Fast Facts About The Big Powerball Jackpot
Powerball Ticket
Jackpot Now Est. $1 Billion, IA Ticket Was So Close Saturday
CLIVE, Iowa — The Powerball® jackpot continues its huge climb, now standing at an estimated $1 billion annuity, $497.3 million cash option, for Monday’s drawing. That grand prize is the second largest in the history of the game and is getting closer to Powerball’s record jackpot amount of $1.586 billion.
A Sioux City ticket came within one number of having at least a share of Saturday’s jackpot and ultimately won a $150,000 prize.
The Powerball jackpot has been growing for nearly three months. It was last won on Aug. 3 with a ticket purchased in Pennsylvania.
Total Prizes Won Saturday In Iowa
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 38,007 prizes in Saturday’s Powerball drawing ranging from $4 up to $150,000.
The $150,000-winning ticket, purchased at Floyd Food & Fuel, 3241 Floyd Blvd. in Sioux City, matched four of the five white balls and the Powerball to initially win a $50,000 prize. But the player who bought the ticket added the Power Play option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $150,000.
The winning numbers in Saturday’s drawing were: 19-31-40-46-57 and Powerball 23. The Power Play number was 3.
The $150,000-winning ticket can be claimed at any Iowa Lottery office. In addition to its headquarters in Clive, the lottery has regional lottery offices in Cedar Rapids, Mason City and Storm Lake.
If the winner or winners of the Sioux City prize have questions before coming forward to claim it, they can call the lottery at 515-725-7900 or email to Wmaster@ialottery.com.
Iowa Sales For Saturday’s Drawing
Iowa Lottery players bought more than $2.2 million in Powerball tickets for Saturday’s drawing, including more than $1.1 million in tickets on Saturday alone. But the average Powerball purchase in Iowa for Saturday’s drawing remained about $6, or about three plays per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that Iowans had fun playing and didn’t go overboard.
How Long Has Powerball Had A Monday Drawing?
In August 2021, Powerball moved from having two drawings a week to drawings on three days each week. The game now has drawings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The change was designed to produce more winners and generate larger, faster-growing jackpots.
Lots Of First-Time And Occasional Players Jumping In Now
When the Powerball jackpot really gets up there like it is now, lots of first-time and occasional players jump in to buy tickets. Office pools and folks buying tickets with friends and family also see a big jump.
The Iowa Lottery keeps details on its website to provide helpful details for both sets of players.
How-to-play details for Powerball, the game’s rules, and tables showing the prizes available in the game can be found on the Iowa Lottery website here: https://www.ialottery.com/Pages/Games-Online/Powerball.aspx
And, reminders to help keep lottery group play fun and hassle free can be found here: https://www.ialottery.com/Pages/PlayerSecurity/GroupPlayReminders.aspx
Details About Cash vs. Annuity – And Taxes
If a jackpot winner were to choose the annuity option for Monday’s big prize (estimated at $1 billion), they would receive an immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5 percent each year and add up to the annuity total. The cash on hand in the jackpot pool from the sale of tickets in the game is invested in securities, and the winner receives the payments over time. The initial amount invested plus the interest generated by the investment adds up to the annuity amount of the jackpot. Withholdings are applied to each payment that the winner receives. If a winner were to pass away before receiving all their payments, the money would go into that person’s estate. The lottery would make future payments as determined by the estate or the court.
If a jackpot winner were to choose the cash option for Monday’s prize (estimated at $497.3 million), they would receive the lump-sum amount in the jackpot pool from the sale of tickets in the game. There is no interest income involved in that scenario because the money is not invested. Another way of putting it is that the “rest of the money” does not exist in that instance. The winner receives the lump-sum amount in one payment, with withholdings applied to the entire amount.
Here in Iowa, 24 percent federal withholding applies to a jackpot prize along with 5 percent state withholding. Withholdings are automatically applied before the payment is made to the winner and cannot be modified or waived.
Withholdings are designed to cover the jackpot winner’s tax liability from claiming a large lottery prize. However, the total taxes that a winner would owe is dependent upon their financial circumstances outside of winning the lottery. In some instances, the withholding is not enough, in other instances, it’s too much. The details would be sorted out in the winner’s income-tax filing for the year. That is why the Iowa Lottery always encourages its winners to consult a lawyer or financial planner before they claim their prize.
Remember The Sales Cut-Off Time
The majority of tickets for a particular drawing are purchased on the day of the drawing. So, if you’re buying a Powerball ticket for a particular drawing, remember that there is a sales cut-off time involved. Here in Iowa, the sales cut-off for Monday’s drawing 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.
Another Game’s Jackpot Also Continues To Climb
Powerball isn’t the only game at the moment with a headline-making jackpot. Its smaller cousin, Lotto America®, is in record jackpot territory for that game. The current Lotto America jackpot stands at an estimated $29.43 million annuity, $14.63 million lump-sum option, for that game’s Monday drawing.
The Lotto America jackpot has been climbing since July 2021. Before this latest run, the previous record jackpot in Lotto America was a $22.82 million prize won in March 2018.
Lotto America costs $1 to play and has drawings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The game has a similar design to Powerball and Mega Millions, but its jackpots are smaller and a lot easier to win.
Please Play Responsibly
And as always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly.
About the Iowa Lottery: Since the lottery’s start in 1985, its players have won more than $5.2 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $2.2 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.
