Keep Your Powerball Ticket Handy!

You’re going to be hearing a lot in the next few weeks about a big summer project we’re working on with the Iowa Tourism Office that’s designed to get you out and about in Iowa this summer – and help you save money while you’re at it!

We’ll be using a short and sweet slogan as part of the “Experience Iowa” campaign: Keep Your Powerball Ticket Handy! The Lottery and several of Iowa’s most popular destinations will give special discounts to customers who have a Powerball ticket.

The idea behind the project is a new take on the “help your neighbor” concept. During times of crisis, there are always stories about folks in the Midwest – and Iowans in particular – helping their neighbors and their communities. In our campaign, the state, Iowa communities, Iowa businesses and Iowa attractions are all banding together to help our state weather the current economic storm. We hope that the project will drive millions of dollars in new or additional business into Iowa this summer.

Everything kicks off May 3. The lottery will start a promotion called “The Big Beepin’ Deal” that day. Through late May, for every 20th $10 Powerball® with Power Play® purchase that’s made statewide, the lottery terminal will make a beeping sound like a car horn and the customer who bought the ticket will win $20 cash on the spot.

The Iowa attractions that are part of the campaign also will start making their own special offers to Powerball players on May 3. The offers will change with each Powerball drawing and players can learn about the latest specials by logging onto www.ialottery.com or www.traveliowa.com.

Here’s a list of the major Iowa attractions that have been selected for the campaign:
• Iowa Speedway in Newton,
• Honey Creek Resort in Moravia
• Adventureland amusement park in Altoona
• Riverboat Twilight, which offers riverboat trips from Le Claire to Dubuque
• Kings Pointe Waterpark Resort in Storm Lake
• Iowa Marriott Hotels at special participating locations
• Pzazz/FunCity amusement park in Burlington
• Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque.

We’re going to keep you in suspense for now, so we’re not going to tell you what the special offers are just yet. Visit our Web sites starting May 3 and you’ll find out!

But that’s not all. The final piece of the campaign will be lottery “Prize Patrol” teams that will go out to local festivals and fairs and give free merchandise and special offers to folks there who have a Powerball ticket with them.

So, it will pay for you to have a Powerball ticket in your pocket this summer! Have fun and get out there and explore Iowa! 

Comments

[Mary]

Not a problem at all, Mike. We're happy to respond.

[Mike Byrne]

Thank you for clearing this up.I apologize for asking such a hard question that it took two days to answer.

[Mary]

The ticket that you use in the initiative will need to be for a specific current drawing and no, we won’t make you use winning tickets!  We know you’ll want to use your winning tickets to claim the prizes you’ve won, so the tickets you’ll use in the promotion will be nonwinning tickets.

The special offers made will change with each Powerball drawing, so watch for the special offers. The first eligible drawing is this coming Saturday’s drawing on May 2. Starting the following day, you can use nonwinning tickets from Saturday’s drawing to receive discounts or free offers at several businesses around the state, including the Honey Creek Resort in southern Iowa. That special offer will run until Wednesday.

Then starting on Thursday, May 7, a new round of special offers will be made and nonwinning tickets from Wednesday’s Powerball drawing (May 6) will be eligible for those offers.

[Mike Byrne]

I will ask you again because inquiring minds want to know:Can a person use an expired Powerball ticket to play this promotion?Only a fool would show his/her current Powerball ticket to a complete stranger.

[Mike Byrne]

Will the Powerball ticket in question have to be a current Powerball ticket or will an expired ticket suffice?I don't think I would be comfortable showing a current Powerball ticket to a complete stranger,would you?