ossian, a community of about 800 in Winneshiek County. It was the only $1 million-winning ticket nationwide in last night’s drawing.
The ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Mega Ball to win a $1 million prize. Last night’s winning numbers were: 12-18-24-46-65 and Mega Ball 3. The Megaplier number was 4. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $116 million annuity, $65.6 million lump-sum option for Tuesday’s drawing.
Casey’s will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.
This is the fourth Iowa ticket to win a prize of at least $1 million in 2022.
Prizes of $2 million must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday, and prize claims are currently available by appointment. The winner or winners of the Ossian prize can call the lottery at 515-725-7900 to make an appointment to claim it.
Last night’s giant Mega Millions jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in Illinois, while five tickets in Iowa were just one number away from a share of the big prize.
The Iowa tickets matched the winning numbers in different ways, with one of them winning a $2 million prize and the other four winning prizes of $10,000 each. The $2 million-winning ticket purchased in Bettendorf was one of six across the country to win at that prize level in Friday’s drawing.
The winning numbers in last night’s drawing were: 13-36-45-57-67 and Mega Ball 14. The Megaplier number was 2.
The jackpot amount ended up at $1.337 billion annuity, $780.5 million cash. The final value was pushed higher based on actual sales than the latest estimates heading into the drawing.
The Mega Millions jackpot returns to $20 million annuity, $11.6 million cash option, for the game’s next drawing on Tuesday.
Total Prizes Won In Iowa
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 98,939 prizes in last night’s drawing ranging from $2 up to $2 million.
The $2 million-winning ticket, purchased at the Big 10 Mart, 999 Middle Road in Bettendorf, matched the five white balls but missed the Mega Ball to initially win a $1 million prize. But the player who bought the ticket added the Megaplier option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $2 million.
Big 10 Mart will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket.
The four Iowa tickets winning $10,000 prizes last night matched four of the five white balls and the Mega Ball. They were purchased at:
The $2 million-winning ticket must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive while the $10,000-winning tickets can be claimed at any of the lottery’s offices. In addition to lottery headquarters location in Clive, there are regional lottery offices in Cedar Rapids, Mason City and Storm Lake.
If the winners have questions before coming forward to claim their prizes, they can call the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email to [email protected]
Iowa Sales For Last Night’s Drawing
Iowa Lottery players bought more than $5.6 million in Mega Millions tickets for last night’s drawing, including more than $3.4 million in tickets yesterday alone.
But the average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing was about $7, or about three plays per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that Iowans had fun playing and didn’t go overboard.
The giant Mega Millions® jackpot has climbed even higher for tomorrow night’s drawing. The latest projection for the game’s grand prize was raised today, with the jackpot now at an estimated $1.1 billion annuity, $648.2 million cash option.
The jackpot is now the second highest in the history of the Mega Millions game and the third largest ever offered in the United States.
When the jackpot reaches this level, it becomes harder to predict the grand-prize estimate heading into the next drawing. Stronger sales mean the jackpot will go even higher.
The game’s jackpot has gotten this high because it’s been growing for a few months. Mega Millions was last won on April 15 with a ticket purchased in Tennessee.
Reminders About Group Play
When a jackpot reaches into the stratosphere, a lot of lottery players decide to pool their money to buy tickets as part of office pools or with groups of family and friends.
The Iowa Lottery keeps group play reminders on its website that are designed to keep lottery pool play fun and hassle free.
Among the suggestions: Keep an accurate list of everyone who puts in money for a particular drawing and how much they contribute. And, provide everyone in your pool with photos or copies of the group’s tickets before the drawing.
3 Iowa Tickets That Came SO Close On Tuesday
A total of 48,996 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing ranging from $2 up to $30,000.
Three Iowa tickets were just one number away from having at least a share of Tuesday’s giant prize. They each matched four of the five white balls and the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. However, the Megaplier® option was added to one of the plays, which multiplied that prize to $30,000.
The $10,000-winning tickets were purchased at Kum & Go, 3215 Seventh Ave. in Marion; and Kwik Stop, 185 Peosta St. in Peosta. The $30,000-winning ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 1759 Madison Ave. in Council Bluffs.
The winning numbers in Tuesday’s drawing were: 7-29-60-63-66 and Mega Ball 15. The Megaplier number was 3.
Deadline To Buy Tix For Tomorrow Night’s Drawing
If you’re buying a Mega Millions ticket for tomorrow night’s drawing, remember that there is a sales cut-off time.
Here in Iowa, the sales cut-off is 8:59 p.m. on the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that, you’ll still have a valid Mega Millions play, it will just be for a future drawing and you won’t be in on that night’s big money. (And yes, there have been people who waited too long and missed the cut-off. It’s an automated procedure and can’t be pushed back.)
Please Play Responsibly
As always, we at the Iowa Lottery remind you to play with your head, not over your head. It only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly.
