ialottery blog

Check Back Here Monday For Cool News

We’ll have a big announcement Monday about our efforts to help veterans and their families by providing proceeds for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. Check back here for the inside scoop!

It’s “State Fair Time”!

I’m thanking Mary Neubauer in her absence for the opportunity to “vine” about more exciting news at the Iowa Lottery.  This is one of my favorite seasons here at the Lottery as we prepare for our exhibit at the Iowa State Fair. 

In keeping with this year's Fair theme, it’s definitely “State Fair Time” for us as we prepare for the various promotions that we undertake in our Fair exhibit.  Here are just a few things to expect when you visit us this year in the Varied Industries Building –           

• A “wheel spin” promotion.  All lottery players like to spin wheels. You’ll be able to enter contests at 12, 3 and 6 p.m. to spin our wheel and take a chance to win Lottery Bucks.

• Our traditional pull-tab “dot” promotion is always a favorite at the Fair.  This year’s prizes include $5 coupons for great turkey products at the Iowa Turkey Federation stand.

• With a $20 scratch ticket purchase, you win a new t-shirt.

There’s a lot of preparation required in gearing up for lottery ticket sales at the Iowa State Fair.  We review and lease our space, prepare signs and other marketing materials and pull together graphics for our exhibit equipment.  It’s also quite the logistical operation to move our equipment and vending machines into our exhibit space.  We start the Monday prior to opening day. 

Come visit us at the Fair and visit the Iowa State Fair’s web site to learn about other exciting happenings at this year’s event -- http://www.iowastatefair.org/.

“What’s in a Name?”

Having the last name of Rich creates some fun conversations. It never occurred to me that my name might someday be associated with one of the biggest benefits for Iowa: prizes for players and proceeds for great causes at the Iowa Lottery.

But your name is just as important in our business. Why? Well, when you sign your name to the lottery ticket you buy, it immediately becomes yours. It becomes really tough for anyone to steal it or claim it’s theirs.

So keep your name and ticket together! And here’s my hope that in the near future my name will appear on an Iowa Lottery check made out to your name!