News : Christmas Comes Early for possible Benton County Resident

Two Tickets Were One Number from Jackpot as Powerball®  Continues its Climb - $1 Million-Winning Ticket Purchased in Benton County

The Powerball® jackpot rolled on Saturday night, and Iowa came remarkably close — twice. Two tickets sold in the state missed the jackpot by just one number, including one that delivered a $1 million prize.

Monday’s estimated jackpot has now climbed to an estimated $1.6 billion annuity, $735.3 million cash option. This is the fourth-largest jackpot in the game’s history, and fifth-largest among U.S. lottery jackpots.

$1 Million Won in Benton County

The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Kwik Star, 1208 W. 13th St. in Vinton. It matched all five white balls, missing only the Powerball, to win the big prize. It was one of eight tickets nationwide to win a $1 million prize in Saturday’s drawing. The other tickets were purchased in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio and two in Michigan.

“A jackpot of this size natural captures attention nationwide, but a $1 million win right here in Iowa shows there are plenty of chances to win along the way,” said Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn.

A prize of this size must be claimed at the Iowa Lottery’s main office in Clive. The lottery’s offices are open Monday through Friday (closed Wednesday and Thursday this week for state holidays), and appointments are strongly encouraged for those claims. To make an appointment or contact the lottery with questions, winners are welcome to call the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email wmaster@ialottery.com.

Other Iowa Wins

In addition to the Vinton ticket, a second Iowa ticket came just one number short of winning Saturday’s jackpot and instead secured a $150,000 prize. The ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh, 5902 Merle Hay Road in Johnston. It matched four of the five white balls and the Powerball in the drawing. The ticket purchaser added the $1 Power Play® option, which tripled the initial $50,000 prize.

In all, Iowa Lottery players won 41,288 prizes in Saturday’s drawing, ranging from $4 to $1 million.

There are nine prize levels in Powerball ranging from $4 up to the jackpot, so the Iowa Lottery reminds its players to be sure to check their tickets for all the prizes they may have won. You can find a full prize payout chart, complete with odds, on the Iowa Lottery’s website.

The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing were 4-5-28-52-69 and Powerball 20. The Power Play® multiplier was 3.

Iowa Sales For Saturday’s Drawing

Iowa Lottery players bought more than $2.75 million in Powerball tickets for last night’s drawing, including $1.28 million in tickets on Saturday alone. But the average Powerball purchase in Iowa for Wednesday’s drawing remained around $6, or about three plays per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased to see that many Iowans joined in the fun while keeping their play at a responsible level.

Why Does ‘Coverage’ Matter?

By tracking ticket sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of the game’s possible number combinations have been purchased for a drawing, a measure known as coverage.

Coverage for Saturday’s drawing was estimated at about 39 percent. For Monday’s drawing, the estimate is about 30 percent.

Powerball has 292.2 million possible number combinations, which is why the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. Higher coverage means more combinations have been played and can increase the chance the jackpot will be won, but it does not guarantee a winner.

Monday’s Ticket-Purchase Deadline

The majority of tickets for a particular drawing are always purchased on the day of the drawing. So, if you’re buying a Powerball ticket for Monday’s drawing, remember that there is a sales cut-off time involved. Here in Iowa, the sales cut-off time is 8:59 p.m. on the night of the drawing.

If you buy a ticket after that, you’ll still have a valid play, it will just be for a future drawing and you won’t be in on that night’s big money. The cut-off deadline is an automated procedure and can’t be pushed back.     

Please Play Responsibly

The Iowa Lottery reminds players that Powerball is meant to be entertainment. Setting a budget and playing within your means helps keep the experience fun. It only takes one $2 ticket to win.

About the Iowa Lottery: Since the lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $6.2 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $2.6 billion for state programs. Today, lottery proceeds help our state in multiple ways. They support Iowa veterans and their families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. They help the families of Iowa peace officers, firefighters and corrections employees who die in the line of duty. And they provide help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund.