Dubuque's $40M Lotto America jackpot shatters Iowa's record
On April 1st, a very fortunate player who purchased a ticket in Dubuque managed to set a new record in the history of the lottery that started in 1985, matching all six numbers and giving them the choice to either grand a $40.03 million annuity or scoop up $21.28 million in instant cash.
The Winning Ticket Was Purchased at Eichman's
The lucky ticket was bought at Eichman's, a restaurant and convenience store located in Dubuque. Stacy Eichman, who has been managing the venue since 1931, spoke about the great news, explaining that she was "still processing" the news that was difficult to comprehend, given the known odds of such a win ever happening.
The winning ticket also brought Eichman's a $5,000 bonus on behalf of the Iowa Lottery for selling the fortunate ticket.
Iowa Lottery chief executive officer Matt Strawn who is also vice chair of the Lotto America game group also expressed similar excitement regarding the news of the great win.
Strawn explained that ever since July 2021 when the jackpot went on a growing streak, they kept explaining that the odds of someone winning the jackpot again in the state were equal to a player from a different state winning it.
Now that the grand event has finally happened, Strawn said it was time to "celebrate for our winner, our retailer, and the Iowa Lottery."
The Previous Lotto America Jackpot Record Was $22.82 Million
In May 2018, a family from Minnesota bought a ticket that brought them $22.82 million, establishing Lotto America's last record.
The lottery that is considered Powerball's smaller cousin sells $1 tickets and holds its drawings three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The two lottery games have very similar playstyles, asking players to choose numbers from two separate pools.
However, there are a few differences between the two. For example, Lotto America has jackpots that begin at a smaller level. At the same time, the same game features easier odds of winning compared to Powerball. The odds to win the Lotto America jackpot are approximately 1 in 26 million while the odds to win the Powerball jackpot are approximately 1 in 292.2 million.
While players can purchase Lotto America tickets from 13 different lotteries, Powerball tickets are sold by 48 lotteries.
All Lotto America jackpots need to be claimed at the Iowa Lottery headquarters located in Clive. Winners are encouraged to make appointments to make a claim.
Since the Iowa Lottery started in 1985, it has brought its lucky players over $5.4 billion in prizes, while attracting over $2.3 billion for the benefit of state programs helping veterans and their families via the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund.
The lottery also raises money to help the families of peace officers, firefighters, and corrections employees who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
