ialottery blog

Silly & Fun: ‘Dad Jokes’ Scratch Game Hits Stores This Week

A new game hitting the market this week here in Iowa has had us at the lottery laughing the entire time we were working on it. It’s just so silly and fun. We hope it makes you smile, too.

The new $1 scratch game is called “Dad Jokes.” To help build suspense, the first part of the joke is printed on the front of the ticket, but the answer is hidden under a box you’ll need to scratch off. (The answer isn’t part of the play area on the ticket where you try to win a prize by revealing three like amounts.)

The game offers prizes of up to $1,000, but we think part of the motivation to buy a ticket may be to find out the rest of the joke! There are lots of different jokes on the tickets themselves, so have fun learning them all.

Distribution of the Dad Jokes game has started today and tickets in it will be available at lottery retail locations statewide by Friday.

And yes, some of the jokes are so bad, they may make you groan. That’s by design. They are dad jokes, after all!

He Admits He Jokes Around A Lot, But Not About His $500,000 Lottery Win

Joking around may have gotten in the way a little bit when it came to a Woodbury County man’s $500,000 lottery win.

Gene Dice Sr. of Sergeant Bluff said he didn’t believe the news at first when the clerk at a local convenience store told him he’d won big. And then he had a hard time getting his adult children to believe the news, also because jokes are such a standard part of his life.

But after turning in his winning Powerball® ticket today at lottery headquarters in Clive, Dice had this to say: “No joke! We have the ticket.”

Dice, 73 and retired, said he learned he’d won a $500,000 prize on Sunday morning during his usual stop for coffee. He said he asked the clerk at the store to check his ticket from the previous night’s Powerball drawing and she initially told him she thought he’d won a $50,000 prize. But he double-checked the details printed by the lottery terminal and realized there was another “0” involved in the prize amount. 

Dice bought his $500,000-winning ticket at that same store, Mike’s Mini Mart, 100 Iowa Highway 75 S. in Sergeant Bluff. His ticket came within one number of having at least a share of Saturday’s $81.3 million jackpot.

He initially matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. But because he also added the Power Play® option to his easy-pick ticket, his winnings were multiplied to $500,000.

Dice said he always adds the Power Play to his ticket and is especially glad he did that with Saturday’s 10X multiplier. His message for other players: “Put the Power Play on there and see what happens!”

Saturday’s winning numbers were: 4-8-22-32-58 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 10. Dice’s ticket was one of nine across the country to win a $500,000 prize that night. Mike’s Mini Mart will receive a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $500,000-winning ticket.

Dice said he plans to use part of his winnings to pay off his car and truck, and added that his big win has helped alleviate his retirement worries.

Ticket Purchased In NW Iowa Wins $500,000 Powerball Prize

Someone who bought a Powerball® ticket at a Woodbury County convenience store won a $500,000 prize in Saturday’s drawing.

The $500,000-winning ticket was purchased at Mike’s Mini Mart, 100 Iowa Highway 75 S. in Sergeant Bluff. The ticket came within one number of having at least a share of Saturday’s $81.3 million jackpot.

The ticket matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to initially win a $50,000 prize. But whoever bought the winning ticket also added the Power Play® option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $500,000.

Saturday’s winning numbers were: 4-8-22-32-58 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 10. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $90 million annuity ($64.2 million lump-sum option) for Wednesday.

The Sergeant Bluff ticket was one of nine around the country to win a $500,000 prize in Saturday’s drawing.

Mike’s Mini Mart will receive a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $500,000-winning ticket.

Prizes of $500,000 must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday, and currently offer prize claims by appointment. To make an appointment to claim the prize, the winner or winners of the Sergeant Bluff prize should call the lottery at 515-725-7900.

Powerball players in Iowa have 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prizes.

Player Question: What Determines The Top Prizes In Your Scratch Games?

A recent Facebook exchange about the top prizes in our scratch games was a reminder for me to highlight that issue here on the blog and share the details about how the Iowa Lottery determines those grand-prize amounts.

Some of the details are identified as we plan out our games, but a big part also is determined by population.

The planning part comes as we do our best to keep a variety of games in the marketplace to meet player tastes. Our goal is to have different game designs, colors, price points, themes and prize structures, understanding that what works for one person may not interest another at all. Variety counts!

Sometimes that means that games at the same price point will have different top prizes because players have their own preferences in the tickets they choose to play.

Take our current $20 scratch games as an example. The “Aces High” game has a top prize of $250,000, while the “Jewel Game Book” and “Super 20s” games both offer a top prize of $100,000. All three games have very different play styles and themes. And while Jewel Game Book and Super 20s both put emphasis on extended playing time with a greater number of prizes that aren’t quite as high, the $250,000 Riches game more concentration on the top prize.

Through the years, we’ve heard from some folks who want to play for bigger prizes while others prefer a better chance to win a prize at any level. We hope that by having a variety of games out there, you’ll find something that you like.

Population is the other big factor when it comes to determining the prizes that can be offered in a particular game. A lottery in a state with a larger population can design a game with bigger prizes and more of them simply because that state will have so many more people playing. A greater population base means larger sales overall, and that in turn supports higher prizes.

With a population of 3.1 million, Iowa is fairly small compared to states like California (39.5 million) or Florida (21.6 million). But we can still be creative when it comes to game planning!

Prize Details: Remember These Two Lists On The Lottery's Website

A couple player questions this week were a reminder for me to keep highlighting the details that are a permanent part of the Iowa Lottery website to get important information out there.

So, the first stop I’ll highlight today is the page featuring the Unclaimed Prizes list. In that one spot, you can see all the prizes of more than $600 in Iowa that are still unclaimed in lotto and InstaPlay games. You can search the list in several different ways to find the details that matter most to you. Search by game, place of purchase, prize amount, date of win, and date of expiration – whichever is most important to you.      

The biggest unclaimed prize on the list is currently a progressive jackpot in the “Extreme Green Progressive” Instaplay game that was won Feb. 11 and will expire May 12 if it isn’t claimed by then.

The other feature I’ll call to your attention today is the Remaining Prizes list. On that page, you can see the number of larger prizes available in our scratch, pull-tab and InstaPlay games, how many of those prizes have already been claimed, and the number that remain unclaimed. It’s another important reference item designed to give players insight into the games we have on the market.

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

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

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

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

Here are a couple examples to help with the explanation:

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

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

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

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

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

2 Sets Of Winning Numbers In Pick 3 Evening Drawing on Saturday (Jan. 30)

UPDATE on Tuesday, Feb. 2: Further details regarding the prize-claim process for the secondary Pick 3 evening drawing on Jan. 30 are now available and noted in red here.

After a technical difficulty with ball-drawing equipment in the Saturday evening Pick 3 drawing, the Iowa Lottery will pay prizes on two sets of winning numbers for that drawing.

The winning numbers originally reported in the Pick 3 evening drawing on Saturday (Jan. 30) will be honored along with those selected in a secondary drawing.

The two sets of official winning numbers for the drawing are: 9-0-2 and 5-7-6.

The results were initially reported as usual for Saturday’s evening Pick 3 drawing. However, subsequent reviews revealed a difficulty with one of the ball-drawing machines.

The winning numbers in Pick 3 drawings are selected using three mechanical ball-drawing machines, each of which contains a set of white lottery balls numbered 0-9. Reviews of Saturday’s evening Pick 3 drawing revealed that as one of the machines was selecting a number, a door on its drum holding drawing balls came open. A drawing ball was still selected by the machine and the exact timing of the difficulty was not initially apparent.

After conducting the review, lottery officials determined that in an abundance of caution, they would hold a secondary drawing, with those results also reported for Saturday’s evening Pick 3 drawing. The secondary drawing was held at 7 p.m. Sunday.

In the initial Pick 3 evening drawing on Saturday, Iowa players won 49 prizes totaling $2,950 in winnings. They won 123 prizes totaling $12,240 in winnings in the secondary drawing.

Here are the prize results for each set of winning numbers.

While prizes in the initial Saturday evening Pick 3 drawing can be claimed through the Iowa Lottery’s usual procedures, any Iowa prizes won in that night’s secondary Pick 3 drawing need to be claimed directly from the lottery and processed at lottery headquarters in Clive. Players should follow the instructions on the “Claiming Prizes” page of the lottery website. The mailing address for the Iowa Lottery is:

Iowa Lottery
13001 University Ave.
Clive, IA 50325-8225.

Players also can visit any of the lottery’s regional offices to present Pick 3 tickets they believe won prizes in the secondary drawing. In some instances, the claim involved may require additional documentation and review, so the prizes may not immediately be paid.

Players who believe they may have discarded a ticket that won a prize in the secondary drawing or who have other questions regarding the status of a Pick 3 ticket should contact the Iowa Lottery directly at 515-725-7900 or Wmaster@ialottery.com.

Pick 3 prizes in Iowa must be claimed within 90 days of the drawing for which they were eligible.

Pick 3 has been offered in Iowa since 1998. It features a top prize of $3,000 and odds of just 1:1,000 of winning it. Another intriguing aspect of the game comes in the variety of ways players can choose to play it. Plays in Pick 3 range from 50 cents up to $5 for the chance to match a three-digit combination of numbers from 000 to 999.

There are several ways to win in Pick 3. Players can choose a straight play, meaning that if the winning numbers are 1-2-3, they win a prize for matching that combination exactly: 1-2-3. Another option is to choose a box play, which allows players to win for matching the winning numbers but not in the exact order drawn (if the winning numbers are 1-2-3, you win for any play with those numbers, such as 3-2-1). Players also can choose a straight/box play, which allows them to win for matching the numbers in the exact order drawn or in any order.

Tax Forms For 2020 Winners Are Being Printed And Mailed Now

If you claimed an Iowa Lottery prize of more than $600 in calendar year 2020, check your mailbox in the next week or so for a form we're sending that you’ll need as you file your income taxes.

The document for most winners is called the W-2G form and it lists the total prize amount as well as any federal and state withholdings from your prize. (Lottery winners who are not U.S. citizens receive a document called Form 1042S.)

If you claimed multiple Iowa Lottery prizes of more than $600 in 2020, you’ll receive multiple forms from us, one for each prize claimed. (And congratulations on your wins, by the way!)

We’re required to mail all W-2G forms by Jan. 31, and they are being printed and mailed this week. In the image I included with this blog entry, you can see the form itself, so be on the lookout for it if you're expecting one from us!

If you think you should have received a tax form from us for calendar year 2020 and you've moved since you claimed your prize, please let us know your new address as soon as possible, or your form may end up at your old address. You can call the Iowa Lottery at 515-725-7900 or email us at wmaster@ialottery.com.

Be sure to include your name, old address, new address, and telephone number in case we need to contact you.

$150,000 Winners: She Pledges Not To Complain If He Doesn’t Have His Glasses

After all the hub-bub surrounding the big jackpots in Powerball® and Mega Millions®, here’s a fun story about some Iowa winners. They may not have won a jackpot, but their story still packs a punch: They won a $150,000 Powerball prize because the husband made a mistake while filling out their play slip.   

Barbara Haley of Sioux City claimed their prize this week at the Iowa Lottery’s regional office in Storm Lake. She said that she and her husband, Steve, have played the same numbers in Powerball for years, basing them on family birthdays. But when Steve filled out their play slip this particular time, he got one of the numbers wrong, marking an 8 instead of a 9.

Barbara admitted that she often razzes Steve for not wearing his glasses, but says she’ll stop complaining about that now!

Thinking that their ticket contained a slightly different set of numbers, the Haleys believed they’d won $300 and decided to claim the prize during a stop for groceries. Barbara said she started shopping while Steve went to cash in the ticket. But pretty soon she heard a store announcement asking her to go to customer service. When she got there, she learned they’d won a lot more than $300.

The Haleys’ ticket initially won a $50,000 prize in Saturday’s Powerball drawing by matching four of the five white balls and the Powerball. But because they added the Power Play option to their ticket for an extra $1, their prize was multiplied to $150,000.       

The winning numbers in Saturday’s drawing were 5-8-17-27-28 and Powerball 14. The Power Play number was 3. I’ve included a shot of the Haleys’ winning ticket here so you can see the numbers they matched.

Was it a happy accident? A little extra luck? Whatever you call it, that’s a fun outcome!

Both Huge Jackpots Have Now Been Won

The giant Mega Millions® and Powerball® jackpots have now both been won. The $1 billion jackpot in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing was won by a ticket purchased in Michigan, while Wednesday’s $731.1 million Powerball jackpot was won by a ticket in Maryland.

This was first time that the games’ jackpots had simultaneously topped the $700 million mark.

Drawing Details, Iowa Tickets That Won Prizes  

A total of 50,106 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing.

The winning numbers in Friday’s drawing were: 4-26-42-50-60 and Mega Ball 24. The Megaplier number was 2.

In Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, 41,368 plays purchased in Iowa won prizes, so between the two games, Iowa players won prizes on more than 91,000 plays in the latest drawings.

Iowa Lottery players bought more than $2.7 million in Mega Millions tickets for Friday’s drawing, including more than $1.8 million in tickets on Friday alone. Given the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency, those figures are understandably both well down from sales totals during other recent times with giant jackpots.

The average Mega Millions purchase on Friday in Iowa remained about $6, or three plays per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that Iowans had fun playing and didn’t go overboard.

Easy Pick vs. Your Own Numbers

The vast majority of tickets being purchased in Powerball and Mega Millions are easy picks, meaning that the player opted to have the lottery terminal randomly select the numbers involved. Nearly 94 percent of the plays purchased for Friday’s Mega Millions drawing were easy picks.

The odds of winning are the same for every ticket in the games, whether the player buys an easy pick or chooses their own numbers. There are more easy-pick winners simply because most of the tickets being purchased are easy picks.

The ‘Longest Roll’

The length of time that a jackpot continues to grow is often referred to as a roll, meaning that it keeps rolling without being hit. Powerball and Mega Millions both just ended their longest rolls ever. Friday’s drawing was the 37th since the Mega Millions jackpot had last been won on Sept. 15 while Wednesday’s drawing was the 36th since the Powerball jackpot had last been won Sept. 16.

Powerball Jackpot Won, Mega Millions Climbs Even Higher

UPDATE on Friday, Jan. 22: The jackpot for tonight's Mega Millions drawing has been raised even further, now at an estimated $1 billion annuity. The new details are included here.

The long, fun roll for the Powerball® jackpot has ended, while the giant prize in Mega Millions® is still in the stratosphere.

Last night’s $731.1 million Powerball jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in Maryland. But the Mega Millions jackpot continues on, currently standing at an estimated $1 billion annuity, $739.6 million lump-sum option for that game’s next drawing at 10 p.m. Friday.

Drawing Details, Iowa Tickets That Won Prizes  

A total of 41,368 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes in last night’s Powerball drawing, ranging from $4 up to $50,000.

The $50,000-winning ticket was just one number away from having a share of Wednesday’s jackpot, matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. That ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 1200 Fifth Ave. NE in Independence.

The winning numbers in last night’s Powerball drawing were: 40-53-60-68-69 and Powerball 22. The Power Play number was 3.

In Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, 35,826 plays in Iowa won prizes, so between the two games, Iowa players have won prizes on more than 77,000 plays so far just this week.

Iowa Lottery players bought more than $2.4 million in Powerball tickets for last night’s drawing, including more than $1 million in tickets yesterday alone. Given the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency, those figures are understandably both well down from sales totals during other recent times with giant jackpots.

The average Powerball purchase yesterday in Iowa remained about $6, or three plays per ticket. Lottery officials are glad to see that Iowans are having fun playing but haven’t gone overboard.

Huge Numbers For Easy Picks 

The vast majority of tickets being purchased in both games are easy picks, meaning that the players opted to have the lottery terminal randomly select the numbers involved. More than 91 percent of the plays purchased for last night’s Powerball drawing were easy picks, while nearly 94 percent of the tickets purchased for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing were easy picks.

The odds of winning are the same for every ticket in the games, whether the player buys an easy pick or chooses their own numbers. There are more easy-pick winners simply because most of the tickets being purchased are easy picks.

Anecdotes About Less Pool Play

A new phenomenon being seen in Iowa during this big jackpot run appears to be an offshoot of so many people working from home during the COVID-19 health emergency.

Anecdotally, Iowa Lottery retailers report they’re not seeing as many players buying tickets in office pools or with groups of friends and neighbors. Remaining socially distanced means a lot of folks aren’t gathering in those central spots where they would have joined in pool play.            

The ‘Longest Roll’

The length of time that a jackpot continues to grow is often referred to as a roll, meaning that it keeps rolling without being hit. Powerball just ended its longest roll ever: Wednesday’s drawing was the 36th since that game’s jackpot had been won on Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York.

The Mega Millions jackpot also is on its longest roll – and it’s still going! Friday’s drawing will be the 37th since the Mega Millions jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin.

What’s That About ‘Coverage’?

By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of all the possible combinations have been purchased for a particular drawing. The coverage estimate for Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is about 40 percent. (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 in a play.)

All The Latest About Those Jackpots!

Here are the latest details about the giant jackpots!
 
Nobody won the jackpot in last night’s Mega Millions® drawing, so that giant prize climbs even further, to an estimated $970 million annuity, $716.3 million lump-sum option for the game’s drawing on Friday. That’s the second-largest prize in the history of the game and the third-largest jackpot ever offered in the United States. 

And the Powerball® jackpot currently stands at an estimated $730 million annuity, $546 million lump-sum option for its drawing tonight. That’s the fourth-largest prize in Powerball history and the fifth-largest U.S. jackpot.

This is the first time the games’ jackpots have simultaneously topped the $700 million mark. But the record for a lottery prize remains the Powerball jackpot of nearly $1.59 billion that was split in January 2016 by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee. 

Last Night’s Drawing Details, Iowa Tickets That Won Prizes  

The winning numbers in last night’s Mega Millions drawing were: 10-19-26-28-50 and Mega Ball 16. The Megaplier number was 2.

A total of 35,826 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes in last night’s drawing.
Iowa Lottery players bought more than $2 million in Mega Millions tickets for the drawing, including more than $1 million in tickets yesterday alone. Given the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency, those figures are understandably both well down from sales totals during other recent years with giant jackpots.

Here is another number we watch closely: The average Mega Millions purchase yesterday in Iowa remained about $6, or three plays per ticket. We’re glad to see that Iowans are having fun playing, but they aren’t going overboard.

Now The ‘Longest Roll’

The length of time that a jackpot continues to grow is often referred to as a roll, meaning that it keeps rolling without being hit. Friday’s drawing will be the 37th since the Mega Millions jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin. This is now the longest Mega Millions jackpot roll.

Powerball also is on its longest roll. Tonight’s drawing is the 36th since that game’s jackpot was last won on Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York. 

Easy Pick vs. Your Own Numbers

Nearly 94 percent of the tickets purchased for last night’s Mega Millions drawing were easy picks, meaning that the players opted for the lottery terminal to randomly select the numbers involved.

We know that some people wonder which option has a better chance of winning: easy picks or tickets where the player chooses the numbers. The answer? The odds are the same for every ticket in the game. But there are more easy-pick winners simply because most of the tickets purchased are easy picks.

Details About ‘Coverage’

By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of all the possible combinations have been purchased for a particular drawing. (The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are about 1 in 292.2 million because there are about 292.2 million ways that the numbers in the game can be combined to make a play. And in Mega Millions, the odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 302.6 million because that’s how many ways the numbers in that game can be combined in a play.)

Nearly 30 percent of the combinations had been purchased for the last Powerball drawing on Saturday (Jan. 16). And, the coverage estimate for this coming Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is about 40 percent.

A Few Gentle Reminders 

We’ve also got these gentle reminders when it comes to buying tickets for upcoming jackpot drawings:

• Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings is at 8:59 p.m. the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that deadline, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won’t be in the running for that night’s giant prize. 
• And, please remember to play responsibly. You only need one ticket to have a chance to win. 
• We also want everyone to be safe and continue following social distancing guidelines when you’re out and about. Think about buying your tickets if you're already out running errands rather than making a special trip to get them. 

Mega Millions And Powerball Push Even Higher

UPDATE on Tuesday, Jan. 19: The jackpot for tonight's Mega Millions drawing has been raised even further. The new details are included here.

The Mega Millions® and Powerball® jackpots have made it through another round of drawings and are in the Top 5 for each game. Mega Millions has the second-largest prize in the history of that game, while Powerball now has the fourth-largest prize in that game.

Three Iowa tickets – one in Mega Millions and two in Powerball – were just one number away from having at least a share of this past weekend's jackpots and each won a sizeable prize.  

This is the first time the jackpots have simultaneously topped the $700 million mark.

Mega Millions has the next drawing up, at 10 p.m. Tuesday. Its jackpot now stands at an estimated $865 million annuity, $638.8 million lump-sum option. The Mega Millions jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin, and it hasn’t been this big for more than two years.

Powerball’s jackpot now stands at an estimated $730 million annuity, $546 million lump-sum option for its next drawing at 9:59 p.m. Wednesday. The game’s top prize was last won Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York, and it hasn’t been this big for nearly two years. 

Iowa Tickets That Came Close This Weekend

Three Iowa tickets were just one number away from a jackpot this weekend.

A ticket purchased at an eastern Iowa convenience store was just one number away from Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot, matching four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball. That ticket, which won a $10,000 prize, was purchased at Kwik Star, 803 Seventh Ave. in Camanche.    

And two Iowa tickets were just one number away from Saturday’s Powerball jackpot. They each won a prize of $50,000 by matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. They were purchased at Kwik Star, 3350 U.S. Highway 71 South in Spirit Lake; and Kum & Go, 2303 Muscatine Ave. in Iowa City.

The three prizes must be claimed directly from the Iowa Lottery. With its offices closed on weekends and on Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Tuesday is the earliest that the prizes can be claimed.

What’s That About ‘Coverage’?

By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of all the possible combinations have been purchased for a particular drawing. (The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are about 1 in 292.2 million because there are about 292.2 million ways that the numbers in the game can be combined to make a play. And in Mega Millions, the odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 302.6 million because that’s how many ways the numbers in the game can be combined in a play.)

Nearly 30 percent of the combinations were purchased in Saturday’s Powerball drawing. And, the coverage estimate for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing is about 36 percent.

General Pointers

Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings is at 8:59 p.m. the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that deadline, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won’t be in the running for that night’s giant prize. 

And, please remember to play responsibly. You only need one ticket to have a chance to win. 

We also want everyone to be safe and continue following social distancing guidelines when you’re out and about. Think about buying your tickets if you’re already out running errands so you don’t have to make a special trip to get them.

(I’ve posted lots of other jackpot details here on the blog this month, so feel free to check those out. I’m doing my best to keep providing new angles as the jackpots continue to grow.)

Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots Now Both In The Top Five

They just keep rollin’! The jackpots in Mega Millions® and Powerball® continue to grow, with both now in the Top 5 for each game.  

The Mega Millions® jackpot is currently the second largest in the history of that game. Not to be left out, Powerball® has the fifth-largest jackpot in that game.

Mega Millions has the next drawing up, at 10 p.m. tomorrow. Its jackpot currently stands at an estimated $750 million annuity, $550.6 million lump-sum option. The Mega Millions jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin, and it hasn’t been this big for more than two years.

The next Powerball drawing will be at 9:59 p.m. Saturday. The game’s jackpot currently stands at an estimated $640 million annuity, $478.7 million lump-sum option. Powerball’s top prize was last won Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York, and it hasn’t been this big for more than four years.

How Close Are We To The Records?

While the jackpots have both been growing for months, there’s still a lot of room to go before they would reach the overall record amounts.

Powerball holds the current record for a U.S. lottery prize. That jackpot of $1.586 billion was won in the drawing on Jan. 13, 2016, split by three tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee.

The largest jackpot in Mega Millions is close behind. That prize of $1.537 billion was won in the drawing on Oct. 23, 2018, by a ticket purchased in South Carolina.

Easy Pick vs. Your Own Numbers

There is debate about which option has a better chance of winning: an easy-pick ticket where the lottery terminal randomly selects the numbers involved, or a ticket where the player chooses the numbers. The answer? The odds are the same for every ticket in the game. There are more easy-pick winners because most tickets purchased are easy picks. In recent drawings, for example, more than 90 percent of the plays purchased in Iowa were easy picks.

Annuity vs. Lump-Sum Option

The jackpot winner gets to choose whether to claim the prize in annuitized payments over time or in the lump-sum option. Lotteries give estimates for both amounts in the lead-up to the drawings. The lump-sum value is the amount of money on hand from the sale of tickets in the game. The annuitized value is the amount the winner would receive in graduated payments over time. If you are buying tickets as part of a group that wins a jackpot, the entire group must decide on one option. Some members of the group can’t choose the lump sum while others choose annuity.

(I’ve posted other jackpot updates here on the blog this week, and those earlier posts include additional details you may also want check out. I’m doing my best to keep providing new angles for us all to consider as the jackpots continue to grow.)

All The Latest: Mega Millions Keeps Growing, Powerball Drawing Tonight

The Mega Millions® jackpot has made it through another drawing and is now the 2nd-largest prize in the history of that game. Not to be left out, the Powerball® jackpot is currently the 9th-largest in that game.

Details About The Next Drawings

Powerball has the next drawing up, at 9:59 p.m. tonight. The Powerball jackpot currently stands at an estimated $550 million annuity, $411.4 million lump-sum option. The game’s top prize was last won Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York, and it hasn’t been this big for more than four years.

And, nobody won last night’s giant Mega Millions jackpot, so it has grown even further. It now stands at an estimated $750 million annuity, $550.6 million lump-sum option for its next drawing at 10 p.m. Friday. With sales going strong across the country, it’s likely that amount will increase again before the drawing occurs. The Mega Millions jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin, and it hasn’t been this big for more than two years.

This is just the second time that the jackpots have simultaneously topped the $500 million mark. The first time that happened was in October 2018 when the Mega Millions jackpot reached a record amount in that game of more than $1.5 billion. 

Why Don’t You Just Divide It Up?

We’ve heard this week from some folks who say that with the jackpots this high, the money should just be divided up among more winners. A couple details about that: Overall sales in the games would appear demonstrate a different mindset. Sales have always followed the jackpots up, so it seems that a whole bunch of folks do want a chance at a giant prize.

And, the rules in Powerball and Mega Millions don’t speak to the jackpots being divided up. Lotteries couldn’t just decide to do something different this time around – people have already purchased tickets under the current rules. We do pay attention to input and ideas, though, so please keep the feedback coming.

For Newcomers (Or Those Needing A Refresher)

Giant jackpots attract the attention of a lot of first-timers and bring occasional players into the mix as well. If you need a refresher or crash course, the Iowa Lottery keeps how-to-play videos on its website to give everyone the key details in just a couple minutes.     

Keep Your Group Play Hassle-Free      

We also see people pooling their money to buy tickets together, whether at work or with family and neighbors. And we’ve had groups win prizes in the past that then needed to go back through their own records to figure out just who was in the money.  

We have a list of reminders on our website to help you keep group play hassle free. Please check them out, especially if you’re the person buying tickets for your group.

General Pointers

Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings is at 8:59 p.m. the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that deadline, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won’t be in the running for that night’s giant prize.

And, please remember to play responsibly. You only need one ticket to have a chance to win. We also want everyone to be safe and follow social distancing guidelines when you’re out and about. Think about buying your tickets if you’re already out running errands so you don’t have to make a special trip to get them.

All The Latest: The Powerball and Mega Millions Jackpots Both In Top 10

UPDATE on Tuesday, Jan. 12: The jackpot for tonight's Mega Millions drawing has been raised further. The new details are included here.

The Mega Millions® and Powerball® jackpots are both now in the Top 10 for each game, with a combined total of more than $1 billion.  

Mega Millions has the next drawing up, at 10 p.m. Tuesday. The Mega Millions jackpot has been raised again and now stands at an estimated $625 million annuity, $458.8 million lump-sum option. That is the fourth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. The game’s jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin, and it hasn’t been this big for more than two years.

The next Powerball drawing happens at 9:59 p.m. Wednesday. The Powerball jackpot currently stands at an estimated $550 million annuity, $411.4 million lump-sum option. That is the ninth largest jackpot in Powerball history. The game’s top prize was last won on Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York, and it hasn’t been this big for more than four years.

This is just the second time that the jackpots have simultaneously topped the $500 million mark. The first time that happened was in October 2018 when the Mega Millions jackpot reached a record amount for that game of more than $1.5 billion. 

When the jackpots are this large, we often see people deciding to buy tickets together, whether as part of an office pool or with friends and neighbors. The Iowa Lottery keeps a list of reminders on our website to help your keep group play hassle free. Among them: Keep a careful list of who puts in money to buy tickets in your pool, and how much they contributed. And, send a photo of your group’s tickets to all pool members before the drawing so everyone can see the details involved.

Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings is at 8:59 p.m. the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after the deadline, it will be for an upcoming drawing, and you would not be in the running for that night’s giant prize.  

With all the weight and pressure we’ve been feeling during the ongoing public-health emergency, maybe it's nice to have something like these jackpots to think about and take a break to do some daydreaming. But as we at the Iowa Lottery have said so many times through the years, remember to play smart and be informed. It only takes one ticket for a chance to win.

And to all lottery players, please be safe and continue following social distancing guidelines when you’re out and about. Think about buying your tickets if you’re already out running errands so you don’t have to make a special trip to get them. First and foremost, we want everyone to stay safe during the ongoing health emergency.

We also have gotten questions from the “plan aheaders” out there – those folks who want to know what to expect if they win one of the giant jackpots. We’ve got a video about that, which covers everything from the taxes involved to what you would need to do to claim the prize. Check that out here.

Mega Millions & Powerball Jackpots Combined Are Pushing $1 Billion

The jackpots in Mega Millions® and Powerball® continue their way up and are both now in the Top 10 for each game. The two giant jackpots combined are pushing $1 billion, with the Mega Millions prize amount raised earlier today.

The estimated Mega Millions jackpot for that game’s next drawing tomorrow night now stands at an estimated $520 million annuity, $383.4 million lump-sum option. That’s the 8^th-largest jackpot in the history of the game.

Powerball is nearly as big. Its next drawing is Saturday night, and the jackpot currently stands at an estimated $470 million annuity, $362.7 million lump-sum option. That makes it the 10^th largest jackpot in the history of the game.

Both jackpots have been growing for nearly an identical length of time. Powerball was last won in its drawing on Sept. 15, while Mega Millions was last won on Sept. 16. And now that the prizes are really getting up there, sales are picking up across the country.

This is only the third time that the two jackpots have topped $450 million at the same time.

But like so much else these days, the jackpots have been impacted by the COVID-19 emergency. The jackpots are primarily sales driven, and for months now, folks in wide swaths of the country haven’t been able to run errands or buy everyday items (including lotto tickets) like they normally might in a non-pandemic time. That’s kept the jackpots in both games tamped down. And when the jackpots are lower, sales overall in the games are lower. It can become a bit of a repeating cycle.

So, it’s interesting that both jackpots are on a roll right now, and they’re really close in amount. Hopefully this can be something lighthearted to help give everyone a break to just daydream for awhile. And as we’ve said so many times through the years, remember to play responsibly. It only takes one ticket for a chance to win.

Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings is at 8:59 p.m. the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that deadline, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won’t be in the running for that night’s giant prize.

Iowa First: See-Through Scratch Tickets! They're In 'The Cash Game'

A lottery first is hitting store shelves this week in Iowa: clear tickets!

Tickets in “The Cash Game” are printed on a transparent surface. The new $10 scratch game just started distribution today, so you’ll see it soon at your local lottery retailer. While tickets in the game have colorful artwork on them, their background is see-through.

Players can win prizes of up to $100,000 in the game. Nonwinning tickets in it can be entered into The Cash Game promotion that also started today and has another $200,000 in prizes on the line.

Have fun with this new look for Iowa Lottery tickets!

For Only The Third Time: Jackpots Simultaneously Top $400 Million

UPDATE on Wednesday, Jan. 6: With no jackpot winner in Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing, that giant prize has risen further. Powerball's drawing is tonight! The new details are included here.

Something pretty rare is happening right now in Powerball® and Mega Millions®. For just the third time ever, the games' jackpots have simultaneously topped $400 million.

The Mega Millions jackpot now stands at an estimated $490 million annuity, $372.3 million lump-sum option for its drawing on Friday. The game’s jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin, and it hasn’t been this big for six months. It had reached $410 million in the drawing on June 9 when it was won with a ticket in Arizona.

The next Powerball drawing happens at 9:59 p.m. Wednesday. The Powerball jackpot currently stands at an estimated $410 million annuity, $316.4 million lump-sum option. The game’s top prize was last won on Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York. And it hasn’t been this big for nearly a year. The jackpot had reached $396.9 million when it was won in the drawing on Jan. 29 with a ticket in Florida.

Like so much else these days, the jackpots in both games have been impacted by the COVID-19 emergency. The jackpots are primarily sales driven, and for months now, folks in wide swaths of the country haven’t been able to run errands or buy everyday items (including lotto tickets) like they normally might in a non-pandemic time. That’s kept the jackpots in both games tamped down. And when the jackpots are lower, sales overall in the games are lower. It can become a bit of a repeating cycle.

So, it’s interesting that both jackpots are on a roll right now, and they’re really close in amount. Hopefully this can be something lighthearted to help give everyone a break to have some fun daydreaming during this trying time. And as we’ve said so many times through the years, remember to play responsibly. It only takes one ticket for a chance to win.

Here’s something we’re still watching during the current jackpot run: Human beings procrastinate about lots of things, and that applies to lottery tickets, too. The day of the drawing in Mega Millions and Powerball always sees the highest sales, and in Iowa, the busiest stretch has usually been from about 4 to 6 p.m. that day as folks left work and ran errands on the way home. But with so many people working from home right now, we’re still tracking the numbers to see if purchasing patterns will have changed this time around. The commute home from work just doesn’t exist in many instances now.   

Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings is 8:59 p.m. the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that deadline, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won’t be in the running for that night’s giant prize.

After Their Christmas Gift Exchange, A $10,000 Winner!

After the holidays each year, we look forward to hearing winner stories that are specific to this season: Those folks who found a big prize on a lottery ticket they received as a present!

One of those folks this time around is a northwest Iowa woman. Anne Phillips of Boyden said she and her boyfriend, Mike Kruse, bought each other lottery tickets for Christmas, and as they were scratching the tickets together, he asked her to take a closer look at one of them. He said he thought they'd won something.

Anne took that closer look and realized they’d won a $10,000 prize! Just to be sure, they scanned the ticket on the lottery’s mobile app and it confirmed they’d won big in the “$100,000 Holiday Crossword” scratch game.

Anne said that their lottery win was a bright spot in an otherwise really difficult year. She said they plan to use the winnings to pay off bills and do some home repairs. Sounds like a sensible plan!

Congratulations, Anne and Mike! And, Happy New Year!!!

I Scratched My Ticket Too Hard, What Should I Do?

In the holiday and post-holiday rush this month, we’ve heard from a couple lottery players who both made the same mistake and wondered what to do next. 

The players had scratched their tickets a little too hard and in the process, they damaged the code on the ticket that normally would be scanned to claim a prize. They were worried that without the code, the ticket couldn’t be redeemed. But there’s another way that the information can be entered!

Each lottery ticket that we sell here in Iowa has identifying numbers on it that can manually be entered into a lottery terminal to check the results of the ticket. It’s not something you as a player can do using our mobile app – the ticket code is required on the app.

But if the code can’t be read for some reason, a clerk at a lottery retail location or a staffer at one of our lottery offices can key in the identifying numbers from the ticket to determine its outcome. If the clerk at your local store isn’t sure how to do that, they can always call the Iowa Lottery’s retail hotline for help.

If you’d prefer to have us at the lottery check your ticket for you, please make an appointment to visit one of our offices, or in most cases, you can mail the ticket to us if that would be easier.

I’ll add this caveat to the details here: If your ticket is really badly mangled or damaged, it might not be possible for anyone to figure out the identifying numbers from it. And in that case, we might not be able to determine its outcome. As an example, a player who had spilled water on their Powerball tickets once microwaved them to try to dry them out. The tickets are printed on heat-sensitive paper, and you can probably guess what happened: Microwaving the tickets turned them solid black. There was no way for anyone to determine the details that had once been printed on them.

We’ll always do our best to help, but it’s important to keep your tickets in as good of shape as possible so you can claim any prize you’ve won!

Player Comment: No One From Here Ever Wins …

A player’s recent comment on social media about lottery winners in Iowa started a bit of a debate with other folks, and I’ll share the same background with you here that we provided to them that day.

The initial comment was from a woman who said that winners in our state are only in the Des Moines area or from the north, south or east of Des Moines. Another woman commented back that it’s rare to see a winner from central Iowa, or any of Iowa’s bigger cities for that matter. Other players then commented that they rarely see winners in their areas of the state. It became a bit of a round robin about who had fewer winners in their vicinity.

In reality, there are lottery winners every day in Iowa, all across the state. But the myth that “no one from here ever wins” remains, and seems to be based upon the area a person is from, no matter where that is.

Here's an example: When talking one day with the folks from the D.C. Lottery in Washington, we told them about the statement we hear that "no one from here ever wins." They started laughing and said they hear that "it's always those people from Iowa who win the jackpot." We think the root of the situation is that people will never be truly satisfied until they’re the ones who win a big prize.

The outcome of lottery tickets and drawings is based on random chance. The results of a particular ticket have no impact on an upcoming play. And no one – not even those of us who work at the lottery or the retailers who sell our tickets – can predict when or where the next big winner will hit. There's only one "formula" that works when it comes to playing the lottery: You have to buy a ticket to have a chance to win.

Everyone has the same chance of winning. But there will be more winners in places where more tickets are sold. That doesn’t mean those areas are luckier: It simply means that with a bigger volume of tickets being purchased there, you’ll see more winners in that spot as well. Another way of putting it is that if 5 percent of lottery tickets are sold in a particular area, you expect to find about 5 percent of overall winners there, and that's been the case with the Iowa Lottery.

In our most recent financial year (fiscal year 2020, which ended June 30), $236.3 million in lottery prizes were awarded in Iowa. That’s an average of $647,444 in lottery winnings per day. And so far in fiscal year 2021, Iowa Lottery winnings are running ahead of the previous year. Through November, the most recent month for which we have complete figures, $106.5 million in lottery prizes were awarded in Iowa. That’s an average of $696,374 in winnings per day!  

The Back-and-Forth Jackpot Race Is Still Going!

As 2020 draws to a close, a friendly competition has sprung up between the nation’s big-jackpot games, with Powerball® and Mega Millions® going back and forth for which one has the highest top prize. The games’ jackpots have both been growing for nearly the same length of time – since mid-September – and it’s become a bit of a race to see which big prize will be won first.

Mega Millions has the next drawing, which happens tomorrow night. The game’s jackpot stands at an estimated $330 million annuity, $252.8 million lump-sum option. The jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin, and it hasn’t been this big for six months. It had reached $410 million in the drawing on June 9 when it was won with a ticket in Arizona.

The next Powerball drawing will be Wednesday night. That game’s jackpot stands at an estimated $321 million annuity, $247.1 million lump-sum option. Powerball’s top prize was last won on Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York. And it hasn’t been this big for nearly a year. The jackpot had reached $396.9 million when it was won in the drawing on Jan. 29 with a ticket in Florida.

Like so much else these days, both jackpots have definitely been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The games’ jackpot amounts are driven by sales, and for much of this year, folks in wide swaths of the country haven’t been able to run errands or buy everyday items (including lotto tickets) as they normally might in a non-pandemic time.

That’s tamped down the jackpot amounts in both games. And when the jackpots are lower, sales overall in the games are lower, too. It becomes a bit of a repeating cycle, and that’s been the case for much of this year.

So, it’s interesting that both jackpots are on a roll right now, and they’re really close in amount. We’re calling them dueling jackpots, and it will be fun to see which one will go out first!

There was a close call here in Iowa on Saturday. Someone who bought a ticket in central Iowa was just one number away from winning at least a share of Saturday’s Powerball jackpot. The ticket ended up winning a $50,000 prize by matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. That ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 870 NE Alice’s Road in Waukee.

Mobile App Update: Fix Is Live For Some Ticket-Scanning Issues

An update has just been made to our mobile app that fixes a glitch some players were having when they tried to scan a lottery ticket to see if they’d won a prize.

The update is now live for both Apple and Android devices, and in most cases, if you already have the app on your device (it’s called the Iowa Lottery’s LotteryPlus), there’s nothing you need to do to get the update. But if you’ve shut off automatic updates, you’ll need to enable that for the app so you can get the latest version.

This update has been a long time coming, and it admittedly was a frustrating process to determine what needed to be done to fix the glitch. Not all players were experiencing it, and those that were had dozens of different types of devices, software versions and carriers. The only universal theme is that those having the difficulty primarily appeared to have Android devices.

We also had to make sure that in making this fix, we didn’t inadvertently create a problem in the process players use on the app to enter tickets into our VIP Club drawings.

After a lot of trial and testing, the app update has now been pushed live in the Google Play Store® and Apple iTunes Store®. Please note that if you had saved an ePlayslip in the app, you’ll need to re-create it and save the ePlayslip again once the update has been made on your device.

We’ve had a lot of online discussions with folks as we investigated the update. Thank you to those who shared details with us about the devices and software versions you were using. Your input truly helped in this process!

If you’re not familiar with our mobile app, you can use it to check the results of lotto, scratch and InstaPlay tickets so you don’t have to visit a store or lottery office to see if you’ve won a prize. Other popular ways that people use the app are to enter tickets into our VIP Club drawings, check the winning numbers in recent lotto drawings, and find a lottery retailer near them.

Iowa Man Claims $50,000 Prize From Ticket That Had Been In His Car For Nearly A Year

For anyone who has a lottery ticket still in the car or sitting in a pile of stuff at home, let this blog serve as a permanent reminder of why it’s so important that you check them!  

Last month, I shared the story of an Iowa woman who claimed a $10,000 Mega Millions® prize after finding the winning ticket in her car nearly three months after she bought it. Well, a West Des Moines man just blew that timeframe away, claiming a Powerball® prize nearly a year after he bought the ticket. The common theme in their stories: His ticket also had been left in a car.

Casey Langan, 49, of West Des Moines claimed his $50,000 prize this morning at lottery headquarters in Clive, and admitted he’d been sweating about whether the deadline to claim his winnings had passed. That’s because he bought his winning ticket nearly a year ago for the Powerball drawing back on Jan. 18. He admits he put the ticket in the center console of his work car and forgot about it.

Fast forward to this month, and it’s been a bad news-good news situation for Casey. He was recently laid off from his job, and in the process of cleaning out his work car, he found the Powerball ticket in the console. He put the ticket on his desk at home, but still didn’t check it for a few days. Yesterday, he logged onto the lottery website to check the winning numbers and got a shock when he saw that he’d matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. 

Casey said he didn’t trust what he was seeing, so he took the ticket to a local convenience store to have it checked. The clerk scanned the ticket and he heard the recording from the lottery terminal saying: “Woo-hoo! You’re a winner!” The clerk confirmed that he’d won a $50,000 prize, and Casey called us at the lottery right away to make an appointment to claim it!

He says this couldn’t have come at a better time. His message for anyone who has a ticket they haven’t checked yet: “Check every single one of those!”

In Iowa, lottery players have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim Powerball prizes, so Casey had about a month left to redeem his $50,000-winning ticket. He said he would have felt terrible if he found it too late.

“I’ve been driving around for a year with $50,000 in the car this whole time,” he said. He pledges he won’t do that again.

Casey bought his winning ticket at Kwik Star, 506 W. Ninth St. in Waterloo, the community where he lived at the time. He and his wife recently moved to the Des Moines area, and he said they’ll use part of his winnings as a down payment on a home. He also is in the interview process for a new job, and he hopes his lottery luck will carry forward to that.

Congratulations, Casey! You truly beat the clock!

He Didn't Forecast This: Meteorologist Wins Big Prize

His job is to make accurate forecasts, but something happened today that a television meteorologist did not have on his radar: He claimed a big lottery prize.

Jason Sydejko, a meteorologist in Des Moines at KCCI-TV, won a progressive jackpot of nearly $17,000 in one of the Iowa Lottery’s InstaPlay games. His exact prize was $16,807.70 in the Cherry Twist Progressive game.

Jason claimed his prize this afternoon at lottery headquarters in Clive and admitted he was a little nervous about the reaction that the news staff at his station would have because he worked all weekend and managed not to tell anyone there. He said he kept the winning ticket in his wallet all weekend and was really feeling the strain of not telling his co-workers by Sunday night. He said that in some ways, he was almost just seeing if he could do it.

Jason, 38, said he’s a stats and numbers guy, and that’s why he started playing progressive InstaPlay games, which have jackpots that grow with each ticket sold statewide until someone wins it.

He said that on Friday, he stopped at the Kum & Go convenience store at 1300 Keosauqua Way in Des Moines near the KCCI station, and bought five tickets in the Cherry Twist Progressive game.

He said he went back out to his car and started to drive away, but at the last minute, decided to check the tickets while he was still at the store to see if he had won anything. He looked over his tickets and got a shock.  

He said he saw the words “progressive jackpot winner” on one of his tickets, so he ran back into the store and had them check the results. He admittedly started yelling that he had won.

Jason said he plans to use his winnings to pay off his car and then likely buy a house. A bike-training machine may be in his future. He also said he plans to keep buying the tickets for the Powerball® pool at work – assuming that his co-workers aren’t too mad at him for not sharing his news sooner!

Congratulations, Jason, and thank you for sharing some laughter and cheer with us today. It seems like we all need that these days!

Hey, I Bought Tickets At Different Stores And They Have The Same Numbers

This is another take on Pick 3/Pick 4 questions, after the blog entry we posted about the games last month.

This time around, the question comes from a man who bought Pick 4 tickets at two different stores and noticed that his plays both had the same numbers. He thought that meant there was something wrong.

In reality, Pick 3, Pick 4, and our other lotto games are specifically designed to allow for repeat numbers. It’s a built-in security feature of the games. And in Pick 3 and Pick 4, where only the numbers 0-9 are available to play, repeats can happen more often.          

I’ve included an image here that the man sent to us of his Pick 4 tickets. They were purchased on the same day at two different locations. The man thought that meant all other possible combinations in the Pick 4 game had been purchased between the tickets he bought, and that was why he got two tickets with the same numbers. But that’s not the case. 

You can see in the image that the plays on his tickets are marked as “EP.” That means they’re easy-pick plays where the lottery terminal at the location involved randomly selected the numbers. So, the same numbers could end up being printed simultaneously on tickets at different locations or within a short period of time as occurred for this player. Or, it could be a considerable length of time between that exact combination being printed. That’s the very nature of random plays.

Duplicate combinations in the games demonstrate that they’re working correctly. There would be something wrong if no repeat combinations were issued.

The only way to ensure that you as a player do not receive duplicate plays is to pick your own numbers.

There are hard-copy pla slips available in many retail locations where lottery tickets are sold, and another really handy way to choose your own numbers is to create an ePlayslip using the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app.

Our Reminder Note: Lottery Tickets Are For The Grown-Ups

Here’s a reminder note we hope you’ll think back to as you’re shopping for gifts in the next few weeks.

Lottery tickets are popular as presents and stocking stuffers, and we’re all for having fun! But here at the Iowa Lottery, we’re also cognizant that our tickets – while colorful, entertaining and affordable – may not be something you want to give to those underage.

That same thing holds true for a wider range of products, too. Some video games and movies may not be appropriate for all ages due to their content. Alcohol and tobacco-related products have their own age restrictions. Even toys have age-recommendation guidelines.

In Iowa, you have to be at least 21 years old to buy lottery tickets, and we’ve always considered that our products are for adults. Remember, you are gambling when you play the lottery.

The Iowa Lottery offers these reminders to minimize the risks associated with youth gambling:

• Be sure to give youngsters age-appropriate gifts.
• When you give lottery tickets as presents, please keep the person's age in mind.

And as always, if you or someone you know has questions about problem gambling, know that help is available 24/7 by text, live chat or telephone through the Your Life Iowa website or the 1-800-BETS OFF helpline.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You Don’t Scratch THAT Spot On “Holly Jolly Luck” Tickets

We’ve gotten questions from some players who thought their tickets in the “Holly Jolly Luck” game were defective, but it turns out they were scratching the wrong area on the ticket. Here are the details so you can avoid that.

The players said they tried to scratch off the “Winning Symbol” starburst area at the top of the ticket, and in the process, they damaged the paper or actually put a hole in it. That’s because the starburst isn’t an area to be played on the ticket.     

The starburst is just a label for the winning symbol on the ticket, which you can see immediately below the label without having to scratch anything. In the case of the example you can see here, the winning symbol on the ticket is the jolly snowman.   

The only area on the ticket that you as the player scratch is the play area at the bottom that includes “Your Symbols” and the “Scratch 2 Cash” spot. On the example ticket here, you would win a prize if any of your symbols from the play area match the jolly snowman, or if you find the “Lucky” symbol as described in the instructions.

I hope this background helps as you play Holly Jolly Luck!