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Powerball & Mega Millions Changing, We’re Offering Free Plays For “Multi-Draw” Tickets Involved

***This blog entry has been updated to include details about changes to the Mega Millions game that were announced on Friday, April 3, and to include a direct link to the web page with the claim form for free-play requests.***

After earlier changes were announced in Powerball®, the Mega Millions® game is now making similar adjustments. The deepening COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on everyday life is behind it all.

In both Powerball and Mega Millions, the starting jackpot amount will be eliminated along with any minimum amount that the jackpot will grow between drawings. Instead, both amounts will be determined on a drawing-by-drawing basis and announced ahead of the next upcoming drawing.

The adjustments are needed to ensure that ticket sales in both games can support their jackpots and other prizes. The deepening COVID-19 public health emergency has drastically impacted life for us all and altered normal consumer behavior, including ticket purchases in Powerball and Mega Millions. Interest rates also have declined amidst the health crisis, and that in turn drives down the annuity amount of the games’ jackpots.

The timing of the changes in each game is slightly different, based upon its drawing schedule. (Mega Millions drawings are at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, while Powerball drawings are at 9:59 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.)

In Mega Millions: The jackpot for tonight’s drawing remains at an estimated $121 million annuity, $96.7 million lump-sum option. If the jackpot is won tonight, it will reset to a guaranteed $20 million for Tuesday’s drawing (April 7). If there is no jackpot winner tonight, the game’s grand prize will roll to an estimated $127 million annuity for Tuesday. From that point on, the game’s starting jackpot and the rate at which the jackpot increases will be based upon sales and interest rates, with no fixed minimums.

In Powerball: The jackpot for tomorrow night’s drawing remains at an estimated $180 million annuity, $144.8 million lump-sum option. If the jackpot is won tomorrow, it will reset to a guaranteed $20 million annuity for Wednesday’s drawing (April 8). If there is no jackpot winner tomorrow, the game’s grand prize will roll to an estimated $190 million annuity for Wednesday. From that point on, the game’s starting jackpot and the rate at which the jackpot increases will be based upon sales and interest rates, with no fixed minimums.

The leadership of the Powerball Product Group and the Mega Millions Consortium, which are made of up the member-lottery directors in each game, will determine the jackpot details for it.

We know that some of our players may have used the “multi-draw” option to purchase plays in upcoming Powerball and Mega Millions drawings. Those plays, of course, are still valid, but are now impacted by the upcoming jackpot changes.

As a goodwill gesture, we’re offering those players free-play coupons for use in future drawings of the game they played. To be eligible for free-play coupons: 

• In Mega Millions, an Iowa Lottery player must have purchased a multi-draw ticket no later than 4 p.m. today (April 3) for a Mega Millions drawing held on April 7 or later. 
• In Powerball, an Iowa Lottery player must have purchased a multi-draw ticket no later than 4 p.m. yesterday (April 2) for a Powerball drawing held on April 8 or later.

Details about the free plays along with the form you’ll need to complete and send to us to request free-play coupons are available here on the lottery's website.

I’ll add in just a quick personal note to close out this blog entry: I know that these Mega Millions and Powerball changes are coming on top of the many, many other changes that we’re all experiencing. Just know that they’re not being made on a whim or at random. They're being made because the games and the prizes they offer are based upon mathematics. And there simply aren’t enough ticket sales occurring to continue the games in their previous format.

We understand that folks have much more important issues on their minds these days than purchasing lotto tickets, and in many instances, they're simply not in a position to buy them at all. Safety is what matters now, and all of us getting through this together.

But in the meantime, changes have to be made on many different fronts, including in these two games.

Changes Coming To Powerball’s Starting Jackpot & Minimum Increases

Changes have been announced today that will impact the Powerball® jackpot after the next time it is won.

What’s behind the decision? The amount of the Powerball jackpot is driven by ticket sales, which have been lagging in the game. Normal consumer behavior has been largely disrupted nationwide by the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. And the Powerball Product Group, like scores of other organizations around the world, is making necessary adjustments.

The changes announced in Powerball will take effect immediately after the next jackpot win in the game. The changes do not impact the jackpot amount for tonight’s drawing, or the jackpot’s growth up until the next time it is won. (The jackpot for tonight’s Powerball drawing is an estimated $150 million annuity, $114.8 million lump-sum option.)

The next time that the Powerball jackpot is won, it will reset to a guaranteed $20 million annuity, rather than the game’s usual starting jackpot amount of $40 million. And, rather than growing by at least $10 million in between drawings as currently occurs in the game, the jackpot will grow by at least $2 million between drawings.

It remains to be seen whether this change will be permanent. That decision rests with the directors of the U.S. lotteries that are members of the Powerball Product Group, who will continue to evaluate and monitor sales in the game.

Hello, Guvna! (Hey, I Think We Know That Powerball Winner)

When the front desk here at lottery headquarters called up to my department today to tell us that a big winner was in the lobby, we thought they’d gotten the name wrong. But they hadn’t!

Tom Vilsack, former mayor of Mount Pleasant, state senator, Iowa governor, and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, is now also a big Powerball® winner. He admits he never thought he’d see that title.

Vilsack claimed a $150,000 Powerball prize this morning. He said he occasionally plays when the game’s jackpot really gets up there because he likes to dream, just like everyone else. And he said that if he doesn’t win, he knows that his money goes to help the state through the lottery’s proceeds.

Vilsack, who now lives in Waukee, won his prize in the Powerball drawing on Jan. 22, when the jackpot had grown to an estimated $347 million. But he didn’t check his ticket for several days. He said he got up 10 days later and realized he should check how he did.

He found the ticket in his briefcase and checked his numbers on the Iowa Lottery’s website. He said he was initially glad to see that he’d matched the Powerball on one of his plays. But he quickly realized he ultimately was just one number away from winning that night’s jackpot, matching four of the five white balls and the Powerball.

Vilsack said he remembered that when he bought his easy-pick ticket, the store clerk had asked if he wanted to add the Power Play® option for an extra $1 per play, so he did. That option multiplies most prizes in the game by the Power Play number selected in the drawing. The Power Play number was three the night that Vilsack won his prize.
 
After realizing he’d won, he said he shared the news with his wife, Christie, who didn’t believe him.    

“I said, ‘Geez, honey, actually I won $150,000,’” Vilsack recalled. “She said, ‘No you didn’t!’ I said, ‘No, look at this.’ And I gave her the ticket. She looked at the numbers and she said, ‘Go next door to Jess (the couple’s eldest son) and have him read the numbers and make sure you’re looking at this right.’ I said, ‘I put it in the system here! It’s telling me I won $150,000!’”

Jess ultimately confirmed that his dad had won big – and so did we when he came to the lottery this morning.

Vilsack has specific plans for his winnings.

“The church is going to get a little bit of it, St. Boniface, I’m going to send that check out today,” he said. “And the kids are going to get a little bit because you always try to help your kids out. And then the rest is going to go to my banker. And he’s going to be very pleased to get it. Because we still have an outstanding mortgage from many years ago and this will help pay it down to the point where retirement can be a little bit more comfortable than it might have otherwise been.”

Vilsack bought his winning ticket at Hy-Vee, 1005 E. Hickman Road in Waukee. He had some advice for other lottery players, knowing that he almost forgot to check his ticket.

“Sort of a word to the wise: Check your numbers. It matters,” he said. “There are different ways to win. I didn’t realize that. I honestly didn’t realize you could win by not having all of the numbers. And so people sometimes walk away from some resources and some money when they don’t check their ticket.”

As he claimed his prize, Vilsack also took a moment to reflect on the lottery and why he plays.

“I know that this lottery is really important to the state and it’s certainly important to the state budget,” he said. “It’s something that I certainly understand from my experience as a state senator and as a governor and I think it’s great. And as you say, you don’t win if you don’t play.

“Obviously, the whole issue of gaming has been somewhat controversial in every state,” he said. “But as long as we are providing assistance to those who over-extend themselves, which is unfortunate and tragic, and as long as we use these resources in a way to build our state and make it stronger and better, then I think it’s a good thing.”

The Powerball Jackpot Hasn’t Been At This Level In 10 Months

The Powerball jackpot is back up at a level it hasn’t seen in 10 months.

That’s not a typo. The game’s jackpot hasn’t climbed this high since last March. The jackpot for tonight’s drawing is at an estimated $394 million annuity, $274.6 million lump-sum option.

It hasn’t been at this level since last year, when it kept climbing all the way up to $768.4 million annuity in the drawing on March 27, 2019. It was won that night with a ticket in Wisconsin.
     
What’s the story behind our recent “jackpot drought”? There have been a lot of winners in Powerball and Mega Millions, but as luck would have it, the jackpots in both games have been won in the past handful of months at what some would call a “lower level.” Now, all those prizes were still in the tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars. But if it seems like things have been kind of quiet lately on the jackpot front, that’s because they have.

Mega Millions got some steam going last month when it reached $372 million annuity in the drawing on Dec. 17. It was won that night with a ticket in Ohio.

The Powerball jackpot was last won in the drawing on Nov. 2 by a ticket in California.  The next time it’s hit, it will be the first Powerball jackpot won in 2020.

There will always be peaks and valleys in lottery jackpots, so we’ll all just have to wait and see how high the jackpots climb this time around. Maybe we just got used to all the big jackpots we saw in the past couple years!

Did You Notice? Something Unusual Happened In Powerball

Something pretty unusual has happened twice now in Powerball in just the past two weeks. Did you catch it?

Last night’s $80 million jackpot was won with a ticket in New York, but that’s not what I’m talking about. The unusual thing has to do with the Power Play feature in the game.

The 10X was selected as the Power Play multiplier in last night’s drawing and in the drawing a week earlier, on Aug. 28.

Overall, the 10X has been selected as the Power Play number just four times: once in 2017, once in 2018, and now twice so far in 2019.

When you add the Power Play option to your Powerball ticket, it will multiply any prize you win (except the Match 5 prize and the jackpot) by the number selected as the Power Play multiplier in that night’s drawing. A Powerball ticket costs $2 per play, and you can add the Power Play option for an extra $1 per play. 

When the Powerball drawing occurs, the first five numbers and the Powerball are selected by the iconic ball-drawing equipment we’ve all seen through the years, and there is a separate drawing to determine the Power Play number.   

In last night’s drawing, the Power Play number was 10, so the lucky folks who added the Power Play option to their tickets won 10 times the regular amount of their prize!

Here in Iowa, a total of 1,612 plays won prizes last night that were multiplied by 10X. The biggest of them was at the Match 4 level, meaning that the ticket involved matched four of the first five numbers and missed the Powerball. That ticket initially won a $100 prize, but with the Power Play option added, it won $1,000!

It’s relatively unusual for 10X to be selected as the Power Play multiplier because it’s not always available. When the jackpot for the next Powerball drawing is an estimated $150 million or less, a 10X is added to the pool of numbers that can be selected as the Power Play. When the jackpot in the game is more than $150 million, the 10X feature isn’t available, so the multipliers in the pool are 2X-5X.

With the 10X included, there are 43 numbers in the Power Play pool. Of those numbers, 24 are 2s, 13 are 3s, three are 4s, two are 5s, and one is a 10. Here’s what that looks like in table form:

43 Numbers In Power Play Pool
2X = 24
3X = 13
4X = 3
5X = 2
10X = 1

(When the 10X isn’t included, there are 42 numbers in the Power Play pool, and the breakdown of the rest remains the same.)

So, does it stand to reason that the Power Play number will be 2 more often? Yes. But the other multipliers also have a shot. And sometimes the 10X will come up!

Des Moines-Area Man Claims $2 Million Powerball Prize

A Des Moines-area man is Iowa’s fourth big winner of the year. Robert ‘Rob’ Maser of Urbandale is a regular lotto player. When he realized he’d won a $2 million prize in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, he called to tell his family and friends. Problem was, they didn’t believe him!

Rob called his dad and told him he’d won the lottery and said he was keeping his promise to buy him a boat if he ever won big. His dad called him a liar.

Rob then took photos of his winning-ticket receipt and sent them to his dad, wife and others so they’d know it was real.

He said this win will be going toward retirement. He doesn’t have plans to quit his day job but he does plan to take care of a few things around the house, like new carpet and paint.

Rob bought his winning ticket at Kum & Go, 4585 156th St. in Urbandale, where's he's a regular. He went there to scan his ticket first thing this morning and even the staff there didn’t believe it at first. Once they realized he really did win, they were very happy for him and took a few photos. The Kum & Go store will receive a $2,000 bonus check for selling the $2 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

He said he always adds the multiplier options to his lotto tickets in case a win just like this came up. He said he would have been disappointed if he’d only won  $1 million knowing it could have been $2 million for an extra buck. He initially matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize. But sine he added the Power Play® option to his purchase, it multiplied his prize to $2 million.

Wednesday’s winning numbers were: 7-17-33-61-68 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 2. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $270 million annuity ($168.9 million lump-sum option) for Saturday. The Urbandale ticket was the only one in the country to win a $2 million prize in Wednesday’s drawing.

Des Moines-Area Ticket Wins $2 Million Powerball Prize

Someone who bought a Powerball® ticket at a Des Moines-area convenience store won a $2 million prize in last night’s drawing.

It’s the fourth prize of at least $1 million won in Iowa so far this year.

The $2 million-winning ticket was purchased at Kum & Go, 4585 156th St. in Urbandale. The ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night’s $250.3 million Powerball jackpot.
 
The ticket initially matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize. But whoever bought the ticket also added the Power Play® option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $2 million. The Urbandale ticket was the only one in the country to win a $2 million prize in last night’s drawing.

Last night’s winning numbers were: 7-17-33-61-68 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 2. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $270 million annuity ($168.9 million lump-sum option) for Saturday.
 
Kum & Go will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

Prizes of $2 million must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday. If you think you’re the big winner and you have questions before coming forward to claim the prize, please feel free to give us a shout at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or wmaster@ialottery.com.

This latest big win in Iowa comes about a month after the last one. In late April, a Sioux City woman claimed a $1 million prize she’d won in the Mega Millions® game.

Illinois Woman Claims $2 Million Powerball Prize She Won In Burlington

The winner of the $2 million Powerball prize this month in southeast Iowa is an Illinois woman who was in Burlington shopping when she decided to buy a Powerball ticket.

Lisa Hays of Monmouth, Ill., said she plans to buy a house and a new car and get a big jump start on her retirement planning now that she’s claimed her lottery prize.

Lisa said she was shopping when she decided to buy two Powerball plays on one ticket for the Feb. 9 Powerball drawing. She won $12 on the first play by matching just the Powerball, and $2 million on her second play by matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball. She said she realizes that if the numbers from the two plays had been combined differently, she could have won that night’s jackpot.

But she also says that $2 million is great, and she’s been freaking out about her win!

Lisa said she looked up the winning numbers the day after the drawing and initially was happy with a $12 win. Then she noticed what she’d matched on the next line of numbers on her ticket. She said she was having trouble believing her eyes, so she called her mom and had her double-check the results.

Lisa bought her winning Powerball ticket at Hy-Vee, 3140 Agency St. in Burlington. Because she had added the Power Play® option to her purchase, her initial winnings were multiplied. The $4 she initially won for matching just the Powerball was multiplied to $12, while her $1 million prize for matching the first five numbers on a different play was doubled to $2 million.   

Lisa, 49, who works as a teacher, said she buys Powerball tickets when the jackpot really gets up there, and she generally uses the easy-pick option, which lets the lottery terminal determine the numbers printed on her ticket.  

The winning numbers in the Feb. 9 Powerball drawing were: 1-2-3-7-39 and Powerball 25. No one matched all six numbers that night to win the jackpot and the big prize has continued to climb since then, now standing at an estimated $282 million annuity ($171.4 million lump-sum option) for Wednesday.

Hy-Vee will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

Earlier this month, a Quad-Cities man claimed a $1 million Mega Millions prize with a ticket he purchased at a central-Iowa convenience store for that game’s Jan. 15 drawing. Danny Lovett, a trucker driver from East Moline, Ill., claimed his $1 million prize on Feb. 4. 

And, another big Powerball prize in central Iowa is still unclaimed 10 months after it was won. That $1 million prize was won with a ticket purchased in Nevada for the Powerball drawing on April 11, 2018. Powerball prizes won in Iowa must be claimed within 365 days of the drawing for which they were won, so the Nevada prize will expire in about two months – at 4 p.m. on April 11 – if it’s not claimed before then.

Burlington Ticket Wins $2 Million Prize

Someone who bought a Powerball® ticket at a Burlington supermarket won a $2 million prize in last night’s drawing. It’s Iowa’s second big lottery winner in a month.
 
The $2 million-winning ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee, 3140 Agency St. in Burlington. The lucky ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night’s $223.6 million jackpot.

The ticket initially matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize. But whoever bought the ticket also added the Power Play® option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $2 million. The Burlington ticket was the only one in the country to win a $2 million prize in last night’s drawing.
 
Last night’s winning numbers were: 1-2-3-7-39 and Powerball 25. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $242 million annuity ($148.1 million lump-sum option) for Wednesday.

Hy-Vee will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket at one of its stores.

Prizes of $2 million have to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. The lottery’s offices are closed on the weekend, so tomorrow is the first day that the prize can claimed. If you think you have the winning ticket and have questions, please feel free to contact us at the lottery at 515-725-7900 or Wmaster@ialottery.com.

Earlier this month, a Quad-Cities man claimed a $1 million Mega Millions® prize with a ticket he bought at a central-Iowa convenience store for that game’s Jan. 15 drawing. Danny Lovett, a trucker driver from East Moline, Ill., claimed his $1 million prize on Feb. 4.
 
And, another big Powerball prize in central Iowa is still unclaimed 10 months after it was won. That $1 million prize was won with a ticket purchased in Nevada for the Powerball drawing on April 11, 2018. Powerball prizes in Iowa have to be claimed within 365 days of the drawing, so the Nevada prize will expire in about two months – at 4 p.m. on April 11 – if it’s not claimed before then.

2 Powerball Prizes Of $100,000 Won At Stores Less Than 2 Miles Apart

It’s a week where we’ve seen patterns emerge here at the lottery! On Monday, I blogged about two winners who both talked about fake tickets as they claimed their prizes. (Their tickets were real, and they both took home big prizes). Today, a different pattern has jumped out at us: Two big Powerball prizes were won in the past week at central Iowa stores less than 2 miles apart!

Yesterday, Jacob Carpenter of Des Moines claimed a $100,000 prize he won in last Saturday’s Powerball drawing with a ticket he bought at Casey’s, 2070 NW 100th St. in Clive.

And in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, someone who bought a ticket at the QuikTrip at 9915 Douglas Ave. in Urbandale also won a $100,000 prize. That ticket is still unclaimed.

We mapped it out, and the two stores are a little more than a mile apart.

Both tickets initially won $50,000 by matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. But the Power Play option had been added to both tickets and the Power Play number in both drawings was 2, so the $50,000 prizes doubled to $100,000.

Congrats on your big win, Jacob! And we’re excited to meet the winner of the $100,000 prize from Urbandale when that person comes forward!

Player Mail: I Prefer The Megaplier vs. The Power Play …

A man from southeast Iowa recently emailed us to say that he prefers the Mega Millions game vs. Powerball because he thinks the multiplier feature in Mega Millions is better. He said he buys Mega Millions because of what he noticed and wanted us to know.

And he’s right: There ARE differences between the two games. The odds of winning are different in each game and the prize levels are different as well. The two games also have drawings on different nights (Tuesday & Friday for Mega Millions, Wednesday & Saturday for Powerball). And that IS the whole point.

Years ago, the two games were sold by different sets of lotteries, so each state sold either Powerball or Mega Millions. But after a new agreement among U.S. lotteries, beginning in 2010 states had the option of offering both games rather than just one or the other. The idea was to give players more choices, and the man’s email seems to say to me that we’ve achieved that. He has the choice to play Powerball or Mega Millions rather than just one option.

In addition to the multiplier feature that the man pointed out, another big difference between the games comes at the third-tier prize level for matching four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball or the Powerball, depending on the game involved. At that level, the prize in Powerball is $50,000 vs. $10,000 in Mega Millions. With the multiplier feature added to your ticket for an extra $1 per play, you can win up to $50,000 at that prize level in Mega Milllions compared to $500,000 in Powerball.

The play style obviously is similar between the two games, but their designs do offer some variations that set them apart. There are a lot of players for whom Mega Millions is the go-to game, while others prefer Powerball. It’s all about choices, and you definitely have them!

Player Mail: Are The Multipliers Really Random?

A man named Mark just sent us an interesting email about the multiplier option in our lotto games. You likely already know this, but in Powerball, the multiplier feature is called the Power Play; in Mega Millions, it’s the Megaplier; and in Lotto America, it’s the All Star Bonus option.

In each of the games, adding that option to your play will multiply any prize you win (except the Match 5 prize in Powerball and the jackpot in any of the games) by the number selected as the multiplier in that night’s drawing.      

Mark wanted to know how the multiplier number is chosen in each game, and what the probabilities are for the multiplier feature being 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, etc. The quick answer is that there is a separate drawing for the multiplier number, and the odds vary. 

All this talk of multipliers might be a tad confusing, so let’s use a real-world example from the Powerball game. A Powerball ticket costs $2 per play, and you have the option of adding the multiplier option to your play for an extra $1. Let’s say that in the Powerball drawing for which you bought your ticket, you match four of the first five numbers. And the Power Play number in that night’s drawing is 3X. You normally would win $100, but because you added the Power Play feature to your ticket, your prize would be multiplied to $300.

The details about the multiplier feature are included in the game rules for Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America. But here are more details with Powerball as the example: Remember that when the jackpot for the next Powerball drawing is $150 million or less, a 10X is added to the Power Play pool, giving players the chance to multiply most prize levels by up to 10 times. When the jackpot in the game is more than $150 million, the 10X feature isn’t available, so the multipliers that can be selected are 2X-5X.

When the 10X is included, there are 43 numbers in the Power Play pool. Of those 43 numbers, 24 are 2s, 13 are 3s, three are 4s, two are 5s and one of the numbers is a 10. Here’s what that looks like in table form:

43 Total Numbers In Power Play Pool
2X = 24
3X = 13
4X = 3
5X = 2
10X = 1

(When the 10X isn’t included, there are 42 numbers in the Power Play pool, and the breakdown of the rest of the numbers remains the same.)

So, does it stand to reason that the Power Play number will be 2 more often than 3? Yes. But the other multipliers also have a shot.

Thanks for the question, Mark!    

Wrap-Up Of Weekend Mega Millions & Powerball Results In Iowa

The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots have both ended their historic runs that for the first time saw them simultaneously top the $400 million mark.

Friday’s $450 million Mega Millions jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in Florida, while yesterday’s $559.7 million Powerball jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in New Hampshire.

In Iowa, players won nearly 42,000 prizes ranging from $4 up to $50,000 in yesterday’s Powerball drawing. The $50,000-winning ticket was just one number away from having a share of Saturday’s jackpot, matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. That lucky ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee, 3600 U.S. Highway 151 in Marion.

The winning numbers in last night’s Powerball jackpot drawing were: 12-29-30-33-61 and Powerball 26. The Power Play® number was 3.  

And the winning numbers in Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing were: 28-30-39-59-70 and Mega Ball® 10. The Megaplier® number was 3.

Both jackpots return to their starting amounts of $40 million for the next drawing.

The $50,000-winning ticket can be claimed at any Iowa Lottery office. The closest office to the store where the ticket was purchased is in Cedar Rapids. 

 

Two Chances To Win More Than $300 Million This Week

For the second time in four months, the jackpots in Powerball^® and Mega Millions^® have topped the $300 million mark at the same time. After no jackpot winner Wednesday night, Powerball’s big prize is an estimated $384 million annuity ($242.9 million lump-sum option) for Saturday’s drawing, while the Mega Millions jackpot is an estimated $306 million annuity ($191.1 million lump-sum option) for Friday. That ranks both jackpots in the Top 25 for each game.

The fact that both games are seeing big jackpots at the same time is extremely unusual. The only other time it occurred was in August 2017.

How Did We Get Here?
The jackpots in both games have been growing for some time now. The Powerball jackpot was last won on Oct. 25 with a ticket purchased in Louisiana. Players can buy tickets here in Iowa for the next Powerball drawing up until 8:59 p.m. Saturday. The Mega Millions jackpot was last won in the drawing on Oct. 13 and was shared between two tickets purchased in Rhode Island and Michigan. Both jackpots have been growing since then to hit their current levels. Players can buy tickets in Iowa for the next Mega Millions drawing up until 8:59 p.m. Friday. Tickets purchased after those deadlines will be for an upcoming drawing and won’t have shot at that night’s big prize.

How Many Jackpots Have Been Won In 2017?
So far this year, there have been seven Powerball jackpot wins and six Mega Millions jackpot wins. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing and Saturday’s Powerball drawing are the last two drawings this year in those respective games.

Compare and Contrast
Powerball jackpots start at $40 million and grow until they're won. You choose five numbers from a pool of 69 and another number – the Powerball – from a separate pool of 26. If you match all six numbers, you win the jackpot, and there also are eight other prize levels you can win. Plays cost $2 and drawings are at 9:59 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Mega Millions jackpots also start at $40 million and grow until they're won. Players in the game choose five numbers from a pool of 70 and another number – the Mega Ball^® -- from a separate pool of 25 numbers. If you match all six numbers, you win the jackpot, and there are eight other prize levels you can win. Tickets cost $2 and drawings are at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Both games have a multiplier feature that costs an extra $1 per play and multiplies any non-jackpot prize by the number selected. Jackpot winners in both games can choose to receive their prize in annuitized payments over time or in a one-time, lump-sum payment.

Three Iowa Tickets Won Prizes of $50,000 Last Night!

Iowa Lottery players won more than 85,000 prizes in last night's Powerball drawing, including three tickets that were one number away from having a share of the jackpot and each won $50,000. The game’s giant jackpot ended up being even higher than the final estimates leading into the drawing, and the top prize was won by a ticket purchased in Massachusetts.    

JACKPOT AMOUNT & WINNING NUMBERS

Strong sales nationwide pushed last night's jackpot to $758.7 million annuity, or $480.5 million lump-sum option. The winning numbers in last night's Powerball jackpot drawing were: 6-7-16-23-26 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 4. A total of 85,440 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes in the drawing.

IOWA’S BIG WINNERS

Three tickets purchased in Iowa came within one number of having at least a share of the jackpot. They each won a $50,000 prize by matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. The tickets were purchased in different areas of the state:

Retailer Name                               Address                                 City
Ampride All Round Truck Plaza     3243 Fifth Ave. S.                   Fort Dodge
Casey’s                                          502 Main St.                           Dakota City
Kwik Star                                       100 W. Gilbert Drive                Evansdale 

POWERBALL SALES IN IOWA

Iowa Lottery players bought more than $4.7 million in Powerball tickets for last night’s drawing, including more than $3 million in tickets yesterday alone. During yesterday’s busiest stretch from about 5-6 p.m., Powerball tickets were selling at more than $7,800 per minute in Iowa. But  the average Iowa Powerball purchase yesterday remained around $5, or about 3 plays per ticket. We're glad to see that Iowans played at a fun level and didn’t go overboard.

EASY PICKS VS. MANUAL PLAYS

It's a debate that's been around as long as the Powerball game itself: Easy pick or manual play? More than 90 percent of all of the plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players for last night's drawing were easy picks, meaning that the lottery terminal automatically generated the numbers on the ticket. That's a higher percentage than we often see, and likely speaks to the convenience factor of easy picks. Typically about 70 percent of all Powerball plays in Iowa are easy picks, with the remainder being number combinations that players choose themselves.

A NOTE ABOUT ‘COVERAGE’

The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are about 1 in 292.2 million because there are about 292.2 million ways you can combine the numbers in the game to make a play. By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of the possible combinations have been purchased for a particular drawing. About 54 percent of all the possible combinations were purchased in last night's drawing.

 

Powerball Jackpot Pushes Higher, Now Second-Largest Prize Ever Offered In North America

Initial estimates for Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot were raised Tuesday, with the giant prize climbing to an estimated at $700 million annuity, $443.3 million lump-sum option. That is the second-largest prize in the history of the game and also ranks No. 2 on the list of the largest lottery prizes ever offered in North America. With strong sales in Iowa and across the country, it’s possible that the final jackpot amount could be even higher by the time of the drawing.

GROUP PLAY REMINDERS

When the jackpot gets up there like it is now, office pools really kick into gear as people have fun buying tickets together. In fact, the winners of the largest Powerball prize claimed in Iowa were members of an office pool. The Iowa Lottery offers these reminders on its website to keep your group play hassle free:

• Know the rules for your group and put them in writing. Some issues you may want to cover include: If a regular playing member is not present on lottery collection day, will they be included or excluded? What if a regular player has someone else put in money towards their share, do both players receive an equal split? Can players come in and out of the group? When the rules are in writing, there is no question about how to split the funds.
• Keep a list of everyone who puts in money for a particular drawing and how much they contribute. Allow contributions only from those who are at least 21 years old, the legal minimum age to purchase lottery tickets in Iowa.
• Provide everyone in your pool with photos or copies of the group's tickets before the drawing. This should include the identifying numbers on the back of the tickets. (Remember that photocopies can't be used to claim a prize – only the actual ticket can be used.) You may also want to tell people the name and address of the retail location where the tickets were purchased and the approximate time of the purchase.
• If the person buying the tickets for your pool also wants to buy tickets on their own, the two purchases should be kept separate. Consider buying the two sets of tickets at different locations so it is clear which tickets are for the group and which are for that individual.
• If you win a jackpot as part of a group, remember the entire group has to choose the annuity or lump-sum option. Some members can’t choose one option while others take the other. It’s an either/or situation.  

SHOULD THE JACKPOT AUTOMATICALLY BE SPLIT? 

When the jackpot really climbs, the Iowa Lottery does hear from folks who say that the big prize should automatically be split up amongst more people. They argue that the current amount is just too much for one person. 

But Powerball sales don’t reflect that perspective. The higher the jackpot goes, the higher sales go. And the higher sales go, the higher the jackpot climbs. It appears that people are voting with their pocketbooks on this issue...

SATURDAY’S $50,000 WINNER  

A ticket purchased in Iowa came within one number of having at least a share of Saturday’s jackpot. That ticket matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. A Hiawatha woman claimed that prize Monday. Deborah Barron, 68, bought her winning ticket at Hy-Vee, 5050 Edgewood Road in Cedar Rapids.

A total of 49,710 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes ranging from $4 up to $50,000 in Saturday’s drawing.

PLEASE PLAY RESPONSIBLY

With the jackpot continuing its big run, the Iowa Lottery continues to urge the public to play responsibly. “You’ve seen us say this many times, and we really mean it,” said Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich. “It only takes one ticket to win. Have fun playing Powerball, but play within your means and don’t get in over your head. The fun of our games is that you can do a lot of dreaming for just a few dollars.”  

IOWA JACKPOT WINNERS

Iowa Lottery players have won eight Powerball jackpots. The biggest Powerball prize won to date in Iowa was a $241 million jackpot claimed in June 2012 by The Shipping 20, a group of co-workers from the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids.

No Powerball Jackpot Winner, Prize Now 2nd-Largest In History Of Game

UPDATE: Wednesday's Powerball jackpot has just been increased to $700 million annuity, $443.3 million lump-sum option.

No one won the jackpot in last night's giant Powerball drawing, pushing the giant prize even further up. The jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing is now initially estimated at $650 million annuity, $411.7 million lump-sum option. That's the second-largest prize in the history of the Powerball game and the third-largest jackpot ever offered in North America. If strong sales continue as we've seen in recent days, it's likely that the jackpot estimate will be increased before Wednesday’s drawing.     

SATURDAY’S IOWA RESULTS

Iowa Lottery players won nearly 50,000 prizes in last night's Powerball jackpot drawing, including one ticket that came within one number of having at least a share of the jackpot. Strong sales nationwide had pushed last night's jackpot to $541.9 million annuity, or $343.2 million lump-sum option.

A total of 49,710 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes ranging from $4 up to $50,000. The $50,000-winning ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee, 5050 Edgewood Rd. in Cedar Rapids. It matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball.

The winning numbers in last night's Powerball jackpot drawing were: 17-19-39-43-68 and Powerball 13. The Power Play number was 4.  

Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $2.7 million in Powerball tickets for last night's drawing, including more than $1.4 million in tickets yesterday alone.

The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are about 1 in 292.2 million because there are about 292.2 million ways you can combine the numbers in the game to make a play. By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of the possible combinations have been purchased for a particular drawing. About 32 percent of all the possible combinations were purchased in last night's drawing.

PLEASE PLAY RESPONSIBLY

With the jackpot continuing its big run, the Iowa Lottery continues to urge the public to play responsibly. You’ve seen us say this many times, and we really mean it! It only takes one ticket to win. Have fun playing Powerball, but play within your means and don’t get in over your head. The fun of our games is that you can do a lot of dreaming for just a few dollars.    

Early Details Of Iowa’s Powerball Results

Early details show that Iowa Lottery players won nearly 50,000 prizes in tonight’s Powerball jackpot drawing, and the game’s giant top prize ended up being even higher than the latest estimates leading into the drawing.

The Iowa winners included one ticket that came within one number of having at least a share of the jackpot. Strong sales nationwide pushed tonight’s jackpot to $541.9 million annuity, or $343.2 million lump-sum option. Full details, including the locations where the big winning tickets were sold in Iowa and whether there was a jackpot winner nationwide, will be available tomorrow.

Here is an initial look at tonight’s Iowa results:

A total of 49,710 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes ranging from $4 up to $50,000 One ticket purchased in Iowa matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize.

The winning numbers in tonight’s Powerball jackpot drawing were: 17-19-39-43-68 and Powerball 13. The Power Play® number was 4. Complete overall results for the drawing are not yet available tonight because some lotteries in the game are still processing records to determine their in-state results.  

Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $2.7 million in Powerball tickets for tonight's drawing, including more than $1.4 million in tickets today alone.

The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are about 1 in 292.2 million because there are about 292.2 million ways you can combine the numbers in the game to make a play. By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of the possible combinations have been purchased for a particular drawing. About 32 percent of all the possible combinations were purchased in tonight's drawing.

 

Powerball Jackpot Now No. 5 In History Of Game

UPDATE: Saturday's Powerball jackpot has just been increased to $535 million annuity, $340.1 million lump-sum option for Saturday's drawing.

The Powerball jackpot continues its big run, climbing to an estimated $510 million annuity, $324.2 million lump-sum option for Saturday’s drawing. That ranks it at No. 5 on the list of the biggest jackpots ever offered in the game and No. 8 among the biggest lottery jackpots in North America.         

A ticket purchased in Cedar Rapids came within one number of hitting Powerball’s big prize in last night’s drawing, matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. That ticket was purchased at Casey’s, 888 Vernon Valley Drive SE in Cedar Rapids. The winning numbers in last night’s Powerball drawing were: 9-15-43-60-64 and Powerball 4. The Power Play number was 3.

Highest Level Since World-Record Drawing 

Powerball’s grand prize has now topped the $500 million mark for the first time since the game’s world-record jackpot of nearly $1.6 billion in January 2016. That giant prize was split by three tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee. The current jackpot has been growing for more than two months and was last won in the drawing on June 10 with a ticket purchased in California.  

Powerball’s grand prize has now topped the $500 million mark for the first time since the game’s world-record jackpot of nearly $1.6 billion in January 2016. That giant prize was split by three tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee. The current jackpot has been growing for more than two months and was last won in the drawing on June 10 with a ticket purchased in California.
  
Last Week’s Historic, Simultaneous Big Jackpots    
 
Last week was the first time that the jackpots in Powerball and Mega Millions® had simultaneously topped the $300 million mark. While the run for Mega Millions ended Friday night when that game’s $393 million jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in Illinois, the Powerball jackpot remains the one that got away.

Players can buy tickets here in Iowa for Saturday’s Powerball jackpot up until 8:59 p.m. that day. Tickets purchased after that deadline will be for an upcoming drawing and won’t have a shot at that night’s big prize.

Iowa Factoids

Iowa Lottery players have won eight Powerball jackpots. The biggest Powerball jackpot won to date in Iowa was a $241 million prize claimed in June 2012 by The Shipping 20, a group of co-workers from the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids.

The Latest $1 Million Winner In Iowa

 

A hiccup in their travel plans while in Iowa for a high school class reunion led a Texas couple to buy a $1 million-winning Powerball^® ticket in western Iowa! Wayne and Vicki Dixon of Allen, Texas, traveled to Iowa last week to attend Wayne’s 55th high school reunion in Denison.

The couple, who are both retired, said they had hotel reservations for the weekend in Denison, but they arrived a day early and the hotel didn’t have any vacancies that day. So they stopped at a hotel in Avoca. While they were there, they stopped for gas at Wings America Travel Center, just off Interstate 80 at the Avoca exit. While Wayne filled up their vehicle’s gas tank, Vicki went inside and bought a Powerball ticket for last Wednesday’s drawing. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Click on the video above to see Vicki and Wayne tell their story. That definitely qualifies as big news from a class reunion!

And here’s a follow-up about the jackpot hub-bub from last week: It was the first time that the jackpots in both Powerball and Mega Millions® were above the $300 million mark at the same time. The Mega Millions jackpot had hit $393 million when it was won Friday night with a ticket purchased in Illinois. But we weren’t left out: Mega Millions players in Iowa won a total of 33,482 prizes at the game’s other levels in that night’s drawing.

The Powerball jackpot continues to grow. It’s now at an estimated $430 million annuity, $273.4 million lump-sum option for Wednesday’s drawing. Iowa Powerball players won a total of 21,368 prizes ranging from $4 up to $50,000 in this past Saturday’s drawing. The $50,000-winning ticket was purchased at McDermott Oil Co., 1501 First Ave. E. in Cascade.

Jackpots Continue To Grow, $1 Million Prize Won In Iowa

The jackpots in Powerball and Mega Millions are still on their big run, but two tickets in Iowa came within one number each of hitting Powerball’s big prize last night! A ticket purchased in Avoca in western Iowa won a $1 million prize, while a ticket purchased in Colfax in central Iowa won a $50,000 prize.

Last Night’s Results

Iowa Lottery players won more than 15,000 prizes ranging from $4 up to $1 million in last night’s Powerball drawing. The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at the Wings America Travel Centre at 7005 N. Chestnut St. in Avoca. (The location is just off Interstate 80 at the Avoca exit.) That ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball. Wings America will receive a $1,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket at one of its locations.

Another Iowa ticket matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. It was purchased at Kum & Go, 1200 N. Walnut St. in Colfax. 

The winning numbers in last night’s Powerball drawing were: 12-30-36-47-62 and Powerball 9. The Power Play® number was 4. No one won the jackpot, so the big prize has grown to an estimated $356 million annuity ($224 million lump-sum option) for Saturday’s drawing.

Historic, Simultaneous Big Jackpots    
 
This is the first time that the jackpots in Powerball and Mega Millions have simultaneously topped the $300 million mark. Powerball’s big prize now ranks No. 14 overall in that game, while the Mega Millions jackpot is currently ranked No. 6 on the list of the biggest prizes ever offered in that game. The Mega Millions jackpot is an estimated $382 million annuity ($238.3 million cash option) for Friday’s drawing.

The fact that both games are seeing big jackpots at the same time is extremely unusual, and it speaks to the unpredictable factor of lottery jackpots: You never know when the next big winner will hit.   

New First: Powerball & Mega Millions Jackpots Top $300 Million At Same Time

We joined other lotteries around the country in some research this week and it’s now been confirmed: This is the first time ever that the jackpots in Powerball® and Mega Millions® have topped the $300 million mark at the same time.

Powerball’s big prize is an estimated $307 million annuity ($193.2 million lump-sum option) for tonight’s drawing, while the Mega Millions jackpot is an estimated $382 million annuity ($238.3 million lump-sum option) for Friday. That ranks both jackpots in the Top 25 for each game.

The fact that both games are seeing big jackpots at the same time is extremely unusual, and it speaks to the unpredictable factor of lottery jackpots: You just never know when the next big winner will hit.   

Could One Person Win Both?

Is it possible for one person to win the jackpot in both games? The short answer is: Yes. But the odds of that occurring are long.

The odds of winning the jackpot in Mega Millions are about 1 in 258.9 million. The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are about 1 in 292.2 million. (Those figures represent the total number of combinations available to play in each game.) To calculate the odds of winning both jackpots, multiply 258.9 million by 292.2 million. There are a lot of zeroes involved! The odds of winning both jackpots are about 1 in 75 quadrillion (that’s 75,000,000,000,000,000).

Winning both jackpots is something fun to daydream about, but it’s perhaps the ultimate long shot. That’s why we emphasize responsible play. Have fun playing the lottery, but remember to play with your head, not over your head.

What’s Behind The Numbers?

Mega Millions and Powerball are both well known for their giant jackpots but before January 2010, they were sold by separate groups of lotteries. U.S. lottery directors reached an agreement back then that allowed both games to be sold by all states. When more states sell a particular game, there’s a bigger population base playing it. That in turn produces higher sales overall and helps the jackpot climb higher.

Time also is a factor. The jackpots in both games have been growing for several weeks. The Powerball jackpot was last won on June 10 with a ticket purchased in California. It’s been growing since that time to hit its current level. Players can buy tickets here in Iowa for tonight’s Powerball jackpot up until 8:59 p.m. The Mega Millions jackpot was last won in the drawing on April 28, also with a ticket purchased in California. Players can buy tickets in Iowa for the next Mega Millions drawing up until 8:59 p.m. Friday. Tickets purchased after those deadlines will be for an upcoming drawing and won’t have a shot at that night’s big prize.

Not The Biggest Jackpots Ever, However 

Mega Millions and Powerball have both seen jackpots much larger than their current amounts, but not at the same time. Powerball currently has the world record lottery jackpot: a prize of nearly $1.6 billion that was split in January 2016 by three tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee. The largest Mega Millions jackpot to date is a $656 million prize won in March 2012 by three tickets in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.

Powerball Jackpot At Estimated $435 Million

It’s baaaaaack!

The Powerball jackpot just keeps climbing and climbing and is now at an estimated $435 million annuity, $273.1 million lump-sum option for Saturday’s drawing. That puts it at No. 8 on the list of the largest Powerball jackpots of all time and No. 11 among the largest jackpots in North America.

TWO TOP 10 POWERBALL JACKPOTS IN 2017
There have been three Powerball jackpot wins so far in calendar year 2017, including the game’s 7th largest jackpot ($435.3 million) that was won in Indiana on Feb. 22. With Saturday’s top prize at an estimated $435 million annuity, the game is on track to have two top 10 jackpots in 2017.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?
The current Powerball jackpot has been growing since April 5. Saturday’s drawing will be the 20th in the current draw cycle. The Powerball jackpot begins at $40 million and grows until it is won. The world record $1.586 billion jackpot was hit on the 20th roll in that draw cycle.

POWERBALL'S WORLD-RECORD HISTORY
The $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot in the Jan. 13, 2016 drawing was the biggest lottery prize ever offered in the world that could be won with a single ticket. As it turned out, the jackpot was split that night by three tickets purchased in California, Florida and Tennessee.

THERE IS A DEADLINE FOR BUYING A TICKET
Here in Iowa, you can buy a ticket for Saturday’s drawing up until 8:59 p.m. that day. If you buy a ticket after that time, it will be for a later drawing. Lottery tickets in Iowa are sold at about 2,400 locations. Powerball drawings are at 9:59 p.m. central time on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

PLEASE PLAY RESPONSIBLY
With the jackpot climbing, the Iowa Lottery continues to urge the public to play responsibly. You've seen the lottery say this many times, and we really mean it. It only takes one ticket to win. Have fun playing Powerball, but play within your means and don't get in over your head. The fun of our games is that you can do a lot of dreaming for just a few dollars.

IA Powerball Mystery Is Over: $2 Million Prize Claimed After 9 Months

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The winner of that $2 million Powerball® prize sitting unclaimed in Cedar Rapids for the past nine months has come forward! Jeff Wolf of Iowa City claimed the prize today. He said he’s known since shortly after the July 16 drawing that he’d won a big prize, but he took his time in claiming it while he thought through what to do with the money. Click on the video above to see Jeff’s story!

 

 

Happy Birthday To You, Powerball!

Twenty-five years ago today, a game that would transform the face of lotteries got its start.

Sales in a new game called Powerball® debuted on April 19, 1992, in Iowa and 14 other states. The first drawing in the game came just a few days later on April 22, 1992.

In the 25 years since, Powerball has gone on to become synonymous with big jackpots. Today, the game is played by every U.S. lottery: Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Powerball began as a way for lotteries in smaller states to offer big jackpots by joining together to pool their combined populations and sales. The game also introduced the concept of two drawings in one: Powerball players choose numbers from two sets of pools for a chance at a big prize. 

When it was introduced, Powerball jackpots started at a guaranteed $2 million. Players chose five numbers from a pool of 1 to 45, and then one more, called the Powerball, from a separate pool of 1 to 45.

The game has been updated several times through the years to introduce new features and provide additional ways to play. And numerous other lottery games around the world have been modeled after Powerball.

Today, Powerball holds the world record for the largest lottery jackpot, a prize of nearly $1.6 billion that was split by three tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee in the drawing on Jan. 13, 2016. Powerball now is a $2 game and players choose 5 out of 69 numbers for the white balls, then 1 out of 26 numbers for the Powerball. The game’s jackpot starts at a guaranteed $40 million and grows until it’s won.

Here is a “by-the-numbers” look at Powerball in Iowa:

$241 million = largest Powerball jackpot won in Iowa. That prize was won in June 2012 by the Shipping 20, a group of co-workers from the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids.

1,222 = number of Powerball prizes of at least $10,000 won in Iowa.

27 = number of Powerball prizes of $1 million won in Iowa.

5 = number of Powerball prizes of $2 million won in Iowa.

8 = number of Powerball jackpots won by Iowa Lottery players.

25 = number of years the Iowa Lottery has been part of Powerball. Former Iowa Lottery CEO Dr. Ed Stanek was a co-inventor of the game and Iowa was a founding member.

$5.2 million = first Powerball jackpot amount claimed by an Iowa player. Ed Brown of Washington split a $10.4 million jackpot with a Missouri woman in December 1992. 

$81.4 million = highest annual Powerball sales in Iowa, which occurred in fiscal year 2013.

Retailers Get In On The Winner Celebrations, Too!

Meeting our winners is a time to celebrate here at the lottery, and it’s always fun to hear their stories about how they won, whether anyone believed them at first and what they plan to do with their prize money. But we also celebrate with the retail locations that sell the winning tickets because it’s a big event for them, too!

Here’s one of our most recent examples: We got to make a big sign that has since gone up inside Smokin’ Joes in North Liberty. This shot is of Melissa, the store manager, when we gave her the sign.

You may recall that Smokin’ Joe’s is the spot where Karl Krumbholz of Cedar Rapids bought his ticket that won the $2 million Powerball® prize he claimed on St. Patrick’s Day. Karl is a regular customer at the store and Melissa sold him his winning ticket!

The sign is a nice reminder that luck hit at that store. (And in addition to its new sign, Smokin’ Joe’s got a $2,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket.)

Congrats again to Karl and Smokin’ Joe’s! What a fun story.

REALLY Happy St. Patrick's Day: Cedar Rapids Man Claims $2 Million Prize Won In North Liberty

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The luck o' the Irish definitely came through for Karl Krumbholz of Cedar Rapids! Click on the video above to hear his story of claiming a $2 million Powerball prize on St. Patrick's Day.

Ticket In North Liberty Wins $2 Million Powerball® Prize

Someone who bought a Powerball ticket at a North Liberty tobacco shop won a $2 million prize in last night’s drawing. It’s North Liberty’s second big Powerball winner in the past six months! 
  
The winning ticket was purchased at Smokin’ Joe’s, 465 S. Iowa Highway 965 in North Liberty. The $2 million-winning ticket came within one number of having at least a share of last night’s $123.4 million jackpot.

The ticket initially matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball to win a $1 million prize. But whoever bought the ticket also added the Power Play® option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $2 million. The North Liberty ticket was the only one in the country to win a $2 million prize in last night’s drawing.

Last night’s winning numbers were: 16-30-41-48-53 and Powerball 16. No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, so the big prize climbs to an estimated $141 million annuity ($83.3 million cash option) for Saturday.

Smokin’ Joe’s will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $2 million-winning ticket.

Prizes of $2 million need to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. If the winner has questions before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to call us here at the lottery at 515-725-7900.

In October, a Coralville man won a $1 million Powerball prize with a ticket he purchased at a North Liberty convenience store. Jeff Tomlinson Jr. of Coralville claimed his $1 million prize on Oct. 7. 

And we can’t forget the other big Powerball prize in eastern Iowa that’s still unclaimed! That $2 million prize was won with a ticket purchased in Cedar Rapids for the Powerball drawing on July 16. Players in Iowa have 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim Powerball prizes, so there is still time for that prize to be claimed. Double-check your tickets to see if you’ve won a prize!

Player Mail: The Power Play Was 10X … Right?

We’ve gotten some questions since Wednesday’s Powerball® drawing from players who wondered if that night’s Power Play® number was correct. And the short answer is: Yes, it really was 10X.

For years in Powerball, the Power Play option included only the numbers 2-5, meaning that any prize you won was multiplied by that amount. But when Powerball was updated to its current design in October 2015, the Power Play option got an expansion.

The Power Play now includes a 10X when the game’s advertised annuitized jackpot is $150 million or less. In those drawings, these are the Power Play numbers available: 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X and 10X.       

When the Power Play number is 10, most prizes (except the jackpot and Match 5 level) are multiplied by that amount. (The Match 5 prize of $1 million continues to double to $2 million with the Power Play added.)

Wednesday night’s drawing is the first time the 10X had come up as the Power Play number since the change was made. With the 10X is only available when the jackpot is $150 million or less, it doesn’t always get to make an appearance! So Wednesday’s drawing brought some surprise results – in a good way – for prize winners who had added the Power Play option.

Some of the folks who contacted us said they wanted an example of how the 10X works. So, let’s look at the $100 prize you can win by matching four of the numbers in a Powerball drawing. If you win $100 and you added the Power Play option to your ticket, your prize will be multiplied to $1,000.

Someone who bought a ticket at a convenience store in Sloan in northwest Iowa won a $50,000 prize in Wednesday’s drawing for matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. If that player would have added the Power Play option, the prize would have been multiplied to $500,000! (A player in New York had done just that and took home a $500,000 prize from that night’s drawing.)
      
So the next time that the 10X comes up, you’ll know that it really is possible!

Contacts Coming In, But So Far, No One Has Claimed That $2 Million-Winning Ticket

Since I blogged a few weeks ago about the six-month mark hitting for an unclaimed $2 million Powerball® prize in Cedar Rapids, we’ve heard from some folks who wondered if they might have had the winning ticket and misplaced it or thrown it away. But so far, none of them appear to be the lucky person who bought that winning ticket.

So, it’s still out there and we’re still looking for the winner! The calls and contacts we’ve had tell me that we’re getting the word out and people are noticing. And they're double-checking their tickets and their memories from that time period, which is what we want.
  
We’ll keep looking and sending out reminders. There are still five more months to go before that prize will expire and we want to see it claimed in time!