Wisconsin Powerball Rules
To play, choose five main numbers between 1 and 69, plus one Powerball between 1 and 26, or opt for a Quick Pick for a random selection of numbers. The following rules also apply in Wisconsin:
- You must be at least 18 years old to buy lottery tickets, although people under this age can receive them as gifts.
- Tickets must be purchased before 9:00pm CT on draw days.
- You can play up to 12 draws in advance.
- You cannot buy lottery tickets with a credit card. By law, you may only purchase them with cash.
- A state tax of 7.65 percent will be taken on all winnings over $1,999. Federal tax will be applied on winnings over $5,000.
See the How to Play page for more information
How to Claim Prizes
You can claim prizes up to $599 from any lottery retailer in Wisconsin, in person at the Madison or Milwaukee offices, or by mail. Please note that if retailers do not have sufficient cash on hand to pay out your prize, you may have to redeem it elsewhere.
Prizes up to $500,999 must be claimed in person at either of the Wisconsin Lottery offices below, or by mail. Both offices can process claims between 8:00am – 4:00pm CT Monday through Friday. You must provide valid photo identification, such as a driver’s license of government-issued ID, and your social security number.
| Location | Address | Telephone Number: |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | Department of Revenue 2135 Rimrock Road Madison, WI 53713 | (608) 266-7777 |
| Milwaukee | State Office Building 819 N. 6th Street 4th Floor Service Counter Milwaukee, WI 53203 | - |
Prizes of $501,000 or more must be claimed in person at the lottery’s Madison office, between the hours listed above. You must take the winning ticket with you, and you must produce a valid photo ID and your social security number.
To claim any prize of up to $500,999 by mail, you must sign the back of the winning ticket and send it, along with a completed claim form to:
Prizes,
PO Box 777,
Madison, WI 53774
Do not mail winning tickets to the Madison or Milwaukee office addresses, as this will delay the processing of the prize. You are advised to use a tracked delivery service or get proof of mailing, as the Wisconsin Lottery is not responsible for any tickets lost in transit.
Claiming As a Lottery Pool
You have two options when claiming as a lottery pool in Wisconsin: you can either elect one person to receive all of the prize money and distribute it to other members of the group, or you can obtain a court order to each claim your share of the prize. If you opt for the latter, you will need to consult a legal professional, and each member of the pool will be required to complete a claim form.
If each member of your group claims the Powerball jackpot individually via a court order, you will each be able to choose whether to take the lump sum or annuity payments.
Claim Period
You have 180 days from the date of the winning draw to claim any prizes. Mail claims must be postmarked on or before the 180-day limit and received no later than 14 days after the deadline. Any money left unclaimed after this period is transferred to the Wisconsin Lottery property tax relief fund.
When claiming a Powerball jackpot, you have 60 days from the date that you claim to decide whether to take the cash or annuity payout. If you do not inform the Wisconsin Lottery of your choice by the time this period has passed, you will be paid the annuity by default.
Lost and Damaged Tickets
Lottery tickets are bearer instruments, so anyone in possession of one can claim a prize with it. You should sign the back of your ticket straight after purchase so no one else can use it to claim a prize. If you do lose a ticket, and you signed the back of it, you should contact the Wisconsin Lottery to let them know.
If you have a damaged winning ticket, mail or take it to the lottery office in Madison. If your ticket can be validated by the lottery, you may be paid out, although damaged tickets can take several days to process.
Going Public
If you win a big lottery prize in Wisconsin, your name, likeness, and place of residence are deemed to be in the public’s interest, so may be released upon request. Other information about you, such as your address or social security number, will not be disclosed. You are not obligated to speak to the media, although the Wisconsin Lottery may ask for a statement to issue on your behalf.
Where Does the Money Go?
Unlike most state lotteries, which use the money from ticket sales to improve public services, Wisconsin uses a portion of its revenue to provide tax relief to homeowners across the state, through the Lottery and Gaming Credit program. Of the remaining revenue, over half is used to pay out prizes, and a small proportion goes towards covering operating costs and commissions.
| Area of Spending | Percentage of Revenue |
|---|---|
| Prizes | 56.9% |
| Property Tax Credits | 30.2% |
| Operational Expenses | 6.54% |
| Retailer Commission | 6.36% |
Lottery and Gaming credits are available to all residents of Wisconsin who own a home as of January 1st of the year the property tax is due to be taken. As long as they use it as their primary dwelling, they can apply for tax relief through a Lottery and Gaming Credit. Applications are filed with the county treasurer and credits are shown on a resident’s tax bill.
The program is jointly administered between the state’s Department of Revenue and Department of Administration, and it has been in place since 1987, when voters approved the formation of a state lottery. Legislation dictated that net profits from the lottery must be used for property tax relief. Since then, the Wisconsin Lottery has paid over $4 billion into the program.
Wisconsin Powerball Winners
The biggest Powerball win in Wisconsin, and one of the largest anywhere in the U.S., arrived in March 2019, when Manuel Franco claimed a $768 million jackpot. Franco, 24, at the time, bought his ticket from a Speedway on Beloit Road in New Berlin, Milwaukee, and said he felt so lucky that day that he looked up at the store camera and wanted to wink. He ‘pretty much never showed up for work again’ and planned to take some time out before using the money to ‘help out the world’. He did not mind having to go public and said he was ‘ready to say no to random people’ begging him for money.
The previous record had come back in August 2006, when a group of co-workers at a cheese company landed a $208 million jackpot. After making an announcement over the company’s public address system, the pool’s leader, Mary Entringer, drafted 99 other colleagues to buy Powerball tickets with, and their co-operation soon paid off. The pool called itself the ‘100 Miracles’ and each member rubbed the belly of a Buddha statue for good luck before the winning draw took place. “We don’t know if it’s the Buddha that brought us the good fortune to win this”, Entringer said. “We’re just grateful it was 100 people, and we’re all going to share in this bounty.”
Frank and Shirley Capaci from Streamwood, Illinois, won a $195 million jackpot in May 1998 after someone drove to Wisconsin to buy their tickets. Illinois didn’t participate in Powerball back then, so when the Capacis were out for drinks at a bar called ‘Bill’s on Bartlett’ in Streamwood, Frank handed $5 to a bartender to get hold of some Powerball tickets from a neighboring state. That bartender drove over the border to Wisconsin to buy tickets for 15 customers, but it was the Capacis’ ticket that landed the big money. The couple chose to take a lump sum payout of $104 million before taxes.
