ialottery blog

What's That About State Fair Tickets?

You may have read something in the newspaper over the weekend about the Iowa Lottery selling tickets to the Iowa State Fair. And you may remember that we announced that project here in the blog last month. The Fair asked us if we could help make its adult advance-admission tickets more accessible statewide and we've done our best to help out.

Here's the background about how the project came to be, what's involved in the sale of State Fair tickets this year, and all the options you have when it comes to buying your adult advance-admission tix to the 2010 Fair:

For years the Iowa State Fair has sold its tickets in hard-copy form with limited distribution at approximately 235 outlets. The Fair also sells its tickets at the Fairgrounds in Des Moines and online through its website. Tickets that are ordered from the website include shipping and handling fees for delivery to customers.

The State Fair has been investigating ways to modernize the distribution of its tickets and make them more widely available to customers across the state. The Fair asked the Lottery if there would be some way that State Fair tickets could be sold through lottery terminals, because that change would allow its tickets to be sold at the 2,000 retail locations statewide that have lottery terminals as opposed to only a few hundred locations. And, having State Fair tickets available in that many additional locations statewide would be a big convenience for customers.

The Lottery and State Fair have a long, successful history of working together (the very first Iowa Lottery tickets were sold at the Iowa State Fair back in 1985) and the Lottery wanted to help the Fair if it could.

After some investigating, we found out that our system could be changed to accommodate the sale of State Fair tickets, but there would be certain costs involved. Retailers receive a sales commission for the sale of products through the lottery's terminals, the vendor that supplies the lottery’s terminals receives a share of any sales, and the lottery would need to provide sales and accounting oversight for the project.

Of the $1 convenience fee that a customer pays to purchase a State Fair advance-admission adult ticket through a lottery terminal, 45 cents goes to the retailer as sales commission. Fifteen cents goes to the vendor providing the lottery's equipment. After the lottery provides sales, accounting and other oversight responsibilities for the project, the remaining proceeds are distributed to the state's General Fund.

The convenience fee for State Fair tickets through lottery terminals is the same thing as the convenience fees that are required for a lot of concert tickets or the convenience fees that you pay when you purchase movie tickets in advance online to guarantee your seats at the theatre. In the case of the movie tickets, it's a convenience to you as the consumer to be able to purchase your tickets at home and guarantee your spot in the theatre, but you don't have to do that. You can wait and buy your tickets at the theatre without paying a convenience fee.

It's the same thing with the advance-admission State Fair tickets through lottery terminals: Customers can buy tickets in person at the Fair and not pay the convenience fee. They can purchase tickets on the State Fair's website and pay shipping and handling charges. Or, they can have the convenience of buying tickets at a local store with a convenience fee.

The Lottery said it would help the Fair if it could and we're always glad to lend a hand to other important state projects when we can.
 
The bottom-line goal of the project has been to provide Fair fans added convenience and statewide accessibility to Iowa State Fair adult advance-admission tickets, and we believe that has happened.

FREE LOTTERY TIX AT STATE FAIR’S OPENING

Today, advance-admission tickets to the Iowa State Fair have gone on sale at lottery terminals across the state. And, here’s some more Fair news that involves the lottery: Those who attend the Fair’s opening ceremonies on Aug. 12 will get a free scratch ticket in our latest game that benefits veterans and their families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. One free ticket will be available to each person 21 and older during the Fair’s opening ceremonies only.

There will be lots of activities during the Fair’s first day: From 6 a.m. to noon, Fairgoers can take advantage of half-price admission with a coupon in the Iowa State Fair daily program special section from the Aug. 8 issue of “The Des Moines Register.” The Fair’s opening day will honor America’s Armed Forces, with country music artist Lee Greenwood giving a special performance during the opening ceremonies and a full concert that night at 7 p.m.  

This year’s Iowa State Fair is set for “Non Stop Fun” Aug. 12-22. As always, stop by to visit us at the Iowa Lottery’s booth! We’ll be in our usual spot in the southeast corner of the William C. Knapp Varied Industries Building. 

Lottery To Sell Discount-Admission Tix To State Fair

We’ve got a convenient new way for you to buy discount-admission tickets to this year’s Iowa State Fair. Starting July 1, you’ll be able to buy adult advance-admission tickets to the Fair at an Iowa Lottery sales terminal!

This is the first year we’ve teamed up with the Fair on this project, but our two organizations have a long history of working together, so we’re excited for this latest collaboration. This year’s Fair, by the way, is set for “Non Stop Fun” Aug. 12-22.

State Fair tickets will be printed from lottery terminals on the same paper that’s used for lotto tickets in games like Powerball® and Mega Millions®. Adult advance-admission to the Fair is $7, with a $1 convenience fee for tickets available from lottery terminals. Tickets go on sale July 1 and must be purchased by August 11, the day before the Fair.

Child advance-admission tickets aren’t available this year through the Lottery system, but will be available at all Dahl’s Food Stores, participating Fareways, as well as participating Iowa and Omaha-area Hy-Vee and Hy-Vee Drugstores. Those tix will cost $3.

Adult and child tickets are also available now at www.iowastatefair.org or at the State Fair Ticket office beginning July 12. Tickets are good any one day of the Fair. Children 5 and under are admitted free everyday.

Earlier, I mentioned the long history between the Fair and the Lottery. Did you know that the first  
Iowa Lottery tickets were sold at the 1985 State Fair? And, Lottery proceeds were used to remodel the Grandstand on the State Fairgrounds. The Lottery also sells tickets each year during the Fair at its booth in the William C. Knapp Varied Industries Building.

What's The Deal With These Tickets?

There’s something kind of unusual going on in Iowa right now in terms of unclaimed lottery tickets: There are four tickets out there that each have won a $10,000 prize and they’re all about to expire!

I’m using a bullhorn pic for this blog entry as a not-so-subtle reminder for you to check and double-check your tickets!

The $10,000 unclaimed prizes are in the Powerball and Hot Lotto games. Here are the details:
 

Powerball
Prize Drawing	Amount Won	Retailer	Expiration
July 1, 2009	$10,000	Wings America, Avoca	July 1, 2010
July 15, 2009	$10,000	Kum & Go, Council Bluffs	July 15, 2010
July 18, 2009	$10,000	Git-N-Go, Pleasant Hill	July 19, 2010

Hot Lotto
Prize Drawing	Amount Won	Retailer	Expiration
July 11, 2009	$10,000	Pronto, Kingsley	July 12, 2010

For a complete list of all the unclaimed lotto prizes in Iowa right now, click here.

In the lottery’s latest financial year, more than $1.3 million in prizes went unclaimed in lotto games. Unclaimed prize money in Iowa goes into the prize pools for future lottery games. So, the money will be used to pay prizes, just not the particular prizes that have expired.

 

What’s In It For You At Lottery B-Day Party?

The Iowa Lottery is turning 25 this year and we’re celebrating with a summer travel project that will give you the chance to win cash prizes and rack up savings at businesses and local festivals across the state. The key to it all is our new $5 instant-scratch game, “The Silver Ticket.”

You can win instant prizes in the game from $5 up to $25,000. And if you don’t win a cash prize, there are a few different ways your ticket can be used for even more value:

• “Silver Ticket Savings.” Iowa Lottery players can use nonwinning tickets like a coupon for savings at Iowa events, businesses and attractions. A complete list of the special discount offers available to Silver Ticket customers will be available on the Tourism Office Web site at www.traveliowa.com beginning April 26.
• “Silver Ticket Cash Stops.” Lottery players can use nonwinning tickets in The Silver Ticket game for a chance to win cash prizes in contests the lottery will hold at 25 events across the state. Four cash prizes of up to $500 will be awarded during each contest for a total of $1,000 in prizes at each event.
• Finally, State Fairgoers can use their nonwinning ticket as an entry in the Silver Ticket Cash Stop festivities during the Tourism-Lottery project’s finale event, the Iowa State Fair.

Legislation authorizing a lottery in Iowa was signed into law on April 18, 1985, and the Iowa Lottery sold its first tickets during a kick-off celebration on Aug. 22, 1985, at the State Fair.

Meet Iowa’s First Mega Millions Millionaire

Meeting lottery winners and learning their stories is one of the nicest things about working at the lottery. Each person has their own excitement and life story to share. But Iowa’s latest $1 million winner had such a great detail to his tale that we just had to work it in to his announcement.

You see, Robert Boehm of Denison was worried that he would lose his $1 million-winning Mega Millions® ticket. So, to make sure he didn’t accidentally throw it away, he put it inside an envelope and then labeled that envelope “winning lottery ticket.”

And it worked! Robert and his ticket made it to lottery headquarters yesterday, where he claimed his $1 million prize.

Boehm, by the way, has kept Iowa’s string of millionaires going. Twelve Iowa Lottery players have won prizes of $1 million since 2008!

Is It You? We Wish We Knew!

We’ve written about it here before, but now we’re really serious: Time is running out for someone to claim a $200,000-winning Powerball ticket sold in Council Bluffs. Several other lotto prizes of up to $10,000 also are unclaimed in Iowa and will expire in the next few months if the winners don’t come forward.

Now is the time to double-check your tickets!

The $200,000-winning ticket was sold at Eddy’s at 3434 Nebraska Ave. in Council Bluffs for the Powerball drawing on Saturday, May 9, 2009. It came close to winning it all, matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball to win a $200,000 prize. The winning numbers that night were: 4-15-32-49-58 and Powerball 21.

The winner or winners have until the close of business (4 p.m.) on May 10 to claim the prize at a lottery office. The Iowa Lottery has offices in Council Bluffs, Storm Lake, Mason City, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.  

We visited the Eddy’s location on Tuesday and put up some fun signs outside the store to get people’s attention. Maybe we’ll find the winner before it’s too late!  

In the lottery’s latest financial year, more than $1.3 million in prizes went unclaimed in Iowa lotto games. Unclaimed prize money in Iowa goes into the prize pools for future lottery games. So, the money will be used to pay prizes, just not the particular prize that’s expired.

In addition to the ticket purchased in Council Bluffs, tickets for these major Iowa Lottery prizes also are unclaimed and are set to expire in the next few months:

Powerball
Prize Drawing	Amount Won	Retailer	Expiration
July 1, 2009	$10,000	Wings America, Avoca	July 1, 2010
July 15, 2009	$10,000	Kum & Go, Council Bluffs	July 15, 2010
July 18, 2009	$10,000	Git-N-Go, Pleasant Hill	July 19, 2010

Hot Lotto
Prize Drawing	Amount Won	Retailer	Expiration
July 11, 2009	$10,000	Pronto, Kingsley	July 12, 2010

Pick 3
Prize Drawing	Amount Won	Retailer	Expiration
March 16, 2010	$1,800	Quick Shop, Clear Lake	June 14, 2010
March 20, 2010	$1,750	Quick Shop, Clear Lake	June 18, 2010

Double-Check Your Tickets

A $10,000-winning Hot Lotto® ticket that was purchased nearly a year ago at a Sioux City convenience store is still unclaimed, and the deadline for the winner(s) to come forward is later this month!

The $10,000-winning ticket was sold at Maggie’s Mini Mart, 1203 Tri View Ave. in Sioux City, for the Hot Lotto drawing on March 21, 2009. It came close to winning the jackpot that night, matching the first five numbers but missing the Hot Ball® to win a $10,000 prize. The winning numbers were: 2-10-11-14-28 and Hot Ball 1.

The prize will expire if it’s not claimed by 4 p.m. on Monday, March 22, at an Iowa Lottery office!  

In fiscal year 2009, lotto prizes totaling about $1.3 million were left unclaimed in Iowa. That money goes into prize pools for future lottery games, so it will be used to pay prizes, just not the specific prize that’s expired.

In addition to the Sioux City prize, here are some other big unclaimed prizes in Iowa that will expire in the next couple months if the winner(s) doesn’t come forward.

Pick 4

Prize Drawing	Amount Won	Retailer	Expiration
Dec. 20, 2009	$3,125	Eddy's, Council Bluffs	March 22, 2010
Dec. 28, 2009	$3,250	Express Lane, Davenport	March 29, 2010

Powerball

Prize Drawing	Amount Won	Retailer	Expiration
May 9, 2009	$200,000	Eddy's, Council Bluffs	May 10, 2010

Iowa Lottery players have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes in Hot Lotto, Powerball® and Mega Millions®. Players have up to 90 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes in Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game and the Iowa Lottery’s Pick 3 and Pick 4 games. If the expiration date falls on a weekend or holiday when the lottery’s offices are closed, the winner has until the close of business on the next business day to turn in the ticket.

The moral of this story is: Double-check your tickets!

Where’s The Rest Of The Money?

A Dubuque man’s recent top-prize win in the “Set For Life” instant-scratch game sparked an online conversation among some folks who questioned the amount he’d won. We’ll cover the issue here today to try to clear things up!

The situation involved in Set For Life is the same as in Powerball® or Mega Millions®. It all has to do with whether you choose to receive your winnings in a one-time, lump-sum payment or in annuitized payments over time.

When Sorin Ganea of Dubuque claimed the top prize in Set For Life on Feb. 8, he chose to receive his winnings in a lump-sum payment. The $20 scratch game features eight top prizes of $1 million. And, if you win the top prize like Ganea, you can receive the money in annuitized payments or as a lump sum. If you choose the annuity, you’ll be paid $40,000 a year for 25 years, which adds up to $1 million. If you choose to receive the prize as a lump sum, you’ll receive $650,000 before taxes.

The difference between the two amounts has to do with interest money. And when you choose the cash option, the interest money doesn’t exist – all you get is the cash that the lottery has on hand from the sale of tickets in the game. Let’s take a closer look at that.

When you choose the annuity option, the lottery invests the initial money from the sale of tickets in the game and then gives the player payments over a period of years. The money that’s invested earns interest over that time, so the initial cash plus all that interest adds up to the annuitized jackpot amount.

When you choose the lump-sum option, all you receive is the amount of money that’s on hand from the sale of tickets in the game. There is no interest money because you’ve chosen to get a one-time cash payment.

So the bottom-line answer is that when you choose the cash option, the interest that would have built up over time doesn’t exist. Nothing happens to “the rest of the money” and no one else gets it because it simply isn’t there. That’s why the cash option is always less than the annuitized prize amount.

OK, Seriously, Who Has Those Tickets?

The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $138 million, which gives us the perfect chance to call attention to some big Powerball prizes that are still unclaimed in Iowa. So, if you’ve got some tickets at home that you haven’t checked yet, go find them and check those numbers! You could have a big prize waiting!

There are two $200,000-winning Powerball tickets that are unclaimed in Iowa, along with several tickets that have won lotto prizes of $10,000 and $20,000.

Here are the details about the $200,000-winning tickets: The first was sold at Eddy’s convenience store, 3434 Nebraska Ave. in Council Bluffs, for the Powerball drawing on May 9. It expires on May 10, 2010.

The second was sold at Hy-Vee Gas, 2353 W. Locust in Davenport, for the Powerball drawing on July 22. It will expire on July 22, 2010.

For a complete list of unclaimed lotto prizes in Iowa, click here. And if you’ve got one of those tickets, get in to one of our offices to claim it! Hearing lottery winners’ stories and presenting them with big checks is one of the most fun things about working at the lottery. We’d love to meet you!