Bits & Odds

Iowa Lottery Numbers and Rules (September 2026)

Tonight's numbers, what a ticket costs in Iowa, which add-ons Iowa Lottery actually sells, and what all of that is worth — with the arithmetic shown.

At the jackpot standing after the September 16, 2026 draw, a $2 Powerball ticket bought in Iowa is worth $0.74, 37c on the dollar after Iowa's 5% withholding.

Multi-state games in Iowa

What is different in Iowa

Ticket price
$4 a line, all in
$2 base plus $1 each for Power Play and Double Play.
Power Play
On sale — $1
Multiplies every prize below the jackpot by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10. We make the extra dollar worth about 46c.
Double Play
On sale — $1
A second drawing of the same numbers, every prize fixed, top prize $10 million. Worth about 53c per dollar — the best-value dollar on the ticket.
Prize structure
Fixed, as the chart
The published amounts are what you are paid — Iowa does not adjust them for sales.
State withholding
5%
Held back before the cheque is written, on top of 24% federal. What you finally owe is settled at filing.
Minimum age
21
Higher than the usual 18. Iowa Lottery sets it.

Rules read from powerball.com and Iowa Lottery on 2026-09-22. Withholding rates and the calculator.

Iowa Lottery's own games

Iowa Lottery runs draw games of its own, and their results are not in our database yet — we publish a game only once two independent official sources agree on every draw in its history, and we have not built that for Iowa. Rather than republish a feed we have not checked, the page says so. Iowa Lottery publishes its own results here.

What is on this page instead is the part nobody else computes: what the multi-state games are worth under Iowa's rules, which is not what they are worth under anyone else's.

Iowa lottery tools

Iowa Mega Millions rules & valueIowa Powerball rules & value Mega Millions hot & coldPowerball hot & cold Check Mega Millions numbersCheck Powerball numbers Lottery tax calculator

Iowa lottery questions

What lottery games can you play in Iowa?
Mega Millions and Powerball, plus Iowa Lottery's own draw games and scratch tickets. We publish the multi-state analysis and the Iowa rules; Iowa Lottery's own draw games are not in our database yet.
Does Iowa sell Power Play and Double Play?
Both. Each costs $1 a play on top of the $2 ticket, so a full Iowa line is $4. We price Power Play at about 46 cents per dollar and Double Play at about 53 cents.
How much tax does Iowa withhold from lottery winnings?
5%, held back before the cheque is written and on top of 24% federal withholding. Withholding is not the final bill. The calculator works out what you would actually keep.
Which Iowa lottery game has the best odds?
Mega Millions, at 1 in 23.07 of winning something — though the prizes are correspondingly smaller, and winning often is not the same as winning much.
Where do these Iowa numbers come from?
The multi-state games are cross-checked against several official sources before we publish them. Every source is listed here. The Iowa rules on this page were read from powerball.com and Iowa Lottery on 2026-09-22.

About the Iowa Lottery

Iowa Lottery sells Powerball and Mega Millions alongside its own games. One of the five jurisdictions where you must be 21, not 18. You must be 21 to buy a ticket, and a winning ticket has to be claimed in the jurisdiction where it was sold. ialottery.com

Every jurisdiction is listed on the lottery hub — including Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah, which run no lottery at all.