ialottery blog

The Security Behind A Lottery Drawing

The Powerball drawing being
conducted at the 2006
Iowa State Fair.

You’re at home with the TV on and the Powerball drawing comes on at its regular time. The music starts, the jackpot amount is announced, the numbers are drawn and it’s over in a minute. It’s such a regular part of life, it doesn’t look like it’s that much work.

But it’s a lot more complicated than you might think. And no, those aren’t ping pong balls in the drawing machine.

Did you know that the machines and the sets of numbered balls used in the Powerball drawings are kept in a double-locked and sealed vault, and are only taken out of the vault when the drawing manager, security officer, and independent auditor all are present?

And contrary to popular belief, the numbered balls in the drawing machines are not ping-pong balls. They’re actually made of rubber and have to meet exact specifications. For example, each ball is tested annually by the Iowa Department of Transportation Weights and Measures Laboratory in Ames. They are weighed and measured to ensure they meet precise size, weight and density specifications and then x-rayed at a medical center to make sure they have no flaws and there is nothing hidden inside them.

Four sets of balls are used in the Powerball drawings along with multiple sets of machines. The machines and balls used in each drawing are randomly selected and everything that happens with them once they’re out of the vault is recorded on audio and video.   

Each Powerball drawing is held at 9:59 p.m., but the officials in charge of the drawing begin a pre-show testing process about 1½ hours before that. The entire show is rehearsed, the machines are tested four times to ensure the balls are all dropping randomly -- and everything is under the careful supervision of an auditor and security officer to ensure tight security.

The Powerball drawings all are open to the public, so if you ever want to attend, you can see in person all that goes on with millions of dollars on the line. Just drop a note to letters@musl.com to let the folks who run the drawings know you’d like to attend.

Social Media Updates From The Lottery

We are having an absolute blast exploring the world of social media, but as with any new project, you have to make adjustments as you go. Our adjustment today involves our Twitter account.

When the Iowa Lottery joined the Twitter world in September, we turned the project over to Tina Potthoff, our public affairs manager, to be our head tweep! Our Twitter name has been LottoTina because, well, that says lottery and that says Tina.

But now we’re hearing that some folks have had trouble finding us on Twitter because we’re not identified as ialottery. And, Tina has been helping out with flood recovery efforts at the Rebuild Iowa Office, so she isn’t sure she’ll be able to continue tweeting with folks everyday. And we don’t want to miss out on the conversation!

So, later today, @LottoTina will become @ialottery on Twitter! It’s still us at the Lottery and we still love hearing from you, so keep those tweets coming. And hopefully the name change will help everyone find us a little easier.

Thank you to all of our followers on Twitter! We’re glad to be a part of your world.

Twitter/Facebook Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered our Twitter/Facebook contest yesterday! We had a ton of fun watching the answers roll in (especially some of the creative ones that weren’t correct) and then creating a “blizzard” as we determined our contest winners. Check out video of the results here.

Each of yesterday’s contest winners will receive $25 in Lottery Buck coupons for free lottery tickets. The winners are:   

Lori Loftus Beckner (from Facebook)
@sfedd (from Twitter)
Dorothy Janssen (from Facebook).

We got to meet @sfedd today when she stopped by lottery headquarters to pick up her coupons. Check out her happy pic! Congrats, @sfedd!

Thanks to everyone who entered. And thanks for following and friending us! Be sure to watch for another Twitter/Facebook contest next month! 

Twitter/Facebook Contest

We’ve gotten some questions about how you can enter today’s contest for our followers on Twitter and fans on Facebook. Just follow us on Twitter or friend us on Facebook and you’ll be eligible to enter!

It all kicks off at 2 p.m. today. If you’ve entered a similar contest before, you know they’re designed to be fast paced and immediate, so the contest will only last for 15 minutes! You can find the official rules here, but here’s an explanation in everyday terms:

At 2 p.m., we’ll pose this question on Twitter and Facebook: Which two characters is the Iowa Lottery asking you to impersonate in its holiday look-alike contest? (I'm not going to GIVE you the answer, you can find it on our Web site!) 

All those folks who reply with the right answer within the next 15 minutes will be entered into our contest for a chance to win one of 3 sets of $25 in Lottery Buck coupons for free lottery tickets! Reply to @LottoTina on Twitter or write your answer on the lottery’s wall on our Facebook fan page. 

After we’ve verified all the entries, we’ll write the names of all those who got the answer right on slips of paper that have been cut out to look like snowflakes. (Yes, we cut the snowflakes out ourselves. We still remember how to do that from grade school!)

All the snowflakes will then be put into a container and a lottery staffer will climb up on a ladder and dump them out, creating a mini-blizzard. On the floor below will be an Iowa Lottery logo, which will be the target. The three snowflakes landing closest to the middle of the logo (which will be marked with a coin) will win the prizes in the promotion. The Lottery will videotape the contest results, then post the video on its Web site, YouTube and on its Facebook fan page. We’ll also provide a link to the video from Twitter.

We’ll announce the winners of our contest via postings on Twitter and Facebook. If you win, you’ll have to contact us and provide us with your name and mailing address so we can send you your coupons! We hope you enter, and good luck!

A few specifics:
 You’ve got to be at least 21 years old to enter, and you must live in Iowa.
 No purchase necessary to enter or to win!

Winners and Contests

We’ve had some really interesting winners’ stories this week! First up is a Mason City woman who won a new Ford Mustang in a lottery game 12 years ago and now has won the top prize of $21,000 in another scratch game. Click here to learn the details about Janet Marvin’s good luck and hear her discuss her latest win.

And, the first top-prize winner of $10,000 in our new “It’s A Wonderful Life” scratch game, which we’ve released in conjunction with the Donna Reed Foundation in the actress’ hometown of Denison, is from … Denison! Click here to learn about Sherri Vaughn of Denison’s big win!

And finally, don’t forget that our first contest for our followers on Twitter and our fans on Facebook is set for tomorrow! We’ll give away three sets of $25 in Lottery Buck coupons that you can use to buy free lottery tickets. The fun starts at 2 p.m. tomorrow. Click here for our contest rules! Follow us on Twitter or friend us on Facebook to be able to enter!           

Find Your Inner George Or Mary Bailey

We’ve only been sharing little bits and pieces so far about our upcoming holiday contest involving “It’s A Wonderful Life,” but we’re making the official announcement today so you’ll have plenty of time to get ready!

We’re celebrating “It’s A Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart and Iowa’s own Donna Reed with a new instant-scratch game and a contest that gives you the chance to win prizes by giving your best impression of the holiday film’s lead characters.

We’re working with the Donna Reed Foundation in Denison in issuing the $2 scratch game and organizing the George and Mary Bailey look-alike contest.

We’ll hold three competitions around the state next month. If you’re at least 21 years old, we’d love it if you’d enter! And everyone is invited to come out and watch the competitions, then vote for their favorite look-alikes on the lottery’s Web site!

We’ll have three regional competitions around the state with prizes for the top three George Bailey look-alikes and the top three Mary Bailey look-alikes at each. Then photos and videos of the top regional winners will go on the lottery’s Web site at www.ialottery.com, where the public will be able to vote for its favorites.

Iowa’s best George and Mary Bailey impersonators as chosen by the public will each receive $500 cash from the Iowa Lottery!

The regional competitions are set for:

• 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, at Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines.
• 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids.
• 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7, at Southern Hills Mall in Sioux City.

So go watch the movie, then get into character and we’ll see you at one of our regional competitions! Click here to visit the contest page on our Web site.   

It’s a Wonderful Life TM & © 2008 Melange Pictures LLC.  All rights reserved.
Donna Reed used with permission. Licensed by Sovich Minch, LLP.
James Stewart used with permission. Licensed by The Stewart Family, LLC.

“It’s A Wonderful Life” In Iowa

Take a look at the film characters featured on our “It’s A Wonderful Life” holiday scratch game. Take a really good look because you can win a prize for doing an impression of them.   

You’ll soon have the chance to win mall gift certificates, Lottery Buck coupons for free plays, “It’s A Wonderful Life” merchandise, or even $500 cash for doing an impression of George or Mary Bailey, the 1946 movie’s lead characters. They, of course, were portrayed by the actor Jimmy Stewart and Iowa’s own Donna Reed.

So, dig out your best “George Bailey” overcoat, find your best “Mary Bailey” string of pearls, and practice doing your hair up in 1940s fashion! Then check back here Monday for all the details about our upcoming contest. Even if you don’t enter the contest yourself, we still want you to come out and watch others compete, and then vote for your favorites on our Web site!

Check back here Monday!

It’s a Wonderful Life TM & © 2008 Melange Pictures LLC.  All rights reserved.
Donna Reed used with permission. Licensed by Sovich Minch, LLP.
James Stewart used with permission. Licensed by The Stewart Family, LLC.

Minimum Age To Purchase Lottery Tickets

We often get questions about the legal age in Iowa to purchase lottery tickets. The age varies from state to state around the country and has differed over time here in our state, so it’s understandable that people can have questions.

There are just a few U.S. states where the legal age to purchase lottery tickets is 21 or older. Iowa is one of them.

When the Iowa Lottery began in 1985, the legal age in our state to purchase lottery tickets was 18. But in 1994, the Iowa Legislature raised the legal gambling age to 21, creating a uniform age limit for the lottery and the state’s casinos and racetracks.

We have information about Iowa’s legal purchasing age at the lottery’s retail locations around the state to help you keep things straight. Just look for the “Under 21, can’t buy one!” stickers or some of our other reminders.

What Happens To My Winnings If I Die?

One of the areas people are most interested in when it comes to lottery winnings may sound a little morbid. But really, it’s a sensible question: What happens to my winnings if I should die?

Some people seem to assume that their lottery winnings will go away if they choose the annuity option and should die before the last payment has been made. But in fact, if a winner should pass away, the prize money goes into that person’s estate.

We have files at the lottery for all of our jackpot winners. When we receive word that a winner receiving annuity payments has died, that information is documented in the winner’s file. The lottery then makes payments to those listed in the terms of the winner’s estate or as determined by a court order.

The lottery doesn’t get that money! It will be paid out according to the plans you have made.

P.S. If you know someone who’s a visual person rather than a “word” person, have them check out the video here on our Web site where we answer this question!

Can Prize Winners Be Anonymous?

Based on the number of questions we get about the process involved when you win a Powerball jackpot, we’ve decided that Iowans definitely like to plan ahead! Either that, or we’re a really optimistic state full of people who all plan to win. Either way, we like the questions, so keep them coming.

Folks have been asking whether they can remain anonymous when they claim a lottery jackpot. The answer varies from state to state, depending upon the laws there. But folks here are probably most concerned about the situation in Iowa, so let’s concentrate on the laws in our state.

When you win an Iowa Lottery prize of $600 or more, you have to fill out a winner claim form that includes your name, address and Social Security number before you can claim your winnings. Iowa law makes the information on that claim form public, meaning that anyone can request a copy of the form to see who has won the prize. We redact sensitive information, such as your Social Security number, from the form before we release it, but all other details are considered public information under Iowa law (Iowa Code Section 99G.34(5).

The winner claim form states in part: “By signing this claim form, I authorize the Iowa lottery Authority to use my name and likeness for any publicity purposes that it deems desirable.” Also, “The Lottery will redact your Social Security number on this claim form. The remaining information is used for research and publicity purposes and will be made available to members of the public.”

Because prize winners’ information is public in Iowa, we encourage our jackpot winners to hold news conferences at the lottery when they claim their prizes. That way, we can help you quickly handle the publicity part of the process and then you can get on with enjoying your winnings. It’s also fun to share the story of your good fortune because each winner is different and every person has his/her own unique plans for the winnings!