Iowa Lottery Increasing Chances at Cool Cash for a Hot Summer

You know what they say: you can't win if you don't play, and your odds have just increased.

Hot weather will bring more chances at cool cash, as We Are Iowa says some changes are coming to the Iowa Lottery in hopes of appealing to players' sense of "instant gratification".

What changes are happening?

To start with, one extra Powerball drawing will be added this summer, increasing drawings from two to three days a week. With Wednesday and Saturday staying in play, Mondays will be less manic with a Powerball drawing to look forward to.

Meanwhile, a twice-weekly game will now be played seven days a week. You'll have a chance every single day to grab a ticket and try your hand at the "Lucky for Life" drawing.

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When will it begin?

According to Iowa Captial Dispatch, Lucky for Life drawings will be added starting July 19, while the Powerball starts its additional weekly drawing on Monday, August 23.

Why are they making changes?

Lottery sales, in general, have gone down since the start of the pandemic, and they'd like to attract customers back to the games. Scratch tickets have done much better than the computer lotto tickets but officials with the Iowa Lottery say they hope to tantalize players with bigger and faster-growing jackpots given away more often.

More changes in the future may be in the offing, and as for a daily Powerball drawing, Iowa Lottery Vice President of external relations Mary Neubauer says they still wanted to leave a little anticipation on the table by waiting between drawings. Seven days a week for the big game might be too much of a good thing right away, plus cost and odds of winning were a consideration.