People who mistakenly won lottery allowed to keep the money
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images
Powerball lottery ticket holders in Iowa have won prizes despite not having the winning numbers.
On Monday night (27 November), Iowa Powerball officials drew the lottery.
Numbers were later posted to Iowa Lottery's website at around 12:30am the next day.
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The numbers remained on site until 7:15am when officials realised the numbers were actually wrong - not matching the ones drawn the previous night.
Officials have blamed the incident on a 'human reporting error' and have since updated the winning numbers to match those drawn.
But what about any ticket buyers who got up at the crack of dawn, checked their numbers online and believed they'd won the lottery?
Well, the total jackpot was an estimated whopping $355 million, but the incorrect numbers posted to the Iowa Powerball's website would've resulted in prizes from $4 to $200.
And as a result of the 'human error,' officials decided to allow anyone who got up early and thought their numbers matched to still receive the money - despite them not being the actual numbers from the official draw.
The real question is, how many lucky ticket buyers can still get their hands on some cash?
It's not known how many ticket holders have won as a result of the incorrect numbers posted online.
However, according to CBS, 3,998 people in Iowa who bought Powerball tickets with the correct numbers have also won prizes.
If you're currently sat here confused, with a ticket in your hand, then the winning Powerball numbers from Monday night's draw are: 2-21-38-61-66 and the Powerball number is 12.
Iowa Powerball Lottery's rules read: "Pick five numbers from one to 69. Pick a separate Powerball number from one to 26. The more numbers you match in a drawing, the more you win. If you match all six winning numbers, you win the jackpot!"
It's not the first time a lottery mistakes has occurred and a lucky ticket holder has lived to reap the rewards either.
A 60-year-old man named Michael Sopejstal asked a retailer at a GoLo gas station for a ticket for 10 draws, but they 'accidentally printed a ticket with 10 lines for one draw'.
Sopejstal said he still wanted it and lo and behold, he checked his ticket to find he had won $25,000 a year for life.
Sopejstal could've claimed $25,000 a year for the rest of his life, but the Illinois man instead decided to accept a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000.