Friday The 13th Luck: Iowa Mega Millions Players Win More Than 51,000 Prizes
Friday's Giant Jackpot Was Won In Maine
A JPEG image Iowa Mega Millions playslips is available here: Iowa Mega Millions playslips.
JPEG and EPS images of an Iowa Mega Millions ticket and the Mega Millions game logo are available here: Mega Millions.
CLIVE, Iowa - Iowa Lottery players saw a lot of luck in the Friday the 13th Mega Millions® drawing while the night's giant jackpot was won with a ticket purchased in Maine. An lowa ticket was just one number away from having a share of the big prize.
The final jackpot amount ended up at $1.348 billion annuity, $723.5 million cash option.
Total Prizes Won In Iowa
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 51,282 prizes in Friday's drawing. One Iowa ticket was just a number away from a share of the jackpot.
That ticket matched four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball to initially win a $10,000 prize. But the player who bought the ticket also added the Megaplier option to the purchase, which multiplied the prize to $20,000.
The $20,000-winning ticket was purchased at: Kwik Star, 855 SE Alice's Road in Waukee.
The $20,000 prize can be claimed at any Iowa Lottery office. If the winner has questions before claiming their prize, they are welcome to call the Iowa Lottery at 515-725-7900 or email to: Wmaster@ialottery.com.
The winning numbers in Friday's drawing were: 30-43-45-46-61 and Mega Ball 14 The Megaplier® number was 2.
How Had The Jackpot Climbed So High?
The Mega Millions jackpot had climbed into the stratosphere because it had been growing for nearly three months. It started growing with the drawing on Oct. 18, then continued rolling through more than two dozen drawings before being won on Friday.
The Mega Millions jackpot returns to $20 million annuity, $10.7 million cash option, for the game's next drawing on Tuesday.
Iowa Sales For Friday's Drawing
Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $2.9 million in Mega Millions tickets for Friday's drawing, including nearly $1.8 million that day alone.
But the average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing remained about $6, or three plays per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that Iowans had fun playing and didn't go overboard.
Easy Pick vs. Your On Numbers
The vast majority of tickets purchased in games like Mega Millions and Powerball® are easy picks, meaning that the player opts to have the lottery terminal randomly select the numbers on their ticket. About 93 percent of the plays purchased in Iowa for Friday's Mega Millions drawing were easy picks.
The odds of winning are the same for every ticket in the game, whether the player buys an easy pick or chooses their own numbers. There are more easy-pick winners simply because the vast majority of the tickets purchased are easy picks.
A player wins the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a Mega Millions drawing. However, there are a total of nine prize levels in Mega Millions ranging from $2 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.
Unclaimed $1 Million Prize In Ames
A $1 million Mega Millions prize won in central Iowa remains unclaimed after four months and the Iowa Lottery continues to highlight it, hoping to jog the winner's memory in time for the prize to be claimed.
The $1 million-winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Expresse, 2400 University Blvd. in Ames, for the game's drawing on Sept. 6. It was the only ticket in the country that night to match the five white balls but miss the yellow Mega Ball to win at the game's second prize level.
The winner or winners of the $1 million prize have until the close of business on Sept. 6, 2023, to claim it at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
Gateway Expresse received a $1,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the $1 million-winning ticket.
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