ialottery blog

Twitter Contest Winners

Twitter Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered our Twitter contest today! We always knew we had smart followers and your answers proved us right. Check out video of the results here.

Each of today’s five contest winners will receive a set of $25 in holiday-themed scratch tickets from the Iowa Lottery. The winners are:
   
@terryvw
@jake_ia
@JuggleNuts
@Ingersoll1978
@clickphotodm.

Congrats to each of our winners! You’ll need to contact Pam Brocker, the lottery’s promotions manager, at 515.725.7929 so she can take down your information and send out your tickets!

Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks for following us! Be sure to watch for another Twitter contest next month! 

Unclaimed Prizes – Is One Of Them Yours?

Some people find it hard to believe, but over the past few years in Iowa, more than $1 million in lotto prizes annually have expired without being claimed. In fiscal year 2008, the total was more than $1.6 million.

The money goes into future prize pools, so it will be used to pay prizes, just not the particular prizes that have expired.

At the lottery, we do all we can to spread the word about unclaimed prizes, from sending out news releases to the media and putting up posters in the stores that sold the winning tickets to sending out e-mail reminders to players.

A great way to check the unclaimed prizes list whenever you want is by visiting our Web site and clicking on “Games” and then “Unclaimed Lotto Prizes.” The page shows the game, amount won, retailer where the ticket was purchased, drawing when the prize was won and the expiration date of the prize. On the list are all unclaimed prizes of $600 or more in Powerball, Hot Lotto, Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game, Pick 3 and Pick 4.

So if you have a lotto ticket still sitting around at home or folded up in your wallet, get it out and check it today! You may have a big prize waiting!       

Countdown to Midwest Millions Drawing

Time is running out for you to enter next month’s “Midwest Millions” drawing for a chance at the top prize of $500,000 or one of five prizes of $10,000! The game’s first drawing is set for Jan. 9, and the deadline to enter it is Jan. 2. So, if you didn’t win an instant prize on your Midwest Millions scratch ticket, fill out the information on the back of the ticket, put a first-class stamp on it and mail it in like a postcard. Or, you can drop it off at one of our regional offices in Council Bluffs, Storm Lake, Des Moines, Mason City or Cedar Rapids. The Iowa Lottery had both of the $500,000 winners in last year’s Midwest Millions game. We’re excited to see which state comes out on top in this year’s game – Iowa or Kansas! You may remember that we debuted the initial version of Midwest Millions last fall along with the Kansas Lottery. We were the first lotteries in the United States to offer a joint instant-scratch game where players in both states bought tickets and competed for prizes as part of one big pool. The idea behind Midwest Millions is that by joining together, lotteries can offer games with bigger prizes and more chances to win than they would have been able to produce on their own. We know players always want bigger prizes – and more of them – and we’re doing our best to deliver! Click here to learn more about Midwest Millions. Don’t forget to put your name in the running for the Jan. 9 drawing! I’ll be taking a few days off for the holidays here at ialotteryblog, but I’ll have a new entry ready to go on Dec. 29! See you back here in a few days!

Ralph Kuwamoto won the first $500,00 prize in last year’s Midwest Millions game. Ralph lives in Lincoln, Neb., but bought his ticket while working near Glenwood in southwest Iowa.

Stephen Zabel of Conesville won the second $500,000 prize in last year’s Midwest Millions game. He and his wife Diana celebrated as he claimed the prize.

Next Twitter Contest

We’re gearing up for our next contest on Twitter! This time, we’ll be giving away holiday-themed lottery tickets! Just follow us on Twitter, give the correct answer to an EASY question next week and you’ll be entered.

It all kicks off at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30, and the contest will only last for 15 minutes!

You can find the official rules here, but here’s a quick explanation:

At 2 p.m. next Tuesday, we’ll pose this question on Twitter: Which Iowa Lottery holiday scratch game has a Scrooge theme? (You know I'm not going to GIVE you the answer, but I promise you can find it on our Web site!) 

All the tweeps who reply with the right answer within 15 minutes will be entered into our contest for a chance to win one of five sets of $25 in holiday-themed lottery tickets. Reply with your answer to @ialottery on Twitter. Don’t direct message us, as direct messages aren’t eligible for entry. 

We’ll assign a number to your name based upon the order in which the correct entries are received. Then we’ll write the numbers on a bunch of jingle bells, put the bells into a box wrapped up like a present, and roll them all out to create a big jingle bell jumble (try to say that five times fast)!  

The five jingle bells that land closest to the target (the middle of a lottery logo on the wall) will win the free tix. Yes, you’ll be able to watch what we do. We’ll videotape the contest results, then post the video on our Web site and YouTube. We’ll also provide a link to the video from Twitter and we’ll post an announcement with the winners’ names. If you win, you’ll need to contact us with your name and mailing address so we can send you your tickets!

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!

And The Winners Are …

Your voice has been heard!

You cast your votes for Iowa’s best George and Mary Bailey look-alikes, now let’s see who the public’s favorites were… 

You’ve chosen Amy Burgmaier of Des Moines and Peter Lohr of Sioux City as our “It’s A Wonderful Life” contest winners! They each win $500 cash from the Iowa Lottery!

Congrats to all our contest winners and thanks to everyone who voted! You helped add some extra fun to the holidays.

 

   

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.

  

Discussion About Leasing The Iowa Lottery

As you likely have heard, there is discussion underway about the possibility of leasing the Iowa Lottery to private investors in exchange for a one-time, lump-sum cash payment plus a tax on annual lottery sales.
 
The discussion stems from state leaders’ continued analysis of possible ways to address the state’s budget shortfall amidst the national economic recession.
 
On Wednesday, Governor Chet Culver’s Office released the following statement:
 
“To begin, faced with a world-wide recession and historic economic challenges, the Culver/Judge Administration is exploring every option to close the budget gap without raising taxes on Iowans. The Governor has met with individuals interested in leasing the State's lottery as one way to meet this goal. A lease of the lottery is one of many alternatives the Governor has on the table for consideration as he balances the budget and holds the line on taxes during this national economic downturn.”
 
Click here to read some of today’s media coverage.
 
The idea of selling or leasing the lottery has been discussed in several states across the country for at least the past three years. There are proponents on both sides of the issue. The ultimate decision about what will happen here in Iowa will rest with the governor and the Iowa Legislature, which begins its 2009 session on Jan. 12.

Reminders About How To Redeem Tickets

There are different procedures involved when it comes to redeeming the different kinds of lottery tickets available in Iowa.

Lotto tickets in games such as Powerball and Hot Lotto as well as instant-scratch tickets and pull-tab tickets can be purchased at any lottery retailer where the product is sold. Those lotto and scratch tickets that win prizes of $600 or less can be redeemed at any lottery retailer or one of the Iowa Lottery’s offices in Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Storm Lake, Mason City and Cedar Rapids.

Most pull-tab tickets must be redeemed at the location where they were purchased because of the individual accounting procedures for those games.  

All tickets in any of the lottery’s games that win prizes of more than $600 must be claimed at a lottery office for security and tax-reporting purposes.

Powerball Is Not Being Discontinued In Iowa!

I can’t figure it out: Are people only hearing half the story, or just misunderstanding the information that’s being supplied? I’ve blogged a couple times about the changes that will start next month in Powerball® (the earlier entries are here and here), and now the media is picking up on the story as well.

For some reason people think Powerball is about to be discontinued in Iowa, which is definitely NOT true!! But the misperception continues and I think it’s almost taken on a life of its own.  

I’ve said before that in some ways I think it’s funny. Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $64 million in Powerball tickets last year and the game very definitely is continuing its run as the world’s most popular big jackpot game. Our players like playing Powerball, so why would we want that to end? Still, the e-mails and calls complaining that we’re ending Powerball continue.

Let me try again to set the record straight about what really is happening.

On Jan. 4, Florida will become the 32nd lottery selling Powerball tickets. Changes in the game will take effect that same day to accommodate the population growth that will come with Florida’s addition. It’s all designed to create faster-growing jackpots while making it easier for you to win other Powerball prizes.

The major updates that start Jan. 4 include:

• Powerball’s starting jackpot will increase from $15 million to $20 million.
• Four white balls will be added to the first pool in the game, meaning you’ll choose five numbers from 59. But three red balls will be removed from the Powerball pool, meaning you’ll choose one number from 39. The net effect is that one ball will be added to the overall mix.
• The Match 5 prize with the Power Play option will always have a 5X multiplier, pushing the game’s second prize with the Power Play option to $1 million.
• The odds of winning the jackpot will increase to 1 in 195.2 million.
• The game’s drawings on Wednesday and Saturday nights will move from Iowa to Florida, but Powerball’s headquarters office will remain right where it is in suburban Des Moines.

  
    
Click here to learn more about the “new” Powerball that will debut early next month. We think the changes will mean even more success for the game and we’re looking forward to the events to come. And don’t worry! Yes, you will still be able to buy Powerball tickets in Iowa.

Truly Beating The Odds

I think you can officially say that Patrick and Rita Hagner of Davenport have beaten the odds!
 
I blogged earlier here about two top-prize winning tickets in Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game being sold at the same Quad-Cities convenience store. Well, Patrick and Rita stepped forward Thursday and claimed both prizes for a grand total of $200,000!   
   
Patrick bought both of the tickets at the Hawkeye Convenience Store, 6807 Northwest Blvd. in Davenport. The tickets both matched all five numbers drawn in the Dec. 2 drawing to win the game’s top prize.

It’s unusual for there to be two top-prize winning tickets in a single drawing, and this situation is even more unusual because both tickets were sold at the same store.

The winning numbers in the Dec. 2 drawing of Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game were: 3-7-12-16-22. Rita picked the numbers they played and Patrick bought the tickets. He said he just followed a feeling when he bought two plays of the same numbers for the same drawing.

Patrick and Rita both say they definitely know they are lucky! Click here to read more about their incredible story.   

Powerball Advance Plays Limited For Now

I’ve blogged here before about the changes that are coming to Powerball® early next month, and that means the number of advance plays you can buy in the game will be limited for the next couple weeks.

The “countdown” on advance plays started Dec. 3 here in Iowa. Usually, you can buy Powerball plays in our state for up to 10 drawings in advance. But plays made for the game’s current design where you choose five numbers from a pool of 55 and another number – the Powerball – from a separate pool of 42 won’t be eligible for the game’s new design that takes effect Jan. 4. That’s the date when Powerball tickets begin to be sold in Florida and the game’s design will change to accommodate the added population.

Starting Jan. 4, the starting jackpot in Powerball will increase from $15 million to $20 million and you’ll choose 5 numbers from a pool of 59 and the Powerball from a separate pool of 39. The changes are designed to lead to larger, faster-growing jackpots, something we know is always popular with players. The changes also are designed to make it easier for you to win other prizes.

Right now, you can buy Powerball plays in Iowa for up to seven drawings in advance. That number will continue to decrease by one with each drawing for the next couple of weeks. Everything will get back to normal on Jan. 4, when you’ll again be able to buy Powerball plays for up to 10 drawings in advance.