Powerball: Iowa woman wins $2 million jackpot prize Monday
An Iowa woman became the only Powerball winner to take home a $2 million prize when her easy-pick ticket came just one number away from the near-record $725 million jackpot.
Megan Balmer purchased her easy-pick lottery ticket Monday night at a local Casey's near her home in Garwin, about 85 miles northeast of Des Moines, just before the sale cut-off time with her boyfriend, Mike Ellis. When they checked the numbers an hour later at home, they could hardly believe it.
“I had a ticket with multiple plays on it and I saw the numbers, and I double-checked on the website a couple times,” the 36-year-old nurse told the Iowa Lottery. “And then I checked on the app and didn’t quite believe what I was seeing. Then we called my stepmom and we went and checked it at another Casey’s gas station and verified that it was a winner.”
Racing to the Casey's just before closing time Monday night, Balmer said she could hardly contain her tears when the clerk confirmed she'd won a $2 million prize. Her initial winnings were $1 million, according to the Iowa Lottery, but they were doubled because she added the PowerPlay option to her ticket.
“Just the shock and disbelief, I guess," she said while picking up her prize with Ellis. "We couldn’t believe that something like that would happen to us. It’s not something that happens − ever− to us. We don’t ever have luck like that.”
She said she plans to use her winnings to pay off her mortgage and her student loan and credit card debt.
“That’s huge. That’s such a relief to be able to say that I did those things," she said.
“And I’ll save some for retirement and my kids for their college,” she added. “That’s right around the corner, I’ll blink and it will be there.”
The Powerball win is not the only exciting life moment for Balmer and her family. As she and Ellis made the drive to Clive to claim their winnings on Tuesday, her parents drove her sons to the Tama County Fair for them to show livestock, where they will be hoping for another big win.
“They’re taking his heifer, my oldest has a heifer, and my youngest is showing a chicken. It’s his first year at it," she said.
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What are the odds of winning the Powerball?
It's understandable that some lottery players are enticed by the whopping $750 million jackpot, but it's essential to keep in mind that the chances of winning Powerball's top prize are exceedingly slim.
- The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are about 1 in 292.2 million.
- The overall odds of winning a Powerball prize (across all tiers) are about 1 in 24.9.
How to play Powerball
To participate in the Powerball game, players can purchase a ticket for $2 per play. The game requires players to choose five numbers from one to 69 for the white balls, and one number from one to 26 for the red Powerball. Alternatively, players can opt to receive random numbers.
According to Powerball, the 10X Powerplay option is exclusively applicable to jackpots worth $150 million or less. Additionally, the game's "Match 5" prize for the second-tier is limited to a maximum of $2 million if the Powerplay feature is utilized.
An additional add-on feature called "Double Play," which gives players another chance to match their numbers after each Powerball drawing, is available in some jurisdictions for $1 per play.
Largest lottery prizes in US history
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022: Won in California.
- $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016: Three winners in California, Florida, Tennessee.
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina.
- $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023: Won in Maine.
- $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois.
- $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan.
- $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019: Won in Wisconsin.
- $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017: Won in Massachusetts.
- $730 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021: Won in Maryland.
- $699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021: Won in California.