“Questions, Questions, Questions…”

While Mary is on vacation this week, a couple of us at the Lottery get to have fun being guest bloggers here at ialotteryblog.com! I’m Terry Rich and I became the Iowa Lottery’s president and CEO in February of this year.

I’ve quickly discovered that the most frequently asked question of any lottery employee is, “What’s the winning Powerball number?”

I’ve tried a lot of responses, but my current reply is, “72.” Once people realize there are only 39 numbers to choose from for the Powerball, they have a good laugh. But the reassuring answer is “If I, or anyone, knew the numbers before they were drawn, then the game would be able to be fixed. And if it could be fixed, no one would play.”

We constantly work to make sure the lottery’s games are fair and fun. That’s why I think the Iowa Lottery is so successful. But it always amazes me that people pick numbers for the most unique reasons: birthdays, anniversaries, the numbers in their fortune cookies, etc. The numbers they choose may be different, but all Powerball players have something in common: They get to have a little fun dreaming while they’re playing the game.