Get the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about playing Pick 3 in Iowa, including the difference between certain play types and how to claim prizes.
Pick 3 is a lottery which sees three winning numbers from 0 to 9 selected at random. It gives you a lot of flexibility as a player, with various options for how to play and a range of pricing options.
You can choose to play a Straight, a Box, a Straight/Box, Front Pair or Back Pair.
A Straight play requires you to match all three winning numbers in exact order, whereas you win a Box wager if your numbers are drawn in any order. A Straight/Box splits the wager in two. You can even pick two numbers (Front Pair or Back Pair) and try to match either the first two or the last two winning digits in order. Find out more about each play type on the How to Play page.
There are two drawings every day. The Midday draw is held at 12:20 p.m., and the Evening draw at 10:00 p.m.
You can buy tickets for the Midday drawing until noon, or for the Evening draw until 9:40 p.m.
You can pay $0.50, $1, $2, $3, $4 or $5.
The amount you can win depends on your play type and wager amount. If you play a Straight and wager $5, you win $3,000. This is the maximum you can win for a single play in Pick 3.
The odds of winning are different for each play type, ranging from 1 in 100 for a Front Pair or Back Pair to 1 in 1,000 for a Straight. Go to the Prizes and Odds page to find out the chances of winning for each play type, along with all the payouts you can receive.
No, you are always guaranteed to receive the full amount. There will never be too many winners – instead, the Iowa Lottery may declare that certain number combinations are ‘sold out’ once a liability limit is reached.
There are various ways to find out if you have won. You can take your ticket to a lottery retailer, view the winning numbers online after a draw, or use the Pick 3 Checker to compare your numbers to the official results.
Yes, but the ticket must be canceled on the same day it was purchased and before the relevant draw time. You can only cancel a ticket at the same retail location where it was sold.
You can claim Pick 3 prizes of any value by mailing your winning tickets to the Iowa Lottery, 13001 University Ave, Clive IA 50325-8225. Prizes of up to $600 can be redeemed at retail locations, while larger amounts can be collected from lottery offices in Clive, Storm Lake, Mason City or Cedar Rapids.
You have 90 days from the date of a drawing to come forward and claim any Pick 3 prizes.
Pick 3 was launched in July 1998. Initially there was just one drawing a day, in the Evening, A Midday drawing was introduced in September 2003.
