Kingman, USA - January 20, 2016: A photo of a man holding a Powerball lottery ticket in Kingman, Arizona. (iStock)
Powerball players in New York and Iowa received the opportunity of a lifetime this weekend, when they had the winning tickets in Saturday night's Powerball drawing.
Read on for what you should know.
Who won the Powerball drawing?
Two tickets were sold that match the winning numbers drawn for Powerball's $688 million jackpot, one in a rural Iowa town and the other in New York City, lottery officials said Sunday. The winners' names have not been announced, and neither state allows the winners to remain anonymous.
Powerball officials said the two tickets matched all six numbers in Saturday night's drawing and will split the fourth-largest lottery grand prize in U.S. history. The jackpot was originally estimated at $750 million but ended up at $687.8 million at the time of the drawing.
One of the winning tickets was sold at Casey's convenience store in Redfield, Iowa, a rural community of about 800 people roughly 35 miles west of Des Moines. The other winning ticket was sold at West Harlem Deli in New York City.
"The lucky ticket holders will have a choice between an estimated annuity of $343.9 million, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump sum payment of $198.1 million," lottery officials said. "Both prize options are before taxes."
What were the winning numbers?
The winning white balls were 8, 12, 13, 19 and 27 and the winning Powerball was 4.
I won - what should I know?
The amount of time you have to come forward to claim the prize depends.
“Ticket expiration dates vary from 90 days to one year, depending on the selling jurisdiction,” Powerball says. “The expiration date is often listed on the back of your ticket. If the expiration date is not listed, check with your lottery.”
Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said the Iowa winner's identity will be revealed as required by state law.
“We want to be sure that the specifics required for winner information here in Iowa are clear,” Rich said in a statement. “The Iowa Lottery is required to release the details about who won this prize and we will work with our winners to ensure that is done.”
How do I play the game?
“Powerball® costs $2 per play,” the lottery explains. “Select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls; then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.”
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Okay, I want to play – where can I do that?
You can try your luck in 44 states, which Powerball lists online. Players can buy tickets in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, too.
The lottery says it’s not required for players to be either U.S. citizens or residents to join in on the action.
“Players from jurisdictions where Powerball tickets are not sold, either in the United States or outside the country, can purchase Powerball tickets from a retailer licensed or authorized by the selling jurisdiction if they meet the legal age requirement in the jurisdiction of purchase,” Powerball says.
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When is the next Powerball drawing?
The drawing will happen on Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. ET. Television viewers can check to see which channels in their area broadcast the drawing by checking this link on the Powerball website and clicking on “TV Stations.” If no one wins the grand prize jackpot of $40 million, players can try their luck again with the Nov. 3 drawing at 10:59 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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