Powerball players in Iowa are being urged to check their tickets. A prize worth $50,000 remains unclaimed and will expire soon if the winner does not come forward.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Kwik Star store in Bettendorf, about 170 miles from Des Moines, before a July draw. The ticket holder has until January 27 to claim the prize.
The odds of winning this $50,000 prize are roughly one in 913,000. Typically, winners match four regular numbers plus the Powerball. Each ticket costs $2, and prizes range from $4 up to the jackpot.
To win the jackpot, players must beat odds of about one in 292 million. The jackpot was not won in the latest draw, so it has rolled over to an estimated $69 million, with a cash value of $32.2 million.
Although no jackpot winner emerged, one player in Colorado matched five numbers and paid an extra dollar for the Power Play option, winning $2 million.
The next Powerball drawing is set for Wednesday. The jackpot winner will have to choose between a lump sum payment or an annuity.
The annuity option spreads payments over 30 years, with 30 payments made over 29 years. The lump sum pays the entire prize at once and is often chosen by winners, including Edwin Castro.
Castro won a $2.04 billion jackpot in November 2022 but faced significant tax deductions. He received $997.6 million before taxes. Though no state taxes were taken, federal taxes reduced his final payout to about $628 million. Castro was also involved in a lawsuit related to his winnings.
