Iowa lottery wheels
Iowa has no lotto-style game of its own, but it sells Powerball, Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life and Lotto America, and wheels work just the same for those. Choose a game to mark your numbers and see what each wheel guarantees, or read on for how the Iowa games compare and how to play a wheel there.
The games sold in Iowa compared
| Game | Numbers | Per line | Draws a week | Top prize | Top prize odds | A small wheel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerball | 5 of 69 + Powerball (1–26) | $2 | 3 | Jackpot | 1 in 292,201,338 | 10 numbers, 17 tickets, $34 a draw; comes into play on 1 in 52 draws |
| Mega Millions | 5 of 70 + Mega Ball (1–24) | $5 | 2 | Jackpot | 1 in 290,472,336 | 10 numbers, 17 tickets, $85 a draw; comes into play on 1 in 54 draws |
| Millionaire for Life | 5 of 58 + Millionaire Ball (1–5) | $5 | 7 | $1 million a year for life (or $18 million cash) | 1 in 22,910,580 | 10 numbers, 17 tickets, $85 a draw; comes into play on 1 in 31 draws |
| Lotto America | 5 of 52 + Star Ball (1–10) | $1 | 3 | Jackpot, from $2 million | 1 in 25,989,600 | 10 numbers, 17 tickets, $17 a draw; comes into play on 1 in 23 draws |
* The smallest wheel that guarantees a three-number match whenever three of the winning numbers are among the ones you mark. Each game's page has bigger and smaller wheels.
Which game suits a wheel in Iowa?
- For a guarantee that comes into play most often: Lotto America. With 10 of its 52 numbers marked, three winning numbers land among yours on 1 in 23 draws, about once every 8 weeks.
- For the lowest cost per line: Lotto America, at $1 a line.
- For the longest odds and usually the biggest top prize: Powerball, at 1 in 292,201,338 per line.
Buying tickets in Iowa
- Tickets are sold in stores, not online.
- You must be 21 or older, and you pay with cash, a debit card or a check; credit cards aren't accepted.
- The lottery's app can turn your numbers into a digital playslip, a code the retailer scans. That's the quickest way to enter a wheel's lines.
- Paper playslips must be official ones marked by hand; printouts and copies are refused. Copy each line onto a playslip, or read your lines to the clerk.
- Made a mistake? On the day you buy a ticket, you can return it to the store that sold it for a refund, as long as that draw hasn't closed. That's useful when you've just bought a big wheel and spot a wrong line.
For official rules, results and retailers, visit the Iowa Lottery. LotteryWheels.com is independent and not part of the Iowa Lottery.
National games in Iowa
Other Iowa Lottery games
The Iowa Lottery also runs Pick 3, Pick 4 and Powerball Xs & Os. Wheels don't apply to those: they only help with games where you pick several numbers from one pool.