ialottery blog

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!

Ticket Purchased In SE Iowa Wins Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life

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

A Bloomfield ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s drawing to win Lucky for Life’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The winning ticket was purchased at J’s One Stop, 202 Weaver Road in Bloomfield.

This is Iowa’s 10th big winner in the game since it debuted in January 2016 in our state. Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings twice a week, at 9:38 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. The game’s top two prize levels are described as “lasting as long as you do,” meaning that they are truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there is a lump-sum option for players who prefer that rather than lifetime annuity payments.

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

This prize must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. During the current COVID-19 emergency, prize claims are being handled by appointment at the lottery, so the winner or winners of the Bloomfield prize can call 515-725-7900 to schedule a claim. Full details are available on the lottery’s website here.

There is plenty of time for this prize to be claimed: Players in Lucky for Life have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes won in Iowa.

Pick 3/Pick 4 Question: Is It OK When More Prizes Are Won With Identical Numbers?

Here is the answer to a player’s question about the drawing results in our Pick 3 and Pick 4 games, and specifically, whether something is wrong because more prizes are often won with numbers that are all the same, such as 3-3-3 or 7-7-7-7. In reality, more people win prizes when those numbers are selected in a Pick 3 or Pick 4 drawing because more people play those numbers in the games. Here's the back story:

In Pick 3 and Pick 4, many players choose their own numbers rather than letting the lottery terminal randomly select the numbers on their tickets. The players who choose their own numbers are loyal to them and often make identical selections. I don’t know if they just like the symmetry of 1-1-1 or 5-5-5-5, but combinations of identical numbers are very popular.

And, when those combinations are then selected as the winning numbers in a drawing, there are a lot of winners simply because so many people have played them. 

Another reason that people may choose to play identical numbers is that those are straight plays, which have the biggest payouts in Pick 3 and Pick 4. By making a straight bet, the player wins a prize only if the numbers they selected match the winning numbers in the exact order drawn. It’s harder to win on a straight bet than by matching the winning numbers in any order drawn (which is known as a box play), so the odds of winning are longer and the prizes that can be won with straight plays are bigger.

There of course are players who make plays with numbers that aren’t identical, and those combinations do win in Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings as well. But overall, when the winning numbers in the games’ drawings are identical, you will often see more winners.

Recognizing, Remembering & Helping Veterans Through The Veterans Trust Fund

As we recognize Veterans Day this week, we also can take heart in the extra help Iowa makes available to our state’s veterans and their families through a special program that isn’t available in a lot of other places. 

It’s the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, and we at the Iowa Lottery are proud that a portion of the proceeds raised from the sale of lottery tickets in Iowa goes to the Veterans Trust Fund each year. We just made our latest annual transfer of $2.5 million to the IVTF, and that brings the lottery’s total proceeds through the years to that program to nearly $32.4 million.

That’s help right here at home for those who have given so much for our country. The IVTF was started years ago to help fill in the gaps in federal veterans benefits by adding state help to the mix. It feels good to know Iowa has a solution like that in place, and we get to be a part of it.  

If you’re an Iowa veteran or the family member of an Iowa veteran and you’re looking for more information about the IVTF, you can visit va.iowa.gov and click on the “Trust Fund” link under the “Benefits” tab. There, you’ll find the categories for assistance from the fund as well as a copy of the application form. If you’d prefer an option to speak with someone, you can call the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs toll-free at 800-838-4692 or contact your local County Veterans Office. (There is a veterans office in every county in Iowa, but please be aware that office hours and other operating details may have changed right now during the COVID-19 emergency.)

While the Iowa Lottery raises money for the Veterans Trust Fund, it’s the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs that approves applications for assistance through the fund. Perhaps more than any other, it’s commision members' perspective that matters in terms of the impact that the Trust Fund has had in Iowa. Click on the video below to hear two members of the commission share the story of their own service to our country and why the IVTF matters so much to them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Player Question: Do I Need To Keep My Ticket After I Enter It In the Promotion?

We’ve gotten the same question from a few different players about our “Winner Wonderland” promotion, so I’ll answer it here to give the details to everyone. And, while the question is specifically about the holiday promotion, the specifics apply to any ticket you’ve entered into a promotion through your VIP Club account.

The question is pretty basic: Do I need to keep my ticket after I enter it into the promotion? As in, will I need to present that ticket to claim any prize I might win in the promotion?

The short answer is no, you don’t need to keep the ticket. Here’s the backstory: Entering an eligible ticket into one of our promotions meets the requirement of presenting that ticket to the lottery. So, you do not need to keep the ticket after entering it to claim a prize through the promotion. That detail is spelled out in the rules for the Winner Wonderland promotion, but I’m happy to provide the info. here as well. 

Only nonwinning scratch tickets from this year’s eligible holiday-themed games can be entered into Winner Wonderland, but if you ever enter one of our promotions that involves tickets in lotto or InstaPlay games, be sure to check the results of the tickets themselves before you discard  them. If you win a cash prize on the ticket itself rather than in the promotion, you would need to present the ticket to the lottery to claim that prize.

Good luck on your Winner Wonderland entries, and thank you for playing!

In Plain Speak: New Tools To Help You Play Smart & Be Informed About The Lottery

We’ve been working for a while now on two new tools that have just gone live to help you best understand the details about playing the lottery.

Think of it this way: You wouldn’t buy a new vehicle or even a phone without first doing your research. So just like you gather information in other areas of your life, you can choose to be informed when you play the lottery by using the new tools.

One of them is a new section that just debuted today on the Iowa Lottery website. The eight-page section, called “Play Smart, Be Informed,” is a player’s guide to help you make informed decisions when you play the lottery.

The section includes details about how to play within your means, understand the odds in lottery games, and be a responsible winner. It also includes a list of common myths vs. the facts about lotteries and an interactive quiz you can take to see how you’re doing in understanding the details. We designed the quiz so that after taking it, you’ll receive a score like those from the classroom: 100 percent, 80 percent, etc. You can translate your numerical score into a corresponding grade (A-F), and decide if you need to keep studying. 

The section concludes with a page that focuses on what you can do if you think your lottery play has gotten beyond your control. The page includes this central statement: “If you’re worried that you’re spending too much on lottery tickets, or feel like playing the lottery is causing you stress or making you unhappy, don’t do it.”

A link to the new Play Smart, Be Informed section is in the grey footer area at the bottom of all pages on our website.

The other new tool designed to encourage informed decisions is on our lottery self-service kiosks and terminals in the 2,400 businesses in Iowa where lottery
tickets are sold. It’s a new “Play Responsibly” icon. By touching the icon, you can print a message about the help available in Iowa for problem gambling.

We recognize that it can be hard to have a conversation about problem gambling. So, by using the icon on a lottery self-service kiosk, you can print out a message that describes the many ways that help can be accessed in Iowa. The message states: “If you worry that you’re playing beyond your means or just have questions about problem gambling, help is available 24/7 here in Iowa through live chat, text, email or phone. Visit yourlifeiowa.org or call 1-800-BETS OFF. At the Iowa Lottery, we mean it: Playing smart is a lot more fun.”

The new Play Responsibly icon also has been added to the screens of Iowa Lottery terminals, and retail employees can use it to print out the same message.

Knowing that some people might worry whether use of the new icon is being monitored, we specifically programmed it so it can’t be tracked. We will not know how many times the icon is utilized, or from where that happens. We hope that decision can help clear the way for the information to make it at the right time to someone who needs it.

Player Comment: Hey, Your Crossword Games Don’t Follow The Rules …

A woman who recently emailed us pointed out that our Crossword scratch games don’t follow the same rules as traditional Crossword games. We let her know that’s correct, and if they did, players could end up missing out on a prize. Here’s why.

It appears that the woman had seen a list of guidelines online for crossword puzzle creators. But our Crossword scratch games have a purposefully different play style.

In a traditional crossword puzzle, all the spaces are blank, and the player uses the clues given to fill in the words that they think are correct and fit the spaces provided. But a word they choose may or may not be the correct answer within the overall puzzle.

In our Crossword scratch tickets, the words are already provided in the play area. As the player, you scratch off only those letters found in the “YOUR LETTERS” section of the play area. If the selection provided in “YOUR LETTERS” allows you to uncover a certain number of words on your Crossword ticket, you win a prize as indicated on the ticket.

If our Crossword tickets had only blank spaces on them, you as the player could end up filling in an incorrect word, which ultimately could cause you to miss out on a prize.

The rules governing our scratch games are published on our website. To see the rules for a specific Crossword scratch game, visit the scratch games page on our site and click on the game you want to play. When that individual game loads, you'll see a blue link to the official game rules for it.

BIG Start To The Week! Prizes Of $276,296 And $300,000 Claimed On Same Day

Maybe Mondays aren’t so bad after all! Our week started out with a definite rush as two players both claimed big prizes within about an hour of each other.

First up was Marissa Besler of Monticello, who claimed one of the top prizes in our “Colossal Crossword” scratch game. Her $300,000 win was quickly followed by Don Burd of Hiawatha, who claimed a jackpot of $276,296 in the “Extreme Green Progressive” InstaPlay game. That’s the biggest prize ever won in an InstaPlay game since the product debuted four years ago in Iowa!

The same theme runs through Marissa and Don’s stories: Disbelief.

Marissa is 34 and an occupational therapist assistant. She said she was shocked when she realized she’d won $300,000 on a lottery ticket she scratched while waiting on a load of laundry. She said she wandered around her house for a while to catch her breath, then downloaded the Iowa Lottery app on her phone so she could scan her ticket, which she bought at Great Pastimes in Monticello. The app verified her win and she said she was in even more disbelief!

Marissa has some real-world plans for her winnings: She said that having no mortgage or a car payment will be a huge weight off her shoulders.

In Don’s case, it was his wife who initially couldn’t believe he’d won a giant InstaPlay prize. Don said he bought a handful of tickets in the Extreme Green Progressive game on Sunday and realized that one of them had won the game’s jackpot, which had climbed to $276,296. He said he called his wife, Shawnee, right away to share the news. He told her he’d hit the game’s jackpot and then said how much it was. He said she really didn’t believe him, but it was definitely real!

Burd, 56, who owns the Otter Creek Country Store in Robins where bought his winning ticket, said he’s still figuring out exactly what he’ll do with his winnings. But he'll definitely continue to help a good cause in his area. Burd donates the fuel needed by his local fire department to help support its critical work.

Congratulations, Marissa and Don! Thanks for helping our week get off to a great start. Woo-hoo, indeed!

‘Winner Wonderland’ Promotion Has Started Today, With $640,000 In Prizes

The biggest prize pool ever offered in one of our holiday promotions is up for grabs in our “Winner Wonderland®” promotion that just opened for entries today.

The promotion features 181 cash prizes totaling $640,000, including a grand prize of $250,000. We’re applying the “max bet” concept in the promotion, meaning that the size of the prize players can win increases along with the purchase price of the scratch ticket they’ve entered.

Players could start making entries in Winner Wonderland at 9 a.m. today, and the promotion runs through early January, with its final drawing date on Jan. 7.

Players can enter the promotion using non-winning tickets in the 13 holiday-themed scratch tickets we’ll have available this year. Tickets in six of those games started sales last week, and they’ll be followed by five more on Oct. 5 and the final two on Nov. 2.

In each of the promotion’s three initial drawings, 60 prizes will be awarded: 20 prizes of $500 from among the $1 and $2 entries; 20 prizes of $1,000 from among the $3 and $5 entries; and 20 prizes of $5,000 from among the $10 and $20 entries.

The initial drawings will be on Nov. 5, Dec. 3 and Jan. 7, with the $250,000 grand-prize drawing also on Jan. 7.

Entries will not carry over from one drawing to the next, except for the grand-prize drawing.
All entries submitted over the course of the promotion that are not selected as a winner in one of the initial drawings will automatically be eligible for the grand-prize drawing.

Ticket Purchased In Eastern Iowa Wins Biggest InstaPlay Jackpot Yet

Someone who bought an InstaPlay ticket in Linn County has won the largest jackpot to date in the games since they began being sold in Iowa nearly four years ago.

A ticket purchased at the Otter Creek Country Store, 3445 County Home Road in Robins, has won a jackpot of $276,296 in the Extreme Green Progressive InstaPlay game. That’s the largest jackpot ever won in an InstaPlay game.

A prize of that size has to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive, where prize claims are currently being handled by appointment due to COVID-19. If the winner or winners have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to reach out to us at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or by email at wmaster@ialottery.com.

The Robins jackpot is a big jump up from the previous record jackpot in an InstaPlay game. That prize – $173,725 in the JACKPOT PARTY® Progressive InstaPlay game – was won in July 2018 by a central Iowa man. Nick Keeling of Norwalk claimed that prize with a ticket he bought at an Indianola gas station.

Extreme Green Progressive is a $20 InstaPlay game. Its jackpot starts at starts at $20,000 and grows with each ticket sold statewide in the game. The game's jackpot had been growing since late July, when it was won with a ticket purchased in Clear Lake.

The amount of the starting jackpot in our InstaPlay progressive games varies by game and price point. As you might anticipate, higher price-point games have a higher starting jackpot amount and those jackpots grow more quickly. Back in May, I blogged about how the progressive jackpot amounts are determined, so feel free to check out those details if you’ve wondered the same thing.

We’re Moving Prize Claims Back Inside Our Offices

As we continue to safely find our way forward during this COVID-19 emergency, we’re making a change starting today in the way prizes can be claimed at the Iowa Lottery’s offices. After a summer of curbside prize claims outside, we’re bringing prize claims back inside our offices by appointment, with some restrictions that apply.

The video above walks you through the process so you’ll know what to expect if you come to see us to claim an Iowa Lottery prize in person. But please remember that we also have other prize-claim options available, understanding that some folks may not feel comfortable with in-person appointments right now. You can continue to mail or ship tickets to us in most instances, and you also have the option of using the secure dropbox at lottery headquarters in Clive.

To make a prize-claim appointment, please call the lottery office where you want to claim your prize to schedule a time and receive other details, including the documentation you’ll need to have with you. Here are our telephone numbers:

Clive: 515-725-7900
Cedar Rapids: 319-395-9313
Mason City: 641-424-6011
Storm Lake: 712-732-6662

If you’re claiming a prize on behalf of a group or have friends or family coming with you, please know that to help maintain social distancing, only the person claiming the prize will be allowed inside the lottery office.

Player Question: Why Is There A Sales Cut-Off Before A Drawing?

A player who emailed us with questions about our lotto drawings unfortunately had some conspiracy theories to share as well, so I’m addressing those here in case the same rumor has made it way to you.

The player wondered why there is a sales cut-off time before the drawings in games like Powerball® and Mega Millions®. The player said he wants people to be able to buy tickets right up until the time of the drawing, arguing that doing so would eliminate the rumored possibility he’s heard that drawing officials sometimes spray a substance on the drawing balls used in lottery drawings to keep certain numbers from being selected.

That last part isn’t true, and the sales cut-off times in the games are there for a reason. Here’s the back story:

Sales cut-off times are one of the security processes that lotteries use to ensure that everything is ready to go for a drawing. With millions – and sometimes billions – of dollars involved in our drawings, it’s obviously important that mistakes are avoided!

Before a drawing can be held, all the lotteries in that game have to verify that their sales figures balance and all plays are recorded in the system. It’s a meticulous process, and we know it’s what the public expects.

The good news is that as computer speeds and technology have improved through the years, it now requires much less time to accomplish that work. So today, our sales cut-off times here in Iowa are an hour or less before our drawings. Years ago, the sales cut-off times were often two hours before the drawing, but we’ve been able to reduce that. And we hope it’s a convenience for our players and retailers.

I would imagine there will always be some time required for balancing and verification before a drawing can happen, but perhaps in the future, the time involved can be even shorter than it is today.

The exact sales cut-off times vary from state to state, depending upon the requirements in that particular state. Check your state lottery’s website for the information that applies in your area.

And when it comes to the drawings themselves, there are multiple layers of security involved.

For example, the machines and sets of numbered balls used in the drawings are kept in double-locked and sealed vaults, and are only taken out when the drawing manager, security officer, and independent auditor are all present.

And those aren’t ping-pong balls in the machines. The drawing balls are actually made of rubber and have to meet exact specifications through testing, weighing and measuring.

Multiple sets of balls are available for the drawings along with multiple sets of machines. The exact machines and numbered balls used in each drawing are randomly selected and everything that happens with them once they’re out of the vault is recorded on audio and video.

There also are testing procedures leading up to each drawing, with the entire process carried out under the supervision of an auditor and security officials.

Scam Alert: Uptick In Lottery Scams Being Reported

Investigators are warning of a current increase in lottery-related scams, with many of the calls apparently originating out of Jamaica.

Scam operations unfortunately are a common part of our world today, and some of them drag lotteries’ names and products into the mix. This latest wave of scams apparently promises that you’ve won a prize in the so-called Mega Millions Sweepstakes. Sometimes people are told they’ve won a jackpot, other times it’s a new luxury vehicle. There is no Mega Millions Sweepstakes, by the way. Mega Millions® is lotto game with drawings twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, but there is no sweepstakes associated with it.

We’ve warned about lottery-related scams for years, noting that they’ve involved many different forms: letters, telephone calls, emails, text messages, and social media contacts. In the current phone calls, those contacted say the caller has a definite Caribbean accent. And the scammers want those contacted to pay a “processing fee” up front to receive their promised winnings.

It’s a scam. And anyone who sends money to the scammers will never see those funds again, nor will they ever receive the promised winnings.

Please keep these details in mind if you’re ever contacted about winning a lottery prize:

• If someone says that you've won a big prize, stop and ask yourself this question: Did I buy a ticket or enter that contest? If you didn't, it's likely a scam.
• Never pay processing fees, insurance or commissions to claim a lottery prize. Legitimate lotteries do not require winners to pay anything up front to receive a prize.
• Never believe a letter, phone call or Internet message from someone who claims they can guarantee you a prize. Legitimate lotteries do not guarantee that you will win and do not require you to join a prize pool to play.
• And remember that in here in our state, the Iowa Lottery is the only lottery authorized under state law. 

The Attorney General’s Office advises you to report suspected scam calls to the FCC Consumer Complaint Center. The AG also says to consider using call-blocking apps and other services to reduce the number of robocalls you receive.

And please remember that while the current scam-related telephone calls are getting attention, there are likely other types of scams underway. The best thing you can do is to be vigilant and protect yourself.

From A Player: I’m Mad. That Store Said I Couldn’t Use A Debit Card.

A man who recently contacted us was mad that he couldn’t use a debit card at a local store to buy lottery tickets. The answer to his question isn’t whether it’s legal to do that in Iowa, but whether the location involved wants to allow it.

Here’s the background: State law in Iowa allows lottery tickets to be purchased with cash, debit cards, checks and gift cards, but a retail location isn’t REQUIRED to accept any form of payment if it doesn’t want to do so.

Real-world details including card fees and payment verification are part of the daily picture for retailers, and at the Iowa Lottery, we understand that. Businesses have their own payment policies, so check with the store involved if you have questions.

Another important point to remember is that it is illegal in Iowa for credit cards to be used to purchase lottery tickets.

Player Comment: I Think The Lottery Pays Out Less Today …

We heard this week from a man who was unhappy with the lottery, and let us know he’s convinced our prize payouts have gone down over time.

Now, I get that he wants to win big and likely won’t ever be truly satisfied unless that happens. But in fact, the Iowa Lottery’s prize payouts have gone up over time, not down. I’m sharing the numbers with you here so you’ll have the details involved.

In fiscal year 1986, the first year that the Iowa Lottery was in operation, 46 percent of each dollar in lottery sales in Iowa went to pay prizes. (Iowa Lottery sales that year totaled a little more than $85 million and prizes totaled $39.3 million.) 

In fiscal year 2020, our latest financial year that just ended June 30, 64 cents of each $1 in Iowa Lottery sales went to prizes. (Lottery sales in FY 2020 totaled about $372 million while prizes totaled $236.3 million.)  

That’s an 18 percent increase in our prize payouts since the lottery’s first year.

People can and do win Iowa Lottery prizes every day, and everyone has the same chance of winning. But you’re gambling when you play the lottery, so winning – and not winning – are both a part of it.

And if buying lottery tickets is making you unhappy or causing you stress, then take a break or maybe decide not to do it at all. It’s your decision as a consumer.

Third Time Lucky: Fort Dodge Man Wins Top Prize On Ticket No. 3

Here’s a story of lottery luck that just kept growing: A Fort Dodge man won bigger and bigger amounts on the tickets he was buying in a scratch game, and his last win took a huge jump up.

Harold Hinds said he recently made his usual stop for coffee and a scratch ticket and ended up winning $10. He decided to go back to the store to redeem his prize and buy another ticket. That time around, he won $30. That sent him back to the store again for another ticket, and that time, he won the top prize of $100,000 in the “$100,000 Mega Crossword” game.

Harold, who is 80, won the 15th top prize in the game. There are 10 more top prizes still available in it. He says that he and his wife plan to use his winnings on home repairs and possibly a new car.

We would say that this story is an example of the phrase: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, but Harold succeeded every time – just sometimes larger than others! Congratulations, Harold!

After The Storm: Our Cedar Rapids Office Is Unable To Process Prize Claims

Aug. 18 update: Our Cedar Rapids office is now able to process prize claims again! Clean-up from last week's storms continues, but progress IS being made! Thank you to everyone who has been part of the effort.    

In the wake of the powerful storm that swept across Iowa earlier this week, our Cedar Rapids office is unable to process prize claims.

We know that emergency crews are working as quickly as possible to make repairs, but damage in eastern Iowa is extensive. There currently is not a timetable for when our Cedar Rapids office will be able to resume paying prizes. 
 
If you have a prize to claim at an Iowa Lottery office, please know that curbside claims are available at our locations in Clive, Mason City, and Storm Lake. You also can mail your prize claim to us or use our secure dropbox at lottery headquarters in Clive. We have full details on the How To Claim A Prize page of our website.
 
If the Cedar Rapids office would be the most convenient for you to visit, you can always wait until a later date to claim your prize there. Just know that we don’t yet have an estimate for when that would be possible.

Take Care of Yourself, And If It’s Causing You Stress, Don’t Play

We’re all feeling extra stress these days with worries about health and safety and just the daily occurrences of life. My team and I here at the lottery can sometimes feel that stress coming through from the folks who contact us, and for whatever reason, this past week has seemed like a hot point for some people.

We do our best to help and provide clear answers to questions. And I’ll stress a point here on the blog that we’ve made to a couple people this past week, because we mean it sincerely.

Please remember that playing the lottery is gambling, and there's no guarantee you'll win when you buy a ticket. Gambling is a form of entertainment, like buying a magazine or watching a movie. How you choose to spend your disposal income is entirely your own decision.

A lottery ticket is always an optional purchase for you as a consumer. If playing the lottery is causing you stress or you don't enjoy it, then please don't do it.

And if you have concerns about problem gambling, please know that help is available 24/7 here in Iowa by visiting YourLifeIowa.org or calling 1-800-BETSOFF.

Take care of yourself out there!

Player Question: How Are The Remaining Prizes Tracked?

A player who reached out to us on Facebook asked an important question about the Remaining Prizes list we keep on our website: Where do those numbers come from?

If you’re not familiar with the Remaining Prizes list, it can be found here. (I also included a screenshot below from that page.) It lists the prizes of $100 or more available in our scratch, pull-tab and InstaPlay games, the number of those prizes that have already been claimed, and the number that are still available. The details automatically record as tickets are scanned on the lottery’s statewide gaming system.

The list on our website is then updated each morning to provide the latest snapshot of our games and prizes.

We want you to know the stats and have regular updates about the tickets that are out there, and the list is a quick way to keep all of those details in one place.

We also keep an Unclaimed Prizes list on our website of the prizes that have been won but not yet claimed in our lotto games including Powerball® and Mega Millions® as well as our InstaPlay games. That information also records automatically as tickets are scanned on our system, and the list on our website is refreshed each morning.

Feel free to check out those lists when you’re looking for the latest details, but if you ever have further questions, feel free to reach out to us. We’ll be glad to help.

Iowa Lottery Meets Budget Targets In Latest Fiscal Year

We've released the Iowa Lottery's annual results today, with its sales, proceeds to state causes, and prizes to players all meeting budget targets for fiscal year 2020 even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s gratifying to be able to look back at the past 12 months – and particularly the months of the public health emergency – and see that we’ve been able to adapt and deliver on our promise to responsibly generate revenue for important Iowa causes.

The preliminary figures today show that the lottery generated $81.5 million in proceeds to state causes for the year. Annual lottery sales in FY 2020 were $372 million, while prizes to players totaled $236.3 million. Lottery sales commissions to the local businesses statewide that sell its tickets totaled $24.3 million.

All of those figures are understandably down a bit from the previous year’s numbers. The lottery’s FY 2020 results were largely impacted by two main factors: the COVID-19 pandemic and a relative lack of big jackpots in national lotto games.  

The jackpots in Mega Millions® and Powerball® both repeatedly climbed into the stratosphere in fiscal year 2019, with the Mega Millions grand prize in particular reaching more than $1.5 billion in October 2018, the largest jackpot in the history of that game. But in FY 2020, both games’ jackpots were won more often at lower levels ($40 million to $100 million). That meant lower overall sales in both games, and the COVID-19 emergency impacted the lotto category even more, with sales in lotto games nationwide falling during the pandemic.

But at the same time, scratch-game sales in Iowa had a strong year. Scratch games sold well throughout FY 2020, including during the months of the pandemic. Iowans who suddenly had a lot of time at home made scratch tickets part of their entertainment options along with the puzzles, board games and bicycles that have been selling at such high rates they’re now in short supply in many places.      

Scratch-ticket sales in Iowa have set annual records each year since FY 2015, and did that again in FY 2020, totaling $262.4 million. That’s an increase of $11.8 million from the previous year’s total for that product.

The lottery retailer with the highest sales in Iowa for the year was the Hy-Vee at 1843 Johnson Ave. NW in Cedar Rapids. That store sold more than $911,000 in lottery tickets in FY 2020.

The largest lottery prize won during the year in Iowa was $1 million, and two players each claimed that amount. Shane Saxen of Correctionville claimed a $1 million Powerball prize in March, and a group of five friends from Eldora calling themselves "Just Us" claimed a $1 million Mega Millions prize in December.

For the 2nd Time This Month, Iowa Ticket Wins $500,000 Powerball Prize

Someone who bought a Powerball® ticket in Clinton won a $500,000 prize in last night’s drawing. It’s the second prize of that size to hit in Iowa this month.

The latest $500,000-winning ticket was purchased at the Kwik Star convenience store, 911 S. 14th St. in Clinton. The ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night’s $87.3 million Powerball jackpot.

The Clinton 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.

A Waterloo man won a $500,000 prize with the same type of play in the Powerball drawing on July 8. Tu Kha Maung, 29, claimed his prize two days later.

Last night’s winning numbers were: 27-47-61-62-69 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 $97 million annuity ($78.3 million cash option) for Saturday.

The Clinton ticket was one of three in the country to win a $500,000 prize in last night’s drawing, while a ticket in California won a $1 million prize.

Kwik Star will receive a $500 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $500,000-winning ticket at one of its stores.

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

It’s Started Today: Our Summer Promotion Will Give Away $250,000 In Prizes

We’re making the move into summer here at the Iowa Lottery with today’s start of the “Summer Cash Bash” Prize Zone promotion that will give away a total of $250,000 in cash prizes by mid-September.

The promotion will award 90 cash prizes totaling $250,000 during the next two months. To keep things interesting, every two weeks, we’ll change up the prizes on the line and the scratch games that can be entered inti the promotion.

The Summer Cash Bash officially started this morning, and the first entry period runs through the morning of July 28. The first drawing takes place on July 30, and we'll give away 22 prizes that day totaling $60,000. Nonwinning tickets from five scratch games can be entered into this first round of the promotion: Quick 5s, Money Ball, Amazing Money, $50,000 Classic Black, and $100,000 Mega Crossword.

We’ve got details about the next couple upcoming rounds of the Summer Cash Bash on our promotions page, so feel free to check out the current games that can be entered as well as the details that are on deck.

Definitely Fireworks Of A Different Kind -- All Predicted By Her Horoscope

I love everything about this story: The fireworks show, the fact that she didn’t play her ticket until afterwards, and the fortune that came true. Especially the fortune!

All those details belong to Susan Legge of Granger, who claimed a $30,000 lottery prize Monday. She won one of the top prizes in the “Amazing Money” scratch game.    

Susan said she bought her winning ticket on the Fourth of July as she was on her way to watch a local fireworks show. She didn’t play the ticket until she got home that night and said she didn’t trust what she was seeing at first. So she handed the ticket to her daughter to double-check it.

Susan said that her daughter scanned the ticket with the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app and it showed that she had indeed won a $30,000 prize. But wanting one more source to verify it, they rushed back to the Casey’s store in Granger where she’d bought her ticket and had it scanned on the lottery terminal there, which also showed that she’d won the game’s top prize.

And here’s where the fortune comes in: Susan said she’d read an online horoscope the day before that predicted something good would come her way, that she should expect a miracle. And then she bought a winning lottery ticket. She said she’s still stunned!

She said she plans to use her winnings for a down payment on a house and to upgrade her camper.

Congratulations, Susan! Now maybe the rest of us will have to take a closer look at our horoscopes, too!

Curbside Prize Claims Reminder: Our Offices Are Closed Tomorrow

It’s been a very busy and successful first month of curbside prize claims at the Iowa Lottery, and we’re glad to see that our players have found the process convenient and easy to use. And hey, we’re just glad to be able to interact with people again!

We’re doing our curbside appointments with virus-mitigation procedures in place to keep everyone safe, and it’s a process that’s worked well since we began using it on June 1. If you have a prize to claim directly from us at the lottery, check out the details on our Curbside Claims page so you’ll know how and where to make an appointment.

We’re loving the photos of our winners as they claim their prizes at their curbside appointments. There’s a slice-of-life feel to the images that shows it is possible for all of us to still have fun even with the challenges from COVID-19.

As a plan-ahead reminder, our offices are closed tomorrow (Friday, July 3) for the Independence Day holiday weekend, so we’ll see you all again on Monday. Have a very happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Player Question: Why Do You Still Sell That Game After The Promotion Has Ended?

With the Prize Zone now an ongoing part of our VIP Club and the big Summer Cash Bash starting in a couple weeks, I’ll answer a question here on the blog that we’ve received from a few players in the past about the games that can be entered into our promotions.

Those folks have wondered why we continue to sell the games involved in our promotions after the promotions end. What they may not have realized is that the scratch games involved are often already available before a promotion starts and sometimes stay on the market after it has ended. That’s because the promotion isn’t the primary function of the game – it’s an extra, or an add-on, but the game itself is its own vehicle.

The prizes in our games themselves aren’t tied to a promotion – they’re separate and only a part of that game. That's why the game involved will often be on sale for far longer than a particular promotion is offered – players want the chance to win the prizes in the game itself and realize that the promotion is a temporary (and fun) addition with prizes of its own.

We refer to our promotions as “Play It Again” or second-chance opportunities because if you don’t initially win a prize on the ticket involved, you can play it again by entering the promotion for a chance to win the prizes offered there.   

The upcoming Summer Cash Bash is a perfect example of the timing issue I've discussed in this blog entry. The promotion doesn’t start until July 13, but some of the games involved are already on sale, and we’re letting players know that they can save their tickets to enter the Cash Bash when it starts. Those same games may end up being on the market after the promotion ends, it all depends on how long the supply of tickets lasts.

We do our best to come up with fun games and promotions and tie them together when we can for even more chances to win. But the games involved stand on their own and have their own timeline outside of the promotion.

SW Iowa Man Talks About Winning A Big Prize During A Pandemic

Here is Delbert Littleton of Atlantic in his own words as he talks about winning a big lottery prize during a pandemic. Congratulations on your big win, Delbert, and thank you for lifting our spirits with your positive outlook!

Atlantic Man Danced With His Wife In the Kitchen After Realizing He’d Won Big

A southwest Iowa man said he and his wife danced in their kitchen at 4:30 a.m. after realizing he’d won a lottery prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Delbert Littleton of Atlantic said they both were shaking and hugging after realizing the big news. His ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in the Lucky for Life drawing on June 15 to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

Delbert, who’s 62 and works at an assisted-living facility, said he realized early the next morning that he’d won a big prize. And even though his wife Jodi was still asleep, he knew he had to share the news. So he carefully told her that she needed to get up and look at something. After they danced and hugged, he said she told him right away that they needed to put the ticket in their safety deposit box so nothing would happen to it.

They kept the ticket safe and Delbert was able to claim his prize today at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.

He bought his winning ticket at Casey’s, 701 Poplar St. in Atlantic, and Casey’s will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket at one of its stores.

Delbert is Iowa’s ninth big winner in Lucky for Life since the game debuted in January 2016 in our state. He said that he and his wife already know how they’ll use the winnings: They plan to buy a new house, both buy new cars, and put the rest away for retirement.

Because he works in environmental services, Delbert takes precautions against COVID-19 every day. He said that winning a big prize during the worldwide pandemic lightens the load a little bit and gives him more hope that we’ll all eventually get through this.

Delbert chose to receive his prize in its lump-sum option of $390,000. He said that no one can predict the future, so he and Jodi decided to take the lump sum and enjoy making plans with the winnings right away.

If I Spend $1 On A Lottery Ticket, How Does That Help Iowa?

We’ve added a new page on the Iowa Lottery’s website that answers a couple of the questions we receive the most: How is the money spent on lottery tickets used in our state, and what kind of help does that mean for Iowa? 

The new page can be found under the “Lottery Gives Back” link on our homepage. It replaces the previous “Where The Money Goes” page we’d utilized for a number of years. The details on the previous page focused on the historical use of lottery proceeds since the Iowa Lottery’s start in 1985. The new page expands on that.

At the top of the new page is a breakdown of how each $1 spent on lottery tickets in Iowa is used. The figures currently listed are for fiscal year 2019, and we’ll update that with each new year’s results as we have them. The biggest share of the money in FY 2019 of course went to players, with 62 cents on the dollar going to pay prizes. The second-largest category was proceeds to state causes, with 24 cents on the dollar going directly to Iowa programs.

Below those details are graphics that highlight how lottery proceeds help Iowa. You’ll find direct links there that you can use to learn more about the state programs that receive funding from the Iowa Lottery.

At the bottom of the page is a list of the programs that received lottery proceeds in the past, but are no longer current recipients. We hope that by dividing out the current and past uses of lottery proceeds, we’re clearly defining how the Iowa Lottery makes a difference in Iowa.