Now that the Powerball jackpot for tonight’s drawing has climbed to ten digits for only the third time in history, Iowa Lottery officials are predicting a significant spike in ticket sales.
The Lottery’s Mary Neubauer says sales typically leap on drawing days, but with the big prize at one-billion dollars, it’ll be an especially busy day for Iowa retailers.
“Yes, I would expect it to take another huge jump,” Neubauer says. “The interesting thing is that when the jackpots get as high as they are, it is a bit daunting to even predict sales, for the lotteries to do that, because they do start to get into a bit of uncharted territory.”
This is Powerball’s third-largest jackpot, following last year’s world record prize that topped two-billion dollars, and a one-and-a-half billion dollar jackpot in 2016. Neubauer says some people may have been waiting for this moment to buy a ticket, delaying until the jackpot hits a certain size, as if 900-million is chump change.
“Through the years, there’s always been that definition of a ‘big’ jackpot, and I personally don’t ever know what that definition is,” Neubauer says. “I do think that the threshold has gone up over time, and yes, I think we’re all getting a bit spoiled by these big jackpots, because you do start to wait for whatever you consider a ‘big’ jackpot.”
Ticket sales have a direct impact on how quickly jackpots rise, and based on the billion-dollar buzz, she says it’s clear Iowans are paying attention — and are hoping for a payoff.
“In the summer months, everyone is just a little more distracted than normal, right? People are traveling and they’re just not in maybe their normal routines that they would have for the rest of the year,” Neubauer says. “So it’s been interesting to watch these jackpot runs, because I wonder how much the summer travel season is impacting the story right now.”
There hasn’t been a jackpot winner in Powerball since April 19th, with the jackpot growing for 38 straight drawings. Powerball is played in Iowa and 44 other states. Tickets cost two-dollars each and the odds of winning are one in 292-million.