ialottery blog

Player Mail: Why Are Your Lottery Terminals Down Each Night?

Here’s a great question that came our way on Facebook, in case you’ve ever wondered the same thing: Why DO we shut down our lottery terminals in the middle of the night? (Answer: It’s for security and accounting purposes.)

If you’re not up late at night/early in the morning, you may never have noticed it, but every night, the Iowa Lottery terminals and self-checkers in about 2,400 retail locations statewide are shut down for a period of time. That’s for a few different reasons, chief among them security and accounting concerns.

Our lottery terminals close for business at midnight. They’re offline for about 30 minutes (sometimes a little longer) and then they come back up to start the next business day. Shutting down our equipment ends a particular day’s business cycle so we can total up sales, account for all lottery plays, and run maintenance and updates on the lottery terminals themselves. That work is an important part of the procedures we follow to ensure the security and integrity of lottery games.

In retail locations that aren’t open 24 hours, customers likely never notice the down time because the business is closed when it occurs. Staffers at the business just power up the lottery terminal when the location opens the next morning.

In businesses that are open 24 hours, customers and staff will see that the lottery terminal is offline for a little while each night. That’s been a standard procedure ever since the Iowa Lottery’s started back in 1985. The good news is that as computers have become more powerful through the years, the down time for our equipment each night has gotten much shorter. Years ago, lottery terminals were offline for a few hours each night, if not longer.

If you happen to be in a retail location when the lottery terminal is offline, please know that we’ll have things back up and running just as soon as we can. We know you want to play the lottery and we want to do business with you!

THEY'RE FAKE! Jackpot Scams On Facebook Are Back

It’s been about a year since the last time we saw them, but be aware that scams on Facebook involving the Powerball® and Mega Millions® names are back.

If there is any good news in the situation, it’s that a lot of people have reached out to us to say they saw the posts – and they knew they were scams. So, I hope that the warnings we issued last year had an impact.

I’ll say it again now: Protect yourself by staying away from the scams. Don’t click on the links involved!

The scammers are using some glitzy graphics to catch your attention, mocking up what appears to be an oversized, ceremonial check for $1 million, with a headline promising that Powerball or Mega Millions is “giving away a free $1 million jackpot online instantly.” We’ve seen several different versions of the scams linking to various website addresses. In any case, they’re fake. Please don’t fall for them.

We’re working to get the scams shut down, but as I said, they appear to involve multiple links and website addresses. Those who have clicked on the links involved report that doing so caused their Facebook accounts to be hacked. And that, in turn, keeps spreading the scams to more and more accounts.

You’ve likely seen warnings from us through the years about scams, but this latest version is a good reminder that we all need to stay vigilant and protect ourselves. Remember that in order to win a prize in Powerball or Mega Millions, you have to buy a ticket.

The scams may morph again before they’re done and target even more lottery games. So arm yourself with information. Take a moment to visit the Player Security reminders that we keep as a permanent item on the lottery’s website.

IT'S FAKE! Scams On Facebook Are Using Powerball & Mega Millions Names

A new round of scams is making the rounds on Facebook, and we want you to know about them so you can protect yourself. Stay away from them -- and don't click the links involved!

The scammers are using some glitzy graphics to catch your attention, mocking up what appears to be an oversized, ceremonial check for $1 million, with a headline promising that Powerball^® or Mega Millions^® is “giving away a free $1 million jackpot online instantly.” We’ve seen a few different versions of the scams linking to various website addresses. In any case, they’re fake. It’s a scam, so please don’t fall for it.

We haven’t clicked on the links involved because we were afraid of what the outcome would be, and it appears we were right to have those doubts. We’re seeing a lot of posts on Facebook from those who did click on the links and they’re reporting that doing so caused their accounts to be hacked. And that, in turn, keeps spreading the scams to more and more accounts.

You’ve likely seen warnings from us through the years about scams, but this latest version is a good reminder that we all need to stay vigilant and protect ourselves. Remember that in order to win a prize in Powerball or Mega Millions, you have to buy a ticket.

The scams may morph again before they’re done and target even more lottery games. So arm yourself with information. Please take a moment to visit our reminders about Player Security, which we keep as a permanent item on the lottery’s website.

 

Too Good To Be True: Bogus Facebook Account Promises Winnings

This story came to us from Oregon, where it turns out hackers were using a fake Facebook page featuring a photo of Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich to try to trick people out of money. As we’ve talked about so many times through the years, the scammers promised big winnings – if the alleged winner would just send them a $1,000 processing fee first.

Of course it isn’t real. And if you ever send money to someone in a situation like that, not only will you not receive the fictitious prize you’ve supposedly won, you’ll also be out the cash you paid in advance.

We were able to get the fake page shut down yesterday, but keep your guard up because the scammers will in all likelihood try again. Click here to see the coverage from the Problem Solvers team at KATU-TV in Portland.

 

Instagram & Pinterest Contest This Week!

Now that we’ve made our official debut on Instagram and Pinterest, we’re holding a contest this week exclusively for our followers on those platforms. It’s our way to thanking you for connecting with us – and we plan to keep the fun going!     

This week’s contest started yesterday and continues through 10 a.m. on Friday. We’re giving away five prize packs of $20 each in the “30 Somethings” scratch game plus some cool lottery swag.

And as we move ahead, look for our social media contests each month that you can enter from Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram or Pinterest! Our first contest involving all those platforms will start on Monday, July 13. Be sure to give us a like or follow so you’ll stay up to date on all our lottery happenings and contests!

Which Would You Rather?

Oh, it is on!

On our Facebook page today, we’re asking the great debate question: Which jackpot would you rather win – Powerball or Mega Millions? And what would you do with the money if you won?

With both jackpots getting up there – Powerball is at an estimated $110 million annuity, $70.5 million cash option for Saturday night’s drawing while Mega Millions has grown to an estimated $159 million annuity, $95.9 million cash option for Friday night’s drawing – there’s a lot to talk about!   

Feel free to submit your reply here on the blog or post a comment to our Facebook page as well! Lots of folks weighing in so far! #BringItOn

We’re Now On Instagram & Pinterest!

We know you like to connect with us in the places you already go, so now there are two new ways you can do that: The Iowa Lottery has joined Instagram and Pinterest.

We’ve been involved in social media for eight years, proving that time really does fly! We jumped in when we started producing our own videos back in 2007 – and that counts as a couple millennia ago in the fast-changing world of social media!

But through it all, we’ve continued to gain new likes, followers and contacts, so we think (we hope) that means you like what we’re doing.

So now, in addition to our blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube pages, you can find us on Instagram and Pinterest. We’re iowalottery (lowercase) on Instagram and IowaLottery (uppercase) on Pinterest.

Look for some changes coming in our monthly social media contests that we think will allow even more people to get in on the fun by entering them.

Two more ways we can say: See you there!

PLAYER MAIL: My Dog Ate My Lottery Ticket!

“Hey, Iowa Lottery, my dog ate my scratch ticket.”

It may sound like the oldest excuse in the book, but it actually happened recently to a lottery player from Waterloo.

That player, Emily Dunlay, reached out to us on Facebook and by email to ask if her scratch ticket was still valid, or if her dog, Addy, (adorably shown at right) had destroyed her chance of winning by chewing up her ticket.  

“I’m just worried she may have eaten a big winner and just want to make sure it’s not,” Emily wrote in her email to us.

After seeing a photo of the remains of the ticket (below), it became pretty clear something had left Emily’s scratch ticket in several pieces.

Emily was able to tape the mangled ticket back together, and although some of it was missing, our security team was able to help her determine that she had indeed won a prize. And we were then able to help her redeem her $5 in winnings

As for Addy, we’ll bet she’s still fond of paper – but her owner has definitely caught on to her!

Many More Prizes Still to Award

We are officially halfway through our “12 Weeks of WinnerTime” promotion, which means 21 players so far have won prizes, and there are 57 more prizes to award before the end of the holiday season.

Players from across the state have been claiming $1,000 cash prizes in this promotion and we’ve been sharing some of their photos on our Facebook, Twitter and Google+ pages. You can check out the complete list of winners so far on our website.

Duane Gettler of Adair, Susan Grotegut of Waukon, Tim Heine of Parkersburg, Ellen Jensen of Madrid, Gary Murray of Ankeny and Melody Young of Webster City each won $1,000 prizes in this week’s drawings and there will be many more in the last six weeks of this holiday promotion.

Remember, each week during the promotion we increase the number of $1,000 prizes drawn, so next week we will draw for seven winners; eight winners will be drawn the following week, and so on until the very last drawing of this promotion on Dec. 31, when 12 winners will be drawn.

CONTEST ALERT: Give Us Your Best ‘Mr. MONOPOLY’ Pose!

Contest alert! It’s time to get your cameras and smartphones ready!

We’re celebrating Sunday’s launch of the new MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB lottery game by giving you the chance to win coupons for free plays in the game and a merchandise prize pack, all for sending us your best “Mr. MONOPOLY” look. You’ll need to use the top hat and mustache templates you’ll find on our website and tag your photo with #PlayMMC. Snap a selfie or have someone take a photo of you – we don’t care, just give us your best shot!

Why the top hat and mustache? They’re, of course, part of the iconic image of Mr. MONOPOLY!

The new premium $5 MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB lottery game just made its debut across the country on Sunday, so we’re celebrating with “selfie social media contests” on Facebook and Twitter that you can enter. Practice your “millionaire pose” over the next couple days and get your props ready!

(Inside tip: We found it pretty easy just to tape the top hat and mustache to our faces as we posed for some practice pictures here at the lottery, but you could always put them on little sticks and hold them up to your face that way. And, do we need to give a definition here for a selfie? If so, it’s a photo that you take of yourself, typically using a smartphone or webcam.)

We’ll accept entries in our selfie Facebook and Twitter contests from noon today (Oct. 21) through noon next Tuesday (Oct. 28). Enter either contest by posting your photo to the lottery’s Facebook wall or by replying to @ialottery on Twitter. On both platforms, you’ll need to use the hashtag #PlayMMC in your post.

On Wednesday, Oct. 29, we’ll compile all the eligible photos we’ve received and randomly select a total of 10 winners from among them. There will be five winners on Facebook and five winners on Twitter. Each winner will receive $25 in coupons for free plays in the MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB lottery game and a SWEET swag-bag of game merchandise, including a T-shirt, coffee mug, notes journal, pen and key-chain ticket scratcher!

We’ll announce the contest winners Oct. 29 on our website and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

We'll notify the winners by direct message on social media to claim their prize. If you're one of the winners, you'll need to verify some information with us to receive your prize! Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, to verify their information. We'll also select alternates in case any of the winners are ineligible.

To get started, just print out the templates from our website and carefully cut them out. Then either tape the props to the appropriate spots on your face (werecommend using Scotch tape) or attach them to sticks or straws to hold them up in front of your face to achieve your best Mr. MONOPOLY look. If you don’t have a smartphone or don’t want to take your own picture, have someone take a photo of you as you pose with your top hat and mustache props. Just remember to post your photo to our Facebook wall or in reply to @ialottery on Twitter following the instructions above to be eligible!

A few other details:

• All entries have to be posted during the contest entry period – photos received before or after the posted deadlines won’t be eligible.
• You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
• You have to be at least 21 years old to enter.
• There's no purchase necessary to enter or win.
• You can only enter once on each platform. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.
• Remember to include the #PlayMMC tag so that we can easily find your submission.

And now for the fine print:

Your submission of an entry indicates your agreement to the promotion rules listed here. Only eligible entries may be selected to win prizes. Ineligible entries include: entries submitted by individuals prohibited from playing or winning Iowa Lottery prizes by operation of law, entries that infringe upon a third party’s intellectual property, or entries that are defamatory, obscene, threatening, invasive of another’s privacy, or not within the spirit of the promotion as determined in the Iowa Lottery’s sole discretion.

This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Facebook or Twitter. The information you provide will only be used for lottery purposes. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure. By entering this contest, you agree to release Facebook and Twitter of all liability arising from this contest.

Set A Reminder For This Month’s Contests!

We’ll hold our February social media contests during the next couple weeks, so set a reminder now to enter!

Our Twitter contest this month begins at 11 a.m. next Tuesday (Feb. 11), while our next Facebook contest starts at 11 a.m. on Feb. 17. You can find all the details about the contests here.

Good luck with your entries!

October Facebook Contest Results

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to:

1) Judy Wass
2) Joe Lancaster
3) Stephanie Gustafson

Each of these three winners will receive $20 in Powerball® coupons!

We’ll notify the winners by email about their win. We’ll need to verify each winner’s information so we can award their prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, to verify their information with us. Thanks to everyone who entered the October Facebook contest.

Be sure to come back and enter November’s Facebook contest anytime from 11 a.m. Nov. 18 through 11 a.m. Nov. 19. We sure hope you can join us!

October Facebook Contest

It’s a spooktacular time to enter this month’s Facebook contest. Entrants will have more than a ghost’s chance at $20 in Powerball® coupons!

You can enter our October Facebook contest beginning at 11 a.m. Monday (Oct. 21) through 11 a.m. Tuesday (Oct. 22). We’ll be asking you a lottery-related question on the Iowa Lottery’s Facebook page under the “Lottery Contests” tab. Enter for your chance to win one of three sets of $20 in Powerball coupons!


We’ll pose our question on the Lottery Contests tab located under our cover photo. When the man on the Lottery Contests tab turns green and says “Enter Now!” that’s your cue to enter. Click the tab, read the question, fill in the entry form and your answer and click “submit” during the 24-hour window and you’ll be entered. Limit one entry per person. It’s just that easy!

Important Note: The question will NOT appear on our Facebook “Wall.” You’ll need to visit our Facebook page and click the Lottery Contests tab to see it! Also, if you’re viewing our Facebook page on a smart phone, you will need to use the Desktop view in order to see the Lottery Contests tab. It does not appear in the mobile application view.

We’ll select three winners from all of the eligible answers submitted. Winners will be announced in our October Facebook contest results blog, on the Lottery Contests tab on our Facebook page and we’ll link to the blog entry on Twitter and Google+.

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. If you’re one of the winners, we’ll need to verify your information to award your prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, to verify their information with us. We’ll also select alternates in case any of the winners are ineligible.

A few other details:
• You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
• You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
• There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win.
• The Powerball coupons are only redeemable for tickets, not for cash.
• You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for lottery purposes. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure. By entering this promotion, you agree to release Facebook of all liability arising from this promotion.

September Facebook Contest Results

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to:

1) Lisa Hanson
2) Chrissy Ellis
3) Daryl Schoppe

Each of these three winners will receive $10 in coupons for Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game along with some lottery swag!

We’ll notify the winners by email about their win. We’ll need to verify each winner’s information so we can award their prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, to verify their information with us. Thanks to everyone who entered the September Facebook contest.

Be sure to come back and enter October’s Facebook contest anytime from 11 a.m. Oct. 21 through 11 a.m. Oct. 22. We sure hope you can join us!

September Facebook Contest

It sure would be fun to rake up $100,000 instead of those leaves that will be falling in your yard. In this month’s Facebook contest we’re giving away free plays in Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game and some sweet lottery swag. And if everything falls into place and you win big you could hire someone to do your lawn care for you!

You can enter our September Facebook contest beginning at 11 a.m. Monday (Sept. 23) through 11 a.m. Tuesday (Sept. 24). We’ll be asking you a lottery-related question on the Iowa Lottery’s Facebook page under the “Lottery Contests” tab. Enter for your chance to win one of three sets of $10 in coupons for Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game along with some lottery swag!

We’ll pose our question on the Lottery Contests tab located under our cover photo. When the man on the Lottery Contests tab turns green and says “Enter Now!” that’s your cue to enter. Click the tab, read the question, fill in the entry form and your answer and click “submit” during the 24-hour window and you’ll be entered. Limit one entry per person. It’s just that easy!

Important Note: The question will NOT appear on our Facebook “Wall.” You’ll need to visit our Facebook page and click the Lottery Contests tab to see it! Also, if you’re viewing our Facebook page on a smart phone, you will need to use the Desktop view in order to see the Lottery Contests tab. It does not appear in the mobile application view.

We’ll select three winners from all of the eligible answers submitted. Winners will be announced in our September Facebook contest results blog, on the Lottery Contests tab on our Facebook page and we’ll link to the blog entry on Twitter.

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. If you’re one of the winners, we’ll need to verify your information to award your prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, to verify their information with us. We’ll also select alternates in case any of the winners are ineligible.

A few other details:
• You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
• You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
• There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win.
• The coupons for Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game are only redeemable for tickets, not for cash.
• You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for lottery purposes. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure. By entering this promotion, you agree to release Facebook of all liability arising from this promotion.

“Tail Gator” Could Be Your Ticket to the Game!

We’re calling this month’s Twitter contest is a real game changer! We’re celebrating football season by giving our Twitter contest participants an opportunity to score big with our newest $1 instant-scratch game – “Tail Gator” and our Tail Gator promotion. Three lucky winners in our September Twitter contest will each receive $20 in Tail Gator scratch tickets.

The scratch game offers 16 top prizes of $2,000 and thousands of other prizes between $1 and $100. Plus, if you don’t win a prize instantly, you can Play it Again® and enter the Tail Gator promotion with nonwinning Tail Gator scratch tickets at ialottery.com for a chance to win one of nine unique college football game experience packages later this fall at Iowa State University, The University of Iowa or The University of Northern Iowa.

Our Twitter contest begins at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, and you’ll have 15 minutes to enter. Just follow us on Twitter – it’s free to create an account if you don’t already have one. Then give us the correct answer to our super-easy contest question and you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of the three ticket prize packs.

At 2 p.m. next Tuesday, we’ll pose our question on Twitter. Reply with your answer within the 15-minute time limit and you’ll be entered in the contest! No late entries will be accepted. (Be sure to reply to @ialottery on Twitter. Don’t direct message us, as direct messages aren’t eligible for entry.)

We’ll randomly select the three winners in our contest, then blog about the results and link to that blog entry on Twitter and Facebook.

If you win, you’ll need to contact us with your name, date of birth and mailing address so we can send out your tickets. Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, to contact us with their information.

A few other details:
•    You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
•    You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
•    There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win!
•    You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Twitter. The information you provide will only be used for the lottery’s Twitter Contest. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure.

August Facebook Contest Results

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to:

1) Brittany Sanderson
2) Darles Busching
3) Ginger Langrehr

Each of these three winners will receive $20 in Mega Millions® coupons!

We’ll notify the winners by email about their win. We’ll need to verify each winner’s information so we can award their prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, to verify their information with us. Thanks to everyone who entered the August Facebook contest.

Be sure to come back and enter September’s Facebook contest anytime from 11 a.m. Sept. 23 through 11 a.m. Sept. 24. We sure hope you can join us!

August Facebook Contest

The 2013 Iowa State Fair has ended but nothing compares to the chance to win a big jackpot. We’re giving you that very chance in this month’s Facebook contest as we giveaway free plays in Mega Millions®. Fingers crossed, your numbers could come up and you could be laughing all the way to the bank!

You can enter August’s Facebook contest beginning at 11 a.m. Monday (Aug. 26) through 11 a.m. Tuesday (Aug. 27). We’ll be asking you a lottery-related question on the Iowa Lottery’s Facebook page under the “Lottery Contests” tab. Enter for your chance to win one of three sets of $20 in Mega Millions coupons!

We’ll pose our question on the Lottery Contests tab located under our cover photo. When the man on the Lottery Contests tab turns green and says “Enter Now!” that’s your cue to enter. Click the tab, read the question, fill in the entry form and your answer and click “submit” during the 24-hour window and you’ll be entered. Limit one entry per person. It’s just that easy!

Important Note: The question will NOT appear on our Facebook “Wall.” You’ll need to visit our Facebook page and click the Lottery Contests tab to see it! Also, if you’re viewing our Facebook page on a smart phone, you will need to use the Desktop view in order to see the Lottery Contests tab. It does not appear in the mobile application view.

We’ll select three winners from all of the eligible answers submitted. Winners will be announced in our August Facebook contest results blog, on the Lottery Contests tab on our Facebook page and we’ll link to the blog entry on Twitter.

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. If you’re one of the winners, we’ll need to verify your information to award your prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3, to verify their information with us. We’ll also select alternates in case any of the winners are ineligible.

A few other details:
• You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
• You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
• There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win.
• The Mega Millions coupons are only redeemable for tickets, not for cash.
• You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for lottery purposes. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure.

August Twitter Contest is “Triple” the Fun

This month’s Twitter contest is “Triple” the fun. Three lucky contest winners will each receive $20 in tickets in our newest $2 instant-scratch game – “Triple Payout.”

Our Twitter contest begins at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20, and you’ll have 15 minutes to enter. Just follow us on Twitter – it’s free to create an account if you don’t already have one. Then answer our super-easy contest question and you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of the three ticket prize packs.

At 11 a.m. next Tuesday, we’ll pose our question on Twitter. Reply with your answer within the 15-minute time limit and you’ll be entered in the contest! No late entries will be accepted. (Be sure to reply to @ialottery on Twitter. Don’t direct message us, as direct messages aren’t eligible for entry.)

We’ll select the three winners in our contest, then blog about the results and link to that blog entry on Twitter and Facebook.

If you win, you’ll need to contact us with your name, date of birth and mailing address so we can send out your tickets. Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27, to contact us with their information.

A few other details:
•    You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
•    You must currently reside in Iowa to participate.
•    There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win!
•    You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Twitter. The information you provide will only be used for the lottery’s Twitter Contest. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure.

July Facebook Contest Results

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to:

1) Jeff Hinrichs
2) Donna Dorothy
3) Sylvia Funnell

Each of these three winners will receive $10 in Powerball coupons and lottery swag!

We’ll notify the winners by email about their win. We’ll need to verify each winner’s information so we can award their prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, to verify their information with us. Thanks to everyone who entered the July Facebook contest.

Be sure to come back and enter August’s Facebook contest anytime from 11 a.m. Aug. 26 through 11 a.m. Aug. 27. We sure hope you can join us!

July Twitter Contest

We’re celebrating July by giving our Twitter contest a a patriotic theme this month! Three lucky contest winners will each receive $20 in tickets in our newest $1 instant-scratch game – “Red, White & Moo!”

If the adorable cow on those tickets isn’t enough to get your attention, we’ll also let you know that Red White & Moo is our newest game that benefits the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. So, be in the look-out for tickets in that game at your local lottery retailer!  

Our Twitter contest begins at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16, and you’ll have 15 minutes to enter. Just follow us on Twitter – it’s free to create an account if you don’t already have one. Then give us the correct answer to our super-easy contest question and you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of the three ticket prize packs.

At 2 p.m. next Tuesday, we’ll pose our question on Twitter. Reply with your answer within the 15-minute time limit and you’ll be entered in the contest! No late entries will be accepted. (Be sure to reply to @ialottery on Twitter. Don’t direct message us, as direct messages aren’t eligible for entry.)

We’ll select the three winners in our contest, then blog about the results and link to that blog entry on Twitter and Facebook.

If you win, you’ll need to contact us with your name, date of birth and mailing address so we can send out your tickets. Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23, to contact us with their information.

A few other details:
•    You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
•    You must currently reside in Iowa to participate.
•    There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win!
•    You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Twitter. The information you provide will only be used for the lottery’s Twitter Contest. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure.

June Facebook Contest Results

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to:

1) Charles Blakemore
2) Heather Butrick
3) Ashley Goodwin

Each of these three winners will receive $20 in coupons for Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game!

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. We’ll need to verify each winner’s information so we can award their prize packs!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 25, to verify their information with us. Thanks to everyone who entered the June Facebook contest.

Be sure to come back and enter July’s Facebook contest anytime from 11 a.m. July 22 through 11 a.m. July 23. We sure hope you can join us!

June Facebook Contest

We’ve got 100,000 reasons for you to enter our next Facebook contest! This time, you can enter for a chance to win free plays in Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game!

You can enter June’s Facebook contest beginning at 11 a.m. Monday (June 17) through 11 a.m. Tuesday (June 18). We’ll be asking you a lottery-related question on the Iowa Lottery’s Facebook page under the “Lottery Contests” tab. Enter for your chance to win one of three sets of $20 in coupons for Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game!

We’ll pose our question on the Lottery Contests tab located under our cover photo. When the man on the Lottery Contests tab turns green and says “Enter Now!” that’s your cue to enter. Click the tab, read the question, fill in the entry form and your answer and click “submit” during the 24-hour window and you’ll be entered. Limit one entry per person. It’s just that easy!

Important Note: The question will NOT appear on our Facebook “Wall.” You’ll need to visit our Facebook page and click the Lottery Contests tab to see it! Also, if you’re viewing our Facebook page on a smart phone, you will need to use the Desktop view in order to see the Lottery Contests tab. It does not appear in the mobile application view.

We’ll select three winners from the correct eligible answers submitted, so be sure to double-check your answer before you hit the submit button. Winners will be announced in our June Facebook contest results blog, on the Lottery Contests tab on our Facebook page and we’ll link to the blog entry on Twitter.

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. If you’re one of the winners, we’ll need to verify your information to award your prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25, to verify their information with us. We’ll also select alternates in case any of the winners are ineligible.

A few other details:
• You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
• You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
• There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win.
• The $100,000 Cash Game coupons are only redeemable for tickets, not for cash.
• You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for lottery purposes. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure.

Multiplying Your Fun with the June Twitter Contest

How would you like your chance to multiply your fun with our newest $2 instant-scratch game – "Money Multiplier?"

We’re offering tickets in that game as prizes in our Twitter contest this month. Three lucky winners will receive $20 each in Money Multiplier tickets! Did I mention that game offers 12 top prizes of $10,000?

The Twitter contest begins at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 11. Participants will have 15 minutes to enter. To be eligible to enter, just follow us on Twitter – it’s free to create an account if you don’t already have one. Then give us the correct answer to our super-easy contest question and you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of the three prizes of $20 in Money Multiplier tickets   

At 11 a.m. next Tuesday, we’ll pose our question on Twitter. Reply with your answer within the 15-minute time limit and you’ll be entered in the contest! No late entries will be accepted. Reply to @ialottery on Twitter. (Don’t direct message us on Twitter, as direct messages aren’t eligible for entry.)

We’ll select the three winners in our contest, then blog about the results and link to that blog entry on Twitter and Facebook.

If you win, you’ll need to contact us with your name, date of birth and mailing address so we can send out your tickets. Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, to contact us with their information in order to claim their prize.



A few other details:
• You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
• You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
• There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win!
• You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Twitter. The information you provide will only be used for the lottery’s Twitter Contest. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure.

May Facebook Contest Results

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to:
1) Chris Roder-Olson
2) Larissa Pray
3) Tammy Sorensen

Each of these three winners will receive $10 in Mega Millions® coupons and lottery swag!

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. We’ll need to verify each winner’s information so we can award their prize packs!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, to verify their information with us. Thanks to everyone who entered the May Facebook contest.

Be sure to come back and enter June’s Facebook contest anytime from 11 a.m. June 17 through 11 a.m. June 18. We sure hope you can join us!

It's a Mega Facebook Contest

The snow has melted away from this month's surprise snow storm! So, let's celebrate in a Mega way with a Facebook contest! You can enter for a chance to win free plays in Mega Millions® and some lottery swag, too!

You can enter May's Facebook contest beginning at 11 a.m. Monday (May 20) through 11 a.m. Tuesday (May 21). We'll be asking you a lottery-related question on the Iowa Lottery's Facebook page under the "Lottery Contests" tab. Enter for your chance to win one of three sets of $10 in Mega Millions coupons and lottery swag!

Visit our Facebook page beginning at 11 a.m. Monday through 11 a.m. Tuesday where we'll pose our question on the Lottery Contests tab located under our cover photo. When the man on the Lottery Contests tab turns green and says "Enter Now!" that's your cue to enter. Click the tab, read the question, fill in the entry form and your answer and click "submit" during the 24-hour window and you'll be entered. Limit one entry per person. It’s just that easy!

Important Note: The question will NOT appear on our Facebook "Wall." You'll need to visit our Facebook page and click the Lottery Contests tab to see it! Also, if you’re viewing our Facebook page on a smart phone, you will need to use the Desktop view in order to see the Lottery Contests tab. It does not appear in the mobile application view.

We’ll select three winners from the correct eligible answers submitted, so be sure to double-check your answer before you hit the submit button. Winners will be announced in our May Facebook contest results blog, on the Lottery Contests tab on our Facebook page and we'll link to the blog entry on Twitter.

We'll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. If you’re one of the winners, we'll need to verify your information to award your prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28, to verify their information with us. We'll also select alternates in case any of the winners are ineligible.

A few other details:

• You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
• You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
• There's no purchase necessary to enter or win.
• The Mega Millions coupons are only redeemable for tickets, not for cash.
• You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for lottery purposes. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure.

April Facebook Contest Results

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to:

1) Kevin Bischel
2) David Taylor
3) Steve Francis

Each of these three winners will receive $20 in Powerball® coupons!

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. We’ll need to verify each winner’s information so we can award their prize packs!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, to verify their information with us. If any of the winners don’t contact us within the specified amount of time, alternates will be contacted by email.

Thanks to everyone who entered the April Facebook contest.

Be sure to come back and enter May’s Facebook contest anytime from 11 a.m. May 20 through 11 a.m. May 21. We sure hope you can join us!

April Facebook Contest

Spring is officially here and we’re celebrating the warmer weather with a Facebook contest! This time around, you can enter for a chance to win free plays in Powerball!

You can enter April’s Facebook contest beginning at 11 a.m. Monday (April 22) through 11 a.m. Tuesday (April 23). We’ll be asking you a lottery-related question on the Iowa Lottery’s Facebook page under the “Lottery Contests” tab. Enter for your chance to win one of three sets of $20 in Powerball coupons!

Visit our Facebook page beginning at 11 a.m. Monday through 11 a.m. Tuesday where we’ll pose our question on the Lottery Contests tab located under our cover photo. When the man on the Lottery Contests tab turns green and says “Enter Now!” that’s your cue to enter. Click the tab, read the question, fill in the entry form and your answer and click “submit” during the 24-hour window and you’ll be entered. Limit one entry per person. It’s just that easy!

Important Note: The question will NOT appear on our Facebook “Wall.” You’ll need to visit our Facebook page and click the Lottery Contests tab to see it! Also, if you’re viewing our Facebook page on a smart phone, you will need to use the Desktop view in order to see the Lottery Contests tab. It does not appear in the mobile application view.

We’ll select three winners from the correct eligible answers submitted, so make sure to double-check your answer before you hit the submit button. Winners will be announced in our April Facebook contest results blog, on the Lottery Contests tab on our Facebook page and we’ll link to the blog entry on Twitter.

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. If you’re one of the winners, we’ll need to verify your information to award your prize pack!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, to verify their information with us. We’ll also select alternates in case any of the winners don’t contact us within the specified amount of time.

A few other details:
• You must currently be residing in Iowa to participate.
• You must be at least 21 years old to enter.
• There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win.
• The Powerball coupons are only redeemable for tickets, not for cash.
• You can only enter once. If you try to enter more than once, only your first entry will be accepted.

And now for the fine print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the Iowa Lottery and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for lottery purposes. The risk of loss for electronic misdelivery, late delivery or failure of receipt for information entered electronically remains with entrant regardless of the cause of the transmission failure.

Why Do You Hold Your Contests At That Time?

We just posted the details about our upcoming Twitter contest, and that’s led to questions from some of our players. Specifically, they want to know why we have time limits in our games, promotions and contests, and why we hold certain contests at certain times.

Those are issues we talk a lot about ourselves as we plan out the lottery’s schedules. We know that not everyone may even like a certain game or contest, and with our busy lives these days, it can be difficult to fit everything in. So, we concentrate on variety in what we offer so you’ll have choices. It’s like Mom always said: Variety is the spice of life!

Our Twitter contests do generally run for just 15 minutes and we often hold them during the business day. We’ve tried longer contests on Twitter and have held them early in the morning and in the evening. The results surprised us: The number of entries actually went down in the Twitter contests we held outside business hours. And, the longer contests made some people complain that they couldn’t find our posts as easily because our information had been pushed well down in their feeds. Twitter is a fast-paced, instantaneous platform, and a 15-minute contest during the day seems to be “just right” for it!

But in the past few months, we have switched up our Facebook contests so they now run for 24 hours. The number of entries we’ve seen in them has skyrocketed, so it seems that people like the change. The Find-The-Symbol contests we hold on our website run at least for several days, and our bigger games and promotions run for weeks or months at a time so everyone has plenty of time to enter. The contests and events we hold at our retailers also are at different times and in different locations, again with the goal of giving people options.

But when it comes to the time limits in our games, promotions and contests, they are there for a reason. If we didn’t tell you the start and end dates, how would you ever know when to enter or buy tickets? I’m pretty sure we’d get complaints if we just said we were having an event at some time in April, but didn’t tell you exactly when.     

In the end, it may not be possible to please all of the people all of the time. (But we’ll keep trying!) And we like hearing from you, so keep that feedback coming!  

March Facebook Contest Results

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to:

1) Nancy Asenbrener
2) Wendy Shepherd
3) Nancy Zamarano-Riddle
4) Deborah Lenguadoro
5) Melissa Massengale
6) Larry Huffaker

Each of these six winners will receive $10 in coupons for Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game and lottery swag!

We’ll notify the winners by email to claim their prize. We’ll need to verify each winner’s information so we can award their prize packs!

Winners will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, to verify their information with us. If any of the winners don’t contact us within the specified amount of time, alternates will be contacted by email.

Thanks to everyone who entered the March Facebook contest.

Be sure to come back and enter April’s Facebook contest beginning at 11 a.m. April 22 through 11 a.m. April 23. We sure hope you can join us!