Winning $40 million Lotto America ticket sold in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Someone had a lucky April Fool’s Day in Iowa.

Iowa Lottery officials said a winning $40 million Lotto America ticket was sold Saturday in Dubuque.

The jackpot-winning ticket was purchased at Eichman’s, a restaurant and convenience store located at 11941 U.S. Highway 52 N. in Dubuque. The store will receive $5,000 for selling the ticket.

“You hear all the time: What are the odds? Well, it happened here!” said Stacy Eichman, owner of Eichman’s, which has been in her family since 1931. “Honestly, I’m still processing. It’s hard to believe.”

The winner could claim a $40.03 million annuity or the $21.28 million cash option. That’s a record for the game, with the previous largest jackpot of $22.82 million purchased in March 2018 by a Minnesota family.

The winning numbers were 2-38-43-46-51 and Star Ball 7.

Lotto America is known as Powerball’s smaller cousin. The game costs $1 to play and has drawings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, just like Powerball^®. It has the same playstyle as Powerball, with players selecting numbers from two separate pools for a chance to win. But Lotto America’s jackpots start at a smaller level and the game has easier odds of winning.

Lotto America is sold by 13 lotteries, while Powerball is offered by 48.