SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — After back-to-back major prize wins throughout the state, it’s been a busy few weeks for the South Dakota Lottery.
Last Saturday, a winner claimed the prize of $2 million Powerball in Mobridge. Just two weeks before that prize, a winning ticket for Lotto America was claimed for a $4 million prize in Vermillion.
“(Winning) prizes of this magnitude are not common,” Wade LaRoche, a representative of SD Lottery said.
The Powerball, usually drawn on Mondays, had no winners this past Monday. The jackpot has now rolled over to $815 million, the seventh-largest in lottery history, according to LaRoche.
That high jackpot is the main reason why players buy tickets. LaRoche said announcements of winners in the state drive excitement for the next large jackpot.
And those ticket sales are not exclusive to one city or another.
“It really just varies, with a higher population we’re gonna have more tickets sold in places like Sioux Falls or Rapid City,” LaRoche said.
Not only do the ticket buyers win, but also the retailer that sold the ticket. The retailer wins a bonus of money along with the buyer. For last weekend’s Powerball win, the retailer took home $25,000.
The retailer bonus is a common practice throughout state’s lotteries. Retailers also receive commission from selling lottery scratch-offs and games.
Last year, South Dakota retailers that participated in the lottery collectively made $3.96 million, LaRoche said.
But where does the money go to besides the jackpot? In South Dakota, the lottery supports a variety of states funds. It also funds services for gambling treatment with the Department of Social Services.
Seventy percent of money earned from the lottery goes to the state’s general fund, which funds education, Medicaid and programs like TANF (temporary assistance for needy families).
The other 30% goes to the state’s Capitol Construction Fund, which is a temporary stop for funds destined for other places in the state budget.
SD Lottery reported lottery sales are down 35% for the fiscal year compared to last year at their June meeting. Sales Director David Dahl said that’s because jackpots were much higher the last fiscal year, with over $5 billion in jackpots. For the 2025 fiscal year, jackpots didn’t cross the $1 billion threshold, according to members of SD Lottery.
The Powerball will be drawn at 9:59 CST on Wednesday.
