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Buying Tickets FAQ
What are the sales cutoff
times for Iowa's lotto games?
It depends. For Powerball, Hot Lotto, and the
Pick 3 and Pick 4 evening drawings, the cutoff
time is 7:59 p.m. on the day of the drawing. For
the Pick 3 and Pick 4 midday drawings, players
cannot purchase tickets for that drawing after
12:30 p.m. For Iowa's $100,000 Cash Game, the
cutoff is 6:18 p.m.
Why is there a sales cutoff
time?
All lottery games involve a high level of
security controls that take time to administer.
Officials must ensure that proper procedures are
followed. The Iowa Lottery wants its games to be
completely fair and honest. A number of measures
ensure every ticket issued in a lottery game has
the same chance of winning.
What's the difference
between a player choosing the easy-pick option
versus picking his/her own numbers? Which option
has more winners?
When a player asks for an easy pick, the lotto
terminal runs a software program that randomly
picks the required numbers for that particular
game. The terminal then issues the play. The
software does not check with any central system
before issuing a play, so there's no guarantee
another player won't have the same numbers. About
75 percent of all plays are easy picks and because
winners follow sales, about 75 percent of winners
come from easy picks.
How old does a person
have to be to purchase lottery tickets in Iowa?
A player must be 21 years of age or older to purchase
lottery tickets in Iowa. It is legal for those
under 21 to play lottery games and claim prizes,
however a parent or guardian must also sign the
ticket for any claimant who is a minor.
Can debit or credit card
be used to purchase lottery tickets in a retail store?
Credit cards may not be used to purchase
lottery tickets. Lottery tickets can be purchased
from lottery retailers with cash, debit cards and
checks.
Can debit or credit card
be used to purchase lottery tickets on the Internet?
Tickets cannot be purchased on the Internet.
Can lottery tickets be
purchased at casinos in Iowa?
Casinos and horse-racing facilities in Iowa are
under the oversight of the Iowa Racing and Gaming
Commission. There are multiple casinos in the
state that sell lottery products.
Does a person have to be
a legal citizen to win?
There are no conditions placed on buying and
winning on a lottery ticket, except that a player
must be 21 years of age or older to purchase a
ticket. If a claimant does not have a Social
Security number, additional tax may be withheld.
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