Powerball and Mega Millions Jackpot Fast Facts
A digital image of the Powerball logo and Mega Millions logo in JPEG and EPS formats are available.
The long, fun roll for the Powerball® jackpot has ended, while the giant prize in Mega Millions® is still in the stratosphere.
Wednesday's $731.1 million Powerball jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in Maryland. But the Mega Millions jackpot continues on, currently standing at an estimated $970 million annuity, $716.3 million lump-sum option for that game's next drawing at 10 p.m. Friday.
This is the first time the games' jackpots have simultaneously topped the $700 million mark. The record for a lottery prize remains the Powerball jackpot of nearly $1.59 billion that was split in January 2016 by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee.
Drawing Details, Iowa Tickets That Won Prizes
A total of 41,368 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes in Wednesday's Powerball drawing, ranging from $4 up to $50,000.
The $50,000-winning ticket was just one number away from having a share of Wednesday's jackpot, matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. That ticket was purchased at Casey's, 1200 Fifth Ave. NE in Independence.
The winning numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing were: 40-53-60-68-69 and Powerball 22. The Power Play number was 3.
In Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing, 35,826 plays purchased in Iowa won prizes, so between the two games, Iowa players have won prizes on more than 77,000 plays so far just this week.
Iowa Lottery players bought more than $2.4 million in Powerball tickets for Wednesday's drawing, including more than $1 million in tickets on Wednesday alone. Given the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency, those figures are understandably both well down from sales totals during other recent times with giant jackpots.
The average Powerball purchase on Wednesday in Iowa remained about $6, or three plays per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that Iowans enjoyed playing at a fun level and didn't go overboard.
Easy Pick vs. Your Own Numbers
The vast majority of tickets being purchased in Powerball and Mega Millions are easy picks, meaning that the player opted to have the lottery terminal randomly select the numbers involved. More than 91 percent of the plays purchased for Wednesday's Powerball drawing were easy picks, while nearly 94 percent of the tickets purchased for Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing were easy picks.
The odds of winning are the same for every ticket in the games, whether the player buys an easy pick or chooses their own numbers. There are more easy-pick winners simply because most of the tickets being purchased are easy picks.
Anecdotes About Less Pool Play
A new phenomenon being seen in Iowa during this big jackpot run appears to be an offshoot of so many people working from home during the COVID-19 health emergency.
Anecdotally, Iowa Lottery retailers have reported that they're not seeing as many players buying tickets as part of an office pool or with a group of friends and neighbors. Remaining socially distanced means a lot of folks aren't gathering in those central spots where they would once have joined in pool play.
The 'Longest Roll'
The length of time that a jackpot continues to grow is often referred to as a roll, meaning that it keeps rolling without being hit. Powerball just ended its longest roll ever: Wednesday's drawing was the 36th since that game's jackpot had been won on Sept. 16 with a ticket purchased in New York.
The Mega Millions jackpot also is on its longest roll – and it's still going! Friday's drawing will be the 37th since the Mega Millions jackpot was last won on Sept. 15 with a ticket purchased in Wisconsin.
What's That About 'Coverage'?
By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of all the possible combinations have been purchased for a particular drawing. The coverage estimate for Friday's Mega Millions drawing is about 40 percent. (The odds of winning the jackpot in Mega Millions are about 1 in 302.6 million because that's how many ways the numbers in the game can be combined in a play.)
For Newcomers (Or Those Needing A Refresher)
Giant jackpots attract the attention of a lot of first-timers and bring occasional players into the mix as well. For players needing a refresher or crash course, the Iowa Lottery keeps how-to-play videos on its website to give everyone the key reminders in just a couple minutes. Here is a direct link to that page: https://www.ialottery.com/Pages/Multimedia/HowToPlay.aspx
General Pointers
The Iowa Lottery offers these general pointers when it comes to buying tickets for the upcoming jackpot drawings:
- Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings is at 8:59 p.m. the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that deadline, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won't be in the running for that night's giant prize.
- And, please remember to play responsibly. You only need one ticket to have a chance to win.
- Be safe and continue following social distancing guidelines when you're out and about. Think about buying your tickets if you're already out running errands so you don't have to make a special trip to get them.
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