Iowa Powerball Numbers

State Specific Rules

The main Powerball game rules are the same in Iowa as they are in other states. You must select five numbers between 1 and 69, plus one Powerball between 1 and 26, or you can choose an ‘Easy Pick’ to have a random line selected for you. Power Play can be added to your ticket for an additional $1 per line. The following rules should also be taken into account when playing Powerball in Iowa:

• You must be at least 21 years of age to buy lottery tickets.
• Tickets can be purchased up to 8:59pm Central Time on the night of each draw. Sales reopen for the following draw shortly after the winning numbers have been confirmed.
• You can add Double Play to Powerball in Iowa.
• You cannot use a credit card to purchase lottery tickets.
• A state tax of five percent will be withheld on any prizes of more than $600, while federal taxes will be taken on prizes over $5,000.

How to Claim Prizes

Prizes up to and including $600 can be claimed from any Iowa Lottery retailer. Prizes of more than this must be claimed from one of the lottery’s offices below, while those worth more than $250,000 must be claimed from the headquarters in Clive.

To claim any prize worth $100 or more you must complete a lottery claim form and federal tax form W-9 and present these along with the winning ticket. For prizes of $600 or more you must also produce a valid form of identification, such as a driver’s license, state ID card, or passport.

You can find the addresses and contact details of the lottery’s offices in the table below. Office hours are 8:00am-4:00pm CT Monday through Friday.

Alternatively, you can claim by mail by sending the winning ticket to:

Iowa Lottery,
13001 University Ave,
Clive, IA 50325-8225

You must also provide a claim form, W-9 form, and valid identification when claiming prizes of a certain value, as described above.

Claiming With a Lottery Pool

If your lottery pool wins a prize, the first thing you should do is nominate one person to sign the back of the winning ticket and state that it’s on behalf of the group. You can either form a legal entity such as a trust to claim the prize, or you can elect one representative from the pool to claim it. When filing the claim, the nominated claimant will need to provide tax form 5754, listing the names, addresses and tax identification information of all members in the group. This ensures that taxes are withheld correctly and the right prize amounts are paid out to each member.

Claim Period

You have 180 days from the date of the winning draw to claim Powerball prizes. Any money left unclaimed at the end of this period goes back into the prize pool for future draws. If the final day of the claim deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday, you will have until close of business on the next working day to claim.

Lost and Damaged Tickets

Powerball tickets can only be cashed for prizes if they have been signed. You should therefore sign the back of your ticket as soon as you purchase it. If you don’t and it is then lost or stolen, whoever is in possession of it can sign it and have the right to claim with it. If you do lose a signed winning ticket, you should contact the Iowa Lottery immediately. Prizes may not be paid out if tickets are too damaged to be validated, or if they have been altered, mutilated, or defaced.

Going Public

Iowa state law declares that information about lottery winners is public information, so your name, place of residence, and prize amount may be disclosed. Other information, such as your social security number, will remain confidential.

However, Iowa does allow winners to claim through a trust or limited liability corporation, an option that offers some degree of anonymity. In these instances, the name of the legal entity will be released to the public instead of the winner’s name.

Where Does the Money Go?

Over 60 percent of the Iowa Lottery’s revenue is used to pay out prizes, with a further 22 percent transferred to the state’s General Fund to be used for public services. Remaining revenue is used to cover costs and retailer commissions, with a small annual donation given to Iowa’s Veterans Trust Fund. You can see exactly how the money is split in the table below:

Of the $2.2 billion that has gone back to the state in the form of funding, the vast majority – around $2 billion – has been transferred to the General Fund to help improve public services in a range of sectors, from education to healthcare. Various other initiatives have benefited from lottery funding over the years, including the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, which supports the state’s veterans and their families.

Iowa Powerball Winners

Lerynne West from Redfield in Dallas County claimed Iowa’s biggest ever lottery win in October 2018 when she shared a $687 million jackpot with another ticket holder from New York. West’s share of the prize was worth $343 million, and she chose to take a lump sum of $198 million before tax.

West had a close call, however, when she dropped the winning ticket on the floor of her sister’s truck after buying it from Casey’s store in Redfield. She forgot about it until a friend texted her to let her know that the Powerball winner was from her town. She called her sister, who found the ticket in her truck, and that was when it was discovered to be the winning one.

"I'm excited to share my winnings with family and friends,” West said in a statement to the media, “and look forward to a long vacation. I also plan to give to the causes and organizations important to my family through our newly established Callum Foundation.” The foundation was set up to alleviate poverty and hunger, as well as benefit education, animal welfare, and veterans. It was named in honor of West’s grandson, who was born prematurely and only lived a day.