ialottery blog

REMINDER: All or Nothing Game Ends Tonight, Drawing Times Change Tomorrow For Pick 3 & Pick 4

Here’s a friendly reminder about some changes coming to three of our lotto games.

Today, the final drawings in the All or Nothing game will be held. Following tonight’s drawing, this game will end. All or Nothing has been offered in both Iowa and Minnesota since January 2014, and although it initially sold well, sales have tapered off over time.

Over the course of the game’s run, there were a total of 20 top prize winners; nine here in Iowa and 11 in Minnesota. (Of course, we could still add to this total with today’s midday and evening drawings.)

Also, starting tomorrow, the drawings in Iowa’s Pick 3 and Pick 4 games will be held at slightly different times from their current schedule and we’ll begin utilizing drawings with ball-drawing equipment for these games.

Effective tomorrow, midday Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings will be held at approximately 12:20 p.m. (previously these drawings were held at about 12:50 p.m.). Evening Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings will be held at approximately 10 p.m. (previously these drawings were held at about 8:50 p.m.).

Additionally, the sales cutoff times prior to the Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings will be shortened to just 20 minutes from the current 50-minute delay.

All or Nothing Game Ending, Drawing Times Changing For Pick 3 & Pick 4

Changes are coming to three of our lotto games on June 30 and July 1.Changes are coming to three of our lotto games on June 30 and July 1.

On June 30, the final drawing will be held in the “All or Nothing™” game and on July 1, the drawing times will change in the Pick 3 and Pick 4 games, giving players longer to buy tickets each evening.

All or Nothing is a joint game offered by Iowa and Minnesota in which players can win the $100,000 top prize by matching all 12 or none of the winning numbers in one of its drawings. The game has been offered since January 2014, and Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said that although it initially sold well, sales have tapered off over time.

Because the All or Nothing game is ending effective June 30, the lottery is required to limit the number of multi-draw tickets clerks may sell beginning June 23. A countdown to the last drawing will begin on this day and the number of multi-draw tickets available will be reduced with each drawing until the game’s final evening drawing on June 30.

Effective July 1, the drawings in Iowa’s Pick 3 and Pick 4 games will be held at slightly different times from their current schedule and the sales cutoff times for these games will be shortened. Here’s the changes: 

• Midday Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings will be held at approximately 12:20 p.m. (currently these drawings are held at about 12:50 p.m.)
• Evening Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings will be held at approximately 10 p.m. (currently these drawings are held at about 8:50 p.m.)
• Sales cutoff times prior to the drawings will be shortened to just 20 minutes from the current 50-minute delay.

Rich said that as technology has gotten faster, the processing that the lottery has to complete before its drawings can be done in a shorter period of time. 

As the lottery continues to monitor its game offerings, players can expect more improvements and changes to other lotto products in the coming months.

Reminders About How To Redeem Winning Tickets

We got nearly identical questions from Facebook and by email from two different players asking where winning pull-tab tickets can be cashed here in Iowa. Here’s the answer in case you have wondered the same thing:

Prizes in our pull-tab games need to claimed at the retail location where you purchased your ticket, or, for pull-tab prizes of more than $600, at a lottery office. This is due to the individual accounting procedures for those games.

If you don’t remember where you bought your winning pull-tab ticket or you received the ticket as a gift, you can send us an email or call us and we can tell you where the ticket was purchased. We’ll need to know the name of the pull-tab game on your ticket as well as the ticket’s serial number, which is found on the front, right above the bar code.

All tickets in any of the Iowa Lottery’s other games can be redeemed at any lottery retailer across the state, except for prizes of more than $600. Those prizes must be claimed at a lottery office for tax-reporting purposes.

And remember the deadlines for claiming prizes. Scratch and pull-tab tickets are valid for 90 days after the announced end of the game. Tickets in Powerball^®, Mega Millions^®, Hot Lotto^®, Lucky for Life^® and All or Nothing™ are valid for 365 days from the date of the drawing. Tickets in Pick 3, Pick 4 and InstaPlay are valid 90 days from the date of the drawing.

You can find more information about claiming lottery prizes on our website, here.

Player Mail: How Many States Play ‘Game X’?

We got a question last week from a player who wondered which states are in the lotto games we have here in Iowa. Here’s a quick membership breakdown so you’ll have all the lists in one place!

Powerball® is played in Iowa and by 46 other lotteries. Here’s a link to the map showing all of the members in that game. And yes, it’s nearly the entire country.

Mega Millions® is nearly as big, being offered by a total of 46 lotteries. (Puerto Rico is a member of Powerball but not Mega Millions, so that’s the difference.) Here is a map showing that game’s membership.        

Lucky for Life® is sold by 21 lotteries while Hot Lotto® is sold by 15 lotteries around the country.

The multi-state version of All or Nothing™ is sold in Iowa and Minnesota.

The Pick 3 and Pick 4 games that we have here in Iowa are offered only in our state. So, those two games truly are “Iowa only.”

We offer a variety of games in all of our product lines – lotto games, scratch games and pull-tab games – so you’ll have a variety to choose from. And if you don’t care for one particular game, hopefully you’ll find a different one that you like. With different price points, game designs and playstyles, we hope to have something for everyone.

Davenport Ticket Wins Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a Davenport supermarket has won Iowa’s second big prize in the Lucky for Life game.

The Davenport ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in last night’s drawing to win the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life. The lucky ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee, 4064 E. 53rd St. in Davenport.

The winning numbers in last night’s Lucky for Life drawing were: 13-21-27-35-43 and Lucky Ball 14.

Hy-Vee will get a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket at one of its stores.

Iowa became the 18th state to offer Lucky for Life when sales started here in late January. Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings twice a week, at 9:38 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Players choose five numbers from a pool of 48 for the white balls and 1 out of 18 numbers for the Lucky Ball. Players can win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life by matching all six numbers selected in one of its drawings. The game’s second prize – for matching the first five numbers but missing the Lucky Ball – is $25,000 a year for life. Other prize levels in the game range from $4 up to $5,000.

The game’s top two prize levels are described as “lasting as long as you do,” meaning they are truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there’s a lump-sum option for those who would prefer that.

The top two prize levels in Lucky for Life have to be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. If the winner or winners of the Davenport ticket need information before coming forward to claim the prize, they’re welcome to call us here at the lottery at 515-725-7900.

In March, a Sioux City man won Lucky for Life’s prize of $25,000 a year for life with a ticket he bought at a Hy-Vee store in his community. Roy King, 62, said he’d seen a sign about Lucky for Life and decided to give it a try. He won his big prize with the fourth ticket he purchased in the game. He and his wife planned to use the lottery winnings to plan for retirement.

 

Player Mail: Are Drawing Results Always Posted At The Same Time On Your Website?

Here’s a question that came our way this week: Are the results from our drawings always posted at the same time on our website?

The quick answer is that we obviously want people to have our drawing results as quickly as possible, but there are realities involved that mean we can’t always post the information at exactly the same time each day.

Sometimes it takes longer to balance all of the sales figures for a particular drawing. Sometimes we might have a new staffer at work who is understandably taking a little longer to go through procedures the first few times. Sometimes automated systems may not run as they should, and that means that processes have to be done manually, which can take more time.

We’ll continue to do our best to provide our results as quickly as we can. But I’ve said this before about other things and it applies here as well: As long as human beings are involved in any process, things will vary a little.   

One way to get the results without having to check our website is to sign up for the lottery’s winning numbers emails, so our drawing results will come to your inbox each morning. Click here to learn how to sign up for those emails.

Just How Many Free Plays Did You Give Out?

Our month-long promotion just wrapped where we gave away free plays in some of our lotto games. And folks have asked: Just how many player bonuses did you give out? The answer: A lot!

The “30-Day Ticket Giveaway” began Aug. 24 and continued through Tuesday. Players in Mega Millions®, Hot Lotto® and All or Nothing™ had the chance to win a free easy-pick play when they made a purchase. If their ticket was the 30th sold statewide in that particular game, the lottery terminal played a special “Surprise! Player Bonus!” sound and then automatically printed a free $1 easy-pick ticket for the next drawing in that same game.

We’ve now got the final figures from the promotion, and it turns out that players in Iowa received 29,792 free plays during the 30 days. Not too shabby!

(And here’s a hint: Check back here for the details about our next big promotion, which will start early next month.) 

The Latest Way You Can Join In Our Big Celebration

Our celebration of the Iowa Lottery’s 30th birthday is amping up again today, this time focusing on lotto players, since our promotion earlier this summer focused on scratch games.

The “30-Day Ticket Giveaway” started this morning, giving players in the Mega Millions^®, Hot Lotto^® and All or Nothing™ games the chance to win a free easy-pick play when they make a purchase. Here’s how it works:

When a player buys a ticket in one of those three games and their ticket is the 30th sold statewide in that same game, the lottery terminal will play a special “Surprise! Player Bonus!” sound and then automatically print a fee, $1 easy-pick ticket for the next drawing in that game. It’s that simple and it’s FREE!

This special offer began at the start of business this morning and continues until 11:59 p.m. central time on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Please note that the free ticket applies to the 30th ticket sold in each of those games statewide, not at one particular location. So have fun with it and be listening for the Player Bonus recording from the terminal!

Winner News Update!

That $100,000 prize won with a ticket that didn’t match any numbers has been claimed today by a central Iowa man! And for you visual learners, we’ve got a video about the unclaimed prizes that are approaching their expiration dates in Council Bluffs and Waukon.

Jeff Garrison of Ankeny got our morning out to a fun start when he claimed the top prize in our All or Nothing™ game! Jeff’s ticket missed all of the numbers in Sunday’s evening All or Nothing drawing, and as you likely know, that means he won a $100,000 prize. Congrats, Jeff! Who knew an “unlucky” ticket could be so lucky?

We also gave you the early scoop yesterday about two sizeable Powerball® prizes here in Iowa that will expire next month if they’re not claimed in time. Here’s a video that tells you what you need to know about them. So if you’ve got a ticket that you haven’t checked yet, please get it out and check it!

 

Tons Of Winner News Today!

We have so much winner news to talk about today! Over the holiday weekend, someone who bought a ticket in Ankeny won the $100,000 top prize in All or Nothing™. But the expiration date is coming up for two Powerball® prizes in Council Bluffs and Waukon.  

The top prize in All or Nothing was won in Sunday’s evening drawing with a ticket that didn’t match any of the numbers that night. The lucky ticket was purchased at Mills Fleet Farm, 4275 S.E. Delaware Ave. in Ankeny.

The winning numbers in that night’s drawing were: 1-3-6-7-9-10-11-12-17-18-21-24. The lucky winner or winners can claim the prize at one of the Iowa Lottery’s offices – either at its headquarters in Clive or one of its regional offices in Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Mason City or Storm Lake.

The two Powerball prizes that are nearing expiration are for $10,000 and $20,000. They’ll expire next month if they’re not claimed in time.

The $10,000 prize was won in Council Bluffs in the Powerball drawing on June 18, 2014, with a ticket purchased at Casey’s, 1030 Veterans Memorial Highway. It came close to winning that night’s $50 million jackpot, matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball to win a $10,000 prize. The winning numbers were: 6-9-29-52-59 and Powerball 7. The Power Play® number was 3.

The winner or winners of that prize have until the close of business at 4 p.m. on June 18 to claim the prize at a lottery office.

The $20,000 prize was won in Waukon in the Powerball drawing on June 28, 2014, with a ticket purchased at Quillin’s Food Ranch, 9 Ninth St. S.W. That ticket also matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. But whoever bought the ticket also added the Power Play, which multiplied the prize to $20,000. The winning numbers in that night’s $80 million jackpot drawing were: 8-12-34-43-56 and Powerball 9. The Power Play was 2.     The winner or winners of that prize have until the close of business at 4 p.m. on June 29 to claim the prize at a lottery office.

In our last fiscal year, nearly $1.4 million in prizes expired without being claimed in Iowa lotto games. The money from unclaimed prizes in Iowa goes into our prize pools for future games and promotions, so it will be used to pay prizes, just not those prizes that have expired

Hey, Can You Show Me Those New Emails?

 

After I blogged last week about the new look for the emails you can get from us with the latest results in our lotto drawings, some folks asked if we could SHOW what the make-over looks like and how to sign up.

Your wish is our command! Click on the video above to learn all about it.

An Easy Way To Get The Latest Drawing Results!

We just debuted a new, easier-to-read layout for the emails we send out that provide the latest results in all our lotto drawings. You can sign up to receive this service so the drawing results from your favorite game come right to your inbox – in a new, streamlined look!

Click here to see how to sign up. It’s easy to do – you just send us an email requesting to be added to the list. Winning numbers will be emailed to you daily in Powerball^®, Mega Millions^®, Hot Lotto^®, All or Nothing™, Pick 3 and Pick 4!

Good luck and thanks for playing.

Talk About Good Luck On Friday The 13th!

Who said Friday the 13th is unlucky? Someone who bought a ticket in northwest Iowa ended up winning a $100,000 prize today in a lotto drawing.

It happened in the midday All or Nothing drawing. A ticket purchased at Casey’s, 101 Fifth Ave. SW in Le Mars, matched all 12 numbers to win the game’s top prize of $100,000. The winning numbers in the drawing were: 1-5-7-8-9-14-15-16-17-20-21-23.

The lucky winner or winners can claim the prize at one of the Iowa Lottery’s offices – either at its headquarters in Clive or one of its regional offices in Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Mason City or Storm Lake.

This is the second time in less than a month that Iowa has had a top prize winner in the joint Iowa-Minnesota lotto game. Douglas Whitney of Mount Vernon won All or Nothing’s $100,000 top prize in the Feb. 18 midday drawing by matching all 12 numbers drawn.

Since the game’s debut in January last year, there have been eight $100,000 top prize winners overall, including five in Iowa.

Even Split of All or Nothing™ Top Prize Winners So Far!

We’re approaching the first anniversary of the All or Nothing game, which is sold here in Iowa and Minnesota, and during the past year, a friendly rivalry has developed between our two lotteries. And did you know we’re tied right now?

Since the first drawing on Jan. 28, 2014, there have been six $100,000 top-prize winners in All or Nothing, with three in Minnesota and three here in Iowa.

And of those top-prize winners, three won by matching all 12 numbers drawn and three won big by matching no numbers at all. Remember you can win the $100,000 top prize both ways in this game.

Here is a list of the All or Nothing top-prize winners so far:

• A Minnesota Lottery ticket sold in Wright Co., Minn. matched zero numbers in the evening drawing on March 16, 2014. This prize remains unclaimed.
• Jimmy Cheng of Urbandale matched all 12 numbers in the midday drawing on May 5;
• Darlene Snider of Rosemount, Minn. matched zero numbers in the evening drawing on July 25;
• Paul Jagnow of Iowa City matched zero numbers in the midday drawing on Oct. 31;
• Max Duffy of Marshalltown matched all 12 numbers in the evening drawing on Dec. 26;
• Charles Sims of Minneapolis matched all 12 numbers in the midday drawing on Jan. 6.

With the score tied 3-3, it’s time for one state lottery to take the lead. We’re a bit biased, but we’re pulling for Iowa in this one!

Talk about a nice holiday surprise!  Someone who bought an All or Nothing ticket in Marshalltown won the game’s top prize of $100,000 in Friday’s evening drawing by matching all 12 of the numbers drawn!

This is the third top prize in the game won in Iowa, and it’s the fifth overall produced in the joint Iowa-Minnesota game since it began back in January.

Our state’s three top-prize winners have won $100,000 both ways that you can in the game: by matching all of the numbers in one of its drawings or none of the numbers!

The latest top-prize winning ticket was sold at Casey’s 1201 Iowa Ave. W. in Marshalltown. It matched all 12 winning numbers in Friday’s evening drawing. They were: 1-3-6-7-8-13-16-17-19-21-23-24.

This prize can be claimed at any of our five regional offices. But a quick reminder for the lucky winner or winners: If you’re planning to claim this prize at lottery headquarters in Des Moines, please be aware that we are moving right now! We’ll be open at our current location on Grand Ave. in Des Moines until noon tomorrow, then our HQ location will be closed until noon on Wednesday, when we’ll open at our new office in Clive. If you’re the lucky winner and you have questions before coming in to claim your prize, please feel free to give us a shout at 515-725-7900. That’s the lottery’s main telephone number and it will be working, even during the move!

Iowa’s first top prize in All or Nothing was Jimmy Cheng of Urbandale. He won by matching all 12 numbers selected in the game’s midday drawing on May 5. Our state’s second top prize winner in the game was Paul Jagnow of Iowa City, who hit it big by missing all of the numbers in the midday drawing on Halloween.

If you’re not familiar with All or Nothing, here’s the 411 about it: It’s a joint game played in Iowa and Minnesota, with two drawings each day. Players in All or Nothing choose 12 numbers from a pool of 24. Twelve winning numbers are selected in each midday and evening drawing and plays in the game cost $1.

The game has an hourglass prize structure offering 10 ways to win, with the $100,000 top prize at the two extremes - for matching all or nothing - and smaller prizes working in from there. Players can win the game's second prize of $1,000 for matching 11 of the winning numbers or just one of them. The $20 prize level is for those who match 10 numbers or two; the $5 level is for those who match nine numbers or three; and players win $1 for matching eight of the numbers or four. Those who wind up in the middle by matching five, six or seven numbers do not win a prize.

Drawings are held at 12:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. each day. You can buy tickets for the next drawing until about half an hour before it. If you buy a ticket after the cutoff time, it will be for a subsequent drawing.

This Is No Joke; Ticket Wins $100,000 By Matching NO NUMBERS!

What a treat on Halloween. An All or Nothing ticket in Friday’s midday drawing matched none of the 12 numbers drawn to win a $100,000 top prize! This is the fourth $100,000 top prize produced in the joint Iowa-Minnesota game since it began January 28.

So far, Minnesota players have won two $100,000 top prizes and now Iowa has its second $100,000 top prize winning ticket. The first was claimed by Jimmy Cheng of Urbandale. Cheng won by matching all 12 numbers selected in the game’s midday drawing on May 5.

Friday’s winning ticket was sold at Gasby’s, 1310 S. Gilbert St. in Iowa City. The winning numbers in Friday’s midday All or Nothing drawing were: 6-7-8-12-13-14-17-18-21-22-23-24.

This prize can be claimed at any of our five regional offices. We look forward to meeting the winner or winners of this $100,000 top prize.

All or Nothing is a joint game being offered in both states, with two drawings per day, seven days a week. Players in All or Nothing choose 12 numbers from a pool of 24. Twelve winning numbers are selected in each midday and evening drawing and plays in the game cost $1.

The game has an hourglass prize structure offering 10 ways to win, with the $100,000 top prize at the two extremes - for matching all or nothing - and smaller prizes working in from there. Players can win the game's second prize of $1,000 for matching 11 of the winning numbers or just one of them. The $20 prize level is for those who match 10 numbers or two; the $5 level is for those who match nine numbers or three; and players win $1 for matching eight of the numbers or four. Those who wind up in the middle by matching five, six or seven numbers will not win a prize. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are 1 in 4.54.

Drawings are held at 12:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. daily. Players are able to buy tickets for the next drawing until about half an hour before it. If they purchase a ticket after the cutoff time, it will be for a subsequent drawing.

Just Why Is It Called the ‘Iowa Lottery’?

Here’s a question to ponder as we head into the weekend. It came to us from a man named Matt on Facebook. He posted, “Random question that has always bugged me. Why is it called ‘Iowa Lottery’ when it’s the exact same lottery as other states?”

Now, that’s a good one! I think Matt is partly right and partly wrong. Here’s why:

It is true that you can buy tickets in Iowa in games that are sold in multiple states, including Powerball®, Mega Millions®, Hot Lotto® and All or Nothing™. But you also can buy lottery games here in our state that are completely unique to Iowa, including most of our scratch games and pull-tab games.

And bottom line, all of the proceeds from the sale of lottery tickets in the state of Iowa stay right here to benefit worthy Iowa causes. Since its start in 1985, the Iowa Lottery has raised more than $1.5 billion for the state programs that help us all.   Today, lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans and their families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund; help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund; and backing for the Vision Iowa program, which was implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions in the state and build and repair schools.

And that is why it’s called the Iowa Lottery. Great question, Matt!

This Winner’s Got STYLE!

A Quad Cities man who’s been a regular visitor to claim prizes at our Cedar Rapids office this year is having a lot of fun as he poses for his winner photos – and it shows! But I’ve got to ask: How many hats can one guy have?

Since May 2, Marvin Lagarde of Davenport has won seven lottery prizes of at least $1,000. His winning streak started May 2 when he claimed a $3,125 prize in Pick 4. Since then, he’s collected six prizes, each of a little more than $1,000, in All or Nothing.

As you can see in the pictures here, he’s a photo-posin’ machine! In fact, on Aug. 14, he claimed two All or Nothing prizes and requested that a different photo be taken for each of his winning tickets. (They’re the bottom two photos.) He even changed outfits – and hats – in between shots so each picture would look different!

That wasn’t Marvin’s biggest winning day, however. On July 23, he claimed four All or Nothing prizes totaling more than $4,000 – but he only took one photo that day! (It’s the second one.)

Another interesting note: Marvin has bought all of his winning tickets at the Express Lane Gas & Food Mart, 4425 W. Locust St. in Davenport.

Hats off to you, Marvin, for having so much fun as a lottery winner! We hope to see you again soon. And by all means, feel free to wear a new hat!

We'll See You THURSDAY At The State Fair!

We gave you a head’s up back in June about our plans for this year’s Iowa State Fair, and here’s a reminder about all the fun to come on Thursday!

The Iowa Lottery will be the opening-day sponsor of this year’s Fair, so we’ll be at four the main admission gates Thursday morning to hand out coupons for a free play in our All or Nothing™ lotto game. (The fine print: Coupon giveaways are scheduled for 5-9 a.m. Coupons can only be given to fair-goers at least 21 years old, one coupon per person, while supplies last.) There also will be discounted admission at the gates from 5 a.m. to noon that day, so visit www.iowastatefair.org for more details.

Here’s a list of the gates where we’ll be giving out coupons for free plays: Gate 4, at the campgrounds on the Fairgrounds’ east side; Gate 8, at Rock Island Avenue on the south side of the Fairgrounds; Gate 11, at the Grand Concourse on the west side of the Fairgrounds; and Gate 15, at the north parking lot. Lottery signs will mark the gates where coupons are being given away, so look for one of the signs to ensure you’re entering a gate where you can receive a coupon for a free play.

We’ll also have fun that morning with WHO Radio’s Van & Bonnie as they broadcast live from Expo Hill on the Fairgrounds. While their show is on the air from 5 to 9 a.m., fair-goers can sign up for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $100 cash or one of two Lady Antebellum concert prize packs from the lottery. Join us at Expo Hill that morning to fill out a contest form and get in on the action.

One other thing for you to note: The lottery will not have a booth in the Varied Industries Building during this year’s State Fair. With the upcoming move to our new headquarters location, we need to dedicate additional resources to that project, so we couldn’t do a booth this time around. But we’re excited to see everyone on the Fair’s opening day and know we’ll have a good time Thursday morning!

And while you’re at the Fair, don’t forget the “History on a Stick” walk you can take to learn about the Fair’s historic sites while getting in a little cardio. Leaders of the Healthiest State Initiative, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds and other state leaders will head up the first official version of the 1K walk at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, with the Department of Natural Resources Building serving as the starting line on the Grand Concourse.

The Fair’s historic walking tour is a tune-up for the annual Healthiest State Walk on Oct. 8. Remember, the goal is to make this year’s walk the biggest ever, so we’ll need more than 300,000 Iowans to participate this time around!

We’ll Be Opening-Day Sponsor At 2014 Iowa State Fair!

State Fair time will be here before you know it, and I’m excited to announce that the Iowa Lottery will be the opening-day sponsor of this year’s Fair! And even before that, we’ll have some great contests with radio stations around the state to give away prize packages to the Lady Antebellum concert Aug. 16 at the State Fair Grandstand. Let’s get this party started!

In the weeks leading up to the Fair, the lottery will have contests on radio stations across the state to give away Lady Antebellum concert prize packages. Each prize pack will include two concert tickets to the Aug. 16 Grandstand show, two admission tickets to the Fair, a parking pass, $30 in Fair food tickets, and a sweet lottery swag bag! A list of participating radio stations is available on our promotions page.

Then on Aug. 7, the Fair’s opening day, lottery staff will be at four of the main admission gates that morning to hand out coupons for a free play in our All or Nothing™ lotto game. (The fine print: Coupon giveaways are scheduled for 5-9 a.m. Coupons can only be given to fair-goers at least 21 years old, one coupon per person, while supplies last.) There also will be discounted admission at the gates from 5 a.m. to noon that day, so visit www.iowastatefair.org for more details.

And we’ll have fun that morning with WHO Radio’s Van & Bonnie as they broadcast live from Expo Hill on the Fairgrounds. While their show is on the air from 5 to 9 a.m. that day, fair-goers can sign up for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $100 cash or a Lady Antebellum concert prize pack from the lottery.

It will be a busy morning!

One thing for you to note: The lottery will not have a booth in the Varied Industries Building during this year’s State Fair. With the upcoming move to our new headquarters location, we need to dedicate additional resources to that project, so we couldn’t do a booth this time around. But we’re excited to see everyone on the Fair’s opening day and know we’ll have a good time that morning!

Which are the gates where we’ll be giving out coupons? Here’s the list: Gate 4, at the campgrounds on the Fairgrounds’ east side; Gate 8, at Rock Island Avenue on the south side of the Fairgrounds; Gate 11, at the Grand Concourse on the west side of the Fairgrounds; and Gate 15, at the north parking lot. Lottery signs will mark the gates where coupons will be given away, so look for one of the signs to ensure you’re entering a gate where you can receive a coupon for a free play.

More Player Mail, This Time About All or Nothing…

I think this week’s warmer weather has us all poking our heads up above ground again because we’re getting player mail about all sorts of topics! Several of the questions have been about our new All or Nothing™ lotto game as folks continue to learn about it.

A few people who contacted us said they thought there were only two ways to win in the game – by matching all of the numbers in one of its drawings or none of them. Well, that IS the name of the game and it does signify that you can win its top prize by matching all or nothing. But there are eight other ways to win in it, too, so be sure to check your ticket for those prizes as well!

One woman who reached out to us was afraid she’d thrown away a $20 winning ticket because she didn’t realize that was one of the game’s prize levels. Be sure to check your tickets for any prize you may have won, not just the top prize!

We’ve described the prize structure in All or Nothing as looking like an hourglass with all the different ways you can win, so I’ve included that graphic here. I think it’s a good illustration!

And get this: Since All or Nothing started in late January, Iowa Lottery players have won nearly 203,000 prizes in the game, including 48 prizes of $1,000 for matching 11 numbers and 52 prizes of $1,000 for matching just one number. Kinda cool that it’s so evenly split.

Playing Powerball? Listen for the Trumpet Sound!

You’ll want to be listening to the lottery terminal as you’re playing Powerball® in Iowa right now! That’s because a new promotion has started today, giving some lucky Powerball player a free play in the new All or Nothing™ game with every 10th Powerball transaction that’s made statewide.

Every time a free All or Nothing play is automatically generated in the promotion, the lottery terminal will make a trumpet sound – so have your listening ears on! If you hear the trumpet when you make your Powerball purchase, it means the lottery terminal has generated a free play in All or Nothing along with your Powerball ticket.

The promotion will keep going until 50,000 free plays have been generated in All or Nothing. We’re not sure how long that will take – it all depends on how sales are doing.

02-17-14 Update: We just issued free play No. 50,000 at 3:40 p.m. today, so the All or Nothing promotion has ended. And we heard this afternoon from two players who each won a $1,000 prize on the free play they'd received. Awesome news, thanks for playing!

Remember that the free play is not for every 10th purchase that’s made at a particular location, but rather, it’s generated with every 10th Powerball transaction statewide. So, you never know when the next free ticket will come up!

Have fun playing Powerball and maybe you’ll get an All or Nothing freebie while you’re at it! It’s the new lotto game where you win for matching all the numbers or none of the numbers

SW Iowa Woman Matches Just One Number, Wins $1,000

It’s been a fun week, with lots of folks learning about “All or Nothing” as our newest lotto game got underway. And a southwest Iowa woman has had good early luck in All or Nothing, winning a $1,000 prize in last night’s drawing.

Helen Forrester of Carson said she’s excited it took just one number for her to win. She said that the number four has been lucky for her and that’s the winning number she matched in yesterday’s evening drawing. She claimed her prize today at our regional office in Council Bluffs.  

Helen, who’s 67 and retired, said she’ll put her winnings toward a future trip to Branson, Mo. Congrats, Helen!

Check out the video below to see the fun we had during last Friday’s announcement of All or Nothing.

And Now, For the Big Announcement!

We’ve had a blast reading your comments this month about what you think we’ve had in the works. Thanks for joining in the fun and sending in your guesses!

Today, we’ve got the big announcement. Robert, one of our blog readers, NAILED IT with his guess on Jan. 13: the Minnesota State Lottery and the Iowa Lottery ARE working together to offer a multi-state version of a game called “All or Nothing.”

All or Nothing sales begin on Tuesday and the game’s first two drawings will be that same day.

We think its name is self-explanatory: You can win All or Nothing’s top prize of $100,000 by matching all of the numbers in one of its drawings or none of them. We’ve been joking around that we couldn’t decide if people should win for matching everything or coming up empty, so we decided to do both!

There are 10 ways you can win in the game’s hourglass prize structure. You’ll win the $100,000 top prize at the two extremes – for matching all or nothing – and smaller prizes from $1 to $1,000 working in from there. Here are all the details:

ALL OR NOTHING
Ticket price:     $1
Sold in:    Iowa and Minnesota
Players choose 12 numbers from a pool of 24
Drawings twice a day, seven days a week, at 12:45 and 8:45 p.m.

Numbers Matched	Prize	Odds Of Winning
12	$100,000	1 in 2,704,156
11	$1,000	1:18,779
10	$20	1:621
9	$5	1:56
8	$1	1:11
7	$0
6	$0
5	$0
4	$1	1:11
3	$5	1:56
2	$20	1:621
1	$1,000	1:18,779
	$100,000	1:2,704,156

Here in Iowa, All or Nothing will replace Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game, which offers a top prize of $100,000 and has had drawings six days a week. The final Cash Game drawing will be tomorrow (Jan. 25).

And may the best state win in All or Nothing, right?!

What Are We Up To? (Great minds think alike)

We're getting VERY CLOSE to our big announcement, but here’s a final clue for you … 

What Are We Up To? Yadda, yadda, yadda …

Now HERE’S some interesting player mail! 

Player Mail: Why Does It Take So Many Numbers?

It's Friday, so it's a good time to give you another clue about what we've got in the works. Are you sensing a theme yet?

Player Mail: We’re Still Not Winning.

Uh-oh! More player mail for us to think about! Let’s see what they had to say …

We’re Up To Something. But What’s The Minn. Connection?

We really do read our player mail. And we think over what people have to tell us. But what’s Minnesota got to do with it? Stay tuned to learn more!