ialottery blog

On Veterans Day: We’re Grateful For This Extra Help For Iowa Veterans

This Veterans Day, we’re thankful for some additional help that Iowa provides to those who have served. It’s an Iowa success story that not every state has.

I’m talking about the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund (IVTF), which was created here in Iowa to provide additional help to veterans and their families beyond federal veterans benefits. It feels good to know that Iowa has a solution like this in place and we have the opportunity to be a part of it.

A portion of the proceeds raised from the sale of lottery tickets in Iowa goes to the IVTF each year. Since lottery proceeds were first dedicated to that cause in 2008, the Iowa Lottery has raised nearly $37.4 million for the IVTF.

If you’re an Iowa veteran or the family member of an Iowa veteran and you’re looking for more information about the IVTF, you can visit va.iowa.gov and click on the Trust Fund link under the Benefits tab.

There, you’ll find the categories for assistance through the fund as well as a copy of the application form. You’ll need to start an application for assistance from the Trust Fund at your local County Veterans Office. (There is a veterans office in every county in Iowa.)

While the Iowa Lottery raises money for the Veterans Trust Fund, applications for assistance through the fund are approved by the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs. Click on the video above to hear two long-time members of the commission share the story of their own service and why the IVTF matters so much to them.

We’ll Be On the Grand Concourse Today At The State Fair

It’s Veterans Day at the Iowa State Fair, and we’ve got a whole day’s worth of activities to celebrate the difference you’ve helped us make through the lottery proceeds for Iowa veterans and their families.

First up, our State Fair booth that you can see in the photo here is open at the State Fair today from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. We’re in the big white exhibition tent along the Grand Concourse. The map at the end of this blog entry shows you the tent’s spot in front of the Fair’s Service Center.

We’ll be selling and cashing scratch, lotto, and InstaPlay tickets, and we can help you enter our promotions if you need those details. We’ll have the scratch games available that can get you entries into our Iowa Ironmen Suite promotion, Fly with Cy promotion, and Explore Iowa promotion.

The Polaris vehicles that are the top prizes in our Explore Iowa promotion also will be on display at our tent, so feel free to check them out!

Anyone who makes at least a $10 lottery purchase at our booth gets to spin the prize wheel for merchandise prizes, and we’ve got pull-tab tickets as prizes on that wheel!

And remember that a portion of each $1 spent on lottery tickets in Iowa goes right into the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund to benefit our state’s veterans and their families. We’re proud to share that to date, the Iowa Lottery has raised nearly $35 million for that meaningful cause!

We’ll also be making a couple presentations at the State Fair today to recognize the Veterans Trust Fund and spread the word about the help available through it. One presentation will be just before the Veterans parade at 11 a.m. this morning and the other will be just before the Iowa Military Veterans Band performs at 3 p.m. at the Susan Knapp Amphitheater.

Please join us in thanking and honoring veterans today to make their day at the Fair that much more special!

Where Are We Going Next? The List Is On Our Events Page

As the summer goes on and we’re making more stops around the state on our Explore Iowa tour, we’ve gotten questions from some folks asking if we’ll make it to their area.

The short answer is that we’re continuing to add new stops over time and we’re doing our best to hit all areas of Iowa. Our campaign is called Explore Iowa, after all!

To see the list of our upcoming events, please visit the Special Events page on our website here.

Some of the events are at retail locations while others are at football games, baseball games, local festivals and auto races.

We’ve already been to Waverly, Fort Dodge, Des Moines, Mason City, Council Bluffs and Davenport, to name a few. This week we’ll be in Cedar Rapids, Waukee and Cedar Falls.

We’ll keep updating the list of events as summer goes on. At some of the stops, we’re doing special presentations to highlight the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, one of the most important beneficiaries of lottery proceeds to state causes.

We sell tickets in our Explore Iowa scratch game at each stop, and all lottery products are available at the events at retail locations. And yes, our prize wheel is there! With a qualifying purchase, you can spin the wheel to win lottery merchandise.

Recognizing, Remembering & Helping Veterans Through The Veterans Trust Fund

As we recognize Veterans Day this week, we also can take heart in the extra help Iowa makes available to our state’s veterans and their families through a special program that isn’t available in a lot of other places. 

It’s the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, and we at the Iowa Lottery are proud that a portion of the proceeds raised from the sale of lottery tickets in Iowa goes to the Veterans Trust Fund each year. We just made our latest annual transfer of $2.5 million to the IVTF, and that brings the lottery’s total proceeds through the years to that program to nearly $32.4 million.

That’s help right here at home for those who have given so much for our country. The IVTF was started years ago to help fill in the gaps in federal veterans benefits by adding state help to the mix. It feels good to know Iowa has a solution like that in place, and we get to be a part of it.  

If you’re an Iowa veteran or the family member of an Iowa veteran and you’re looking for more information about the IVTF, you can visit va.iowa.gov and click on the “Trust Fund” link under the “Benefits” tab. There, you’ll find the categories for assistance from the fund as well as a copy of the application form. If you’d prefer an option to speak with someone, you can call the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs toll-free at 800-838-4692 or contact your local County Veterans Office. (There is a veterans office in every county in Iowa, but please be aware that office hours and other operating details may have changed right now during the COVID-19 emergency.)

While the Iowa Lottery raises money for the Veterans Trust Fund, it’s the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs that approves applications for assistance through the fund. Perhaps more than any other, it’s commision members' perspective that matters in terms of the impact that the Trust Fund has had in Iowa. Click on the video below to hear two members of the commission share the story of their own service to our country and why the IVTF matters so much to them.

Thanksgiving Thought: We’re Thankful For The Chance To Make A Difference In Iowa

During this week of Thanksgiving, we’re taking a moment to thank YOU for helping the lottery to make a difference in Iowa.

You likely already know that total lottery proceeds to state causes have topped the $2 billion mark. And during the past couple weeks, we’ve had fun celebrating that as we recognized one of today’s most important recipients of lottery proceeds: the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund.

Members of the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs joined the lottery in on-field presentations at the Texas-Iowa State game and the Illinois-Iowa game to highlight the nearly $30 million that the Iowa Lottery has raised for the Veterans Trust Fund since lottery proceeds were first dedicated to that cause in 2008.

The money that the lottery raises for the IVTF provides state support to Iowa veterans and their families above and beyond the federal benefits that are available to them. Not every state has something like the Veterans Trust Fund, and we’re thankful that this home-grown success story is working here in Iowa!

So, if you play the Iowa Lottery, thank you. Every time you buy one of our tickets, it makes a difference right here at home.

A quick housekeeping reminder that our offices will be closed tomorrow and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday, so we’ll see you again when business hours resume on Monday, Dec. 2!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Billions For Iowa, And A Special Thank You To Our State's Veterans

Sometime in the past month, a lottery player in Iowa purchased the ticket that pushed total Iowa Lottery proceeds to state causes over the $2 billion mark. (And yes, that’s billion with a “B!”) The lottery is still finalizing its results for October, but it’s already clear that we’ve topped that significant new threshold!

Lottery tickets in Iowa made their debut back on Aug. 22, 1985. In the 34 years since then, lottery players have won $4.5 billion in prizes while more than $2 billion in proceeds has been raised for state programs. Lottery sales in Iowa through the years total $7.9 billion.

Lottery proceeds have helped our state in a variety of ways over time, but today, they have four main purposes. They provide support for our state's veterans and their families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund; support through the Public Safety Survivor Benefits Fund for the family members of Iowa peace officers and fire fighters who die in the line of duty; 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.

To highlight the impact of lottery proceeds in Iowa and help spread the word about the help available to our state’s veterans in need, the lottery worked with the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs to produce a new video highlighting the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. The video has just gone live as we head into the Veterans Day holiday weekend and you can see it by clicking on the link above.

It’s a powerful piece that touches on the impact that war has on our veterans, and why it’s so important that help be available to them. Two Iowa veterans who serve on the commission share their own stories and talk about the unique role of the Veterans Trust Fund.

So to everyone who has played a role in the Iowa Lottery’s success through the years, we appreciate your support. And to all Iowa veterans this holiday weekend: Thank YOU!

It’s Not Just A Ticket

This week across the country, lotteries are pausing to say, “Thank you!” to our players, the businesses that sell our tickets, and really, anyone who’s ever taken an interest in the lottery, whether it be to ask us a question or just to think for a moment about what it would be like to win.

We know that the lottery is not just a ticket. It’s a daydream, something fun to pass the time, the source of meaningful help to vital causes, additional income to local businesses, and prizes to players.

Ever since the first scratch game that hit the market when the Iowa Lottery debuted back in August 1985, we’ve done our best to demonstrate that lottery products can be responsibly offered in a way that is consistent with our values as Iowans. It’s that “Iowa” stamp on everything we do that has brought lottery entertainment – and lottery winnings – to all areas of the state.

To date, the Iowa Lottery has raised more than $1.9 billion for the state programs that benefit us all. We anticipate that sometime within the next year, a lottery player somewhere in Iowa will buy the ticket that will put our proceeds over the $2 billion mark. That’s significant help for good causes that wouldn’t otherwise have been available here in our state, and we’re proud to be making that difference.

And we can’t forget prizes! They’re obviously one of the motivating reasons for people to play the lottery. Since 1985, our players have won more than $4.3 billion in prizes from the Iowa Lottery. It’s been so fun for us to be a part of those winning experiences. From prizes of just a couple bucks all the way up to jackpots of hundreds of millions of dollars, they all matter!

We’re often asked how lottery proceeds are used in Iowa today. The quick answer is that they  have four main purposes: Proceeds from the Iowa Lottery provide support for our state's veterans and their families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund; support through the Iowa Public Safety Survivor Benefits Fund for the surviving family members of Iowa peace officers and fire fighters who die in the line of duty; 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.

We also tip our hats to the retail partners that sell lottery tickets each and every day in Iowa.  Our tickets are sold in about 2,400 locations statewide, and those local businesses receive a sales commission from the Iowa Lottery for each ticket they sell. In fiscal year 2018, lottery sales commissions totaled $24.2 million, and we’re proud to be making that difference in the bottom line for businesses across the state.     

Nationwide, in fiscal year 2018, U.S. lotteries generated $23.4 billion for good causes and provided $4.8 billion in sales commissions to local businesses.  

So, from all of us at the Iowa Lottery, thank you! We look forward to more lottery fun in Iowa – an active demonstration of the good that flows to the public from our state’s lottery.

#LotteryWeek
#MoreThanATicket

More Help For Iowa Veterans And Their Families Under New State Law

A new law that has been signed this spring will mean more help available for Iowa veteran and their families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. If you'd like information about how to apply for assistance through the Trust Fund, click here to visit the benefits page at the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs.

 

 

 

Total Raised For Iowa Veterans & Their Families Nears $25 Million

With our latest transfer completed, the lottery has now raised nearly $25 million for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund since we began providing money to that cause back in 2008.

This past weekend, we all observed Veterans Day to honor and remember the service of our nation’s veterans. Here at the Iowa Lottery, this time of year it also calls to mind the proceeds we’ve been able to raise to help Iowa veterans and their families.

At the end of October, we made the lottery’s $2.5 million annual transfer to the Veterans Trust Fund for the current fiscal year. And that brings the grand total that we’ve raised for the cause to $24.9 million. Today, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of all Iowa Lottery games is dedicated to the Veterans Trust Fund.

If you’re looking for more information about the Trust Fund or how to apply for assistance from it, visit the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs website. Click on the “Benefits” tab at the top of that page to learn more.

Player Mail: What’s Up With Those ‘Lottery Trucks’?

A woman who follows us on Facebook made us smile this week when she asked about the “lottery trucks” she’d just seen in her area. Her name is Lynn and here was her question: “Is there a special reason for the state of Iowa/Powerball & Mega Millions semi in Dubuque today?”

Great question, Lynn, and thanks for being an observant player! We worked with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division to design signs for those trucks. The trucks deliver liquor to retail outlets across Iowa where it is sold. Because the trucks are out and about all over Iowa, ABD asked us if we would like to add lottery advertising to the trailers to highlight our products and how lottery proceeds help the state.

We have three different designs on ABD trucks: one that advertises Powerball and Mega Millions; another that focuses on the Lucky for Life game; and a third that highlights the proceeds that the lottery raises each year to help our state’s veterans and their families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund.

Now you’ll be in the know if you see one of the trucks in your community!

More Than $22 Million Raised For Iowa Veterans Trust Fund!

With our latest transfer of $2.5 million, the lottery has now raised more than $22.3 million for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund since the lottery began providing money to that cause back in 2008.

 

With the observance of Veterans Day on Nov. 11, it’s a time for each of us to honor and remember the service of our nation’s veterans. Here at the Iowa Lottery, this is also a time that we’re especially thankful and proud of the proceeds we’ve been able to raise to help Iowa veterans and their families.

 

This week, we made the lottery’s $2.5 million annual transfer to the Veterans Trust Fund for the current fiscal year. And that brings the grand total that we’ve raised for the cause to more than $22 million. Today, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of all Iowa Lottery games is dedicated to the Veterans Trust Fund.

 

If you’re looking for more information about the Trust Fund or how to apply for assistance from it, visit the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs website. Click on the “Benefits” tab at the top of that page to learn more.

Thank YOU! We Just Had A Record Year

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of lottery records being broken here in Iowa. And we have YOU to thank for being part of the fun with us!

We just announced the lottery’s preliminary results for fiscal year 2016, which ended June 30. It was a phenomenal year, with records being set for lottery sales, proceeds to state causes, prizes to players and retailer commissions.

The lottery’s annual sales topped the $300 million mark for the fifth year in a row at a total of $366.9 million. That allowed us to raise a record $88 million in proceeds for state causes. Another huge number came in prizes to players, which totaled a record $221.8 million in fiscal year 2016.

Two big factors came into play for the Iowa Lottery during the past year:

• Powerball. I think we all remember the game’s world-record jackpot of nearly $1.6 billion back in January. That giant jackpot was accompanied by huge sales in Iowa and across the country. Powerball sales hit $74.9 million for the fiscal year in Iowa.
• Instant-scratch games. Scratch tickets were the first product introduced by the Iowa Lottery and have always been one of our top-selling items. Sales of those tickets hit an annual record of $233.7 million in FY 2016, topping the previous record of nearly $212 million that had just been set the year before.

Among other highlights of the year is the $2.5 million that the lottery raised for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund to benefit our state’s veterans and their families. With our players’ help, we’ve been able to raise nearly $20 million for the Trust Fund since the lottery began providing money to that cause back in 2008.

Local Iowa businesses also received a record $24.6 million in commissions from the lottery for selling our tickets in FY 2016. Businesses receive a commission for every lottery ticket they sell and we’re proud that the lottery can make a positive difference in the bottom line for businesses all across the state. We can’t thank our retailers enough for their hard work on behalf of the lottery.

Statistically, we know that lottery results will fluctuate from year to year. Our job is to keep it fun for players while running an operation based upon best practices. We anticipate that lottery games will continue to be a consistent, key source of proceeds for vital state causes here in Iowa.

 

Veterans Day At The Capitol

Yesterday was Veterans Day at the Capitol here in Iowa, and there was a huge crowd of veterans at the Statehouse!

The lottery had a booth there to provide information about the proceeds that we raise for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. And we added to the fun of the day by giving some lottery prize packs away in contests we held at our booth. Here are shots of some of the lucky contest winners! We hope they have fun playing the scratch tickets in their prize packs and enjoy the lottery swag we included, too.

Since 2008, the Iowa Lottery has raised nearly $20 million for the Veterans Trust Fund to help Iowa veterans and their families. We proud to be able to help such a noble cause and truly mean it when we say: Thank you, veterans, for your service!

That Veterans Total Keeps Climbing!

Many thanks to the Iowa Energy, which gave us the chance to be part of the team’s Military Appreciation Night this month. We got to do a center-court presentation to call attention to the grand total in lottery proceeds raised so far for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund (IVTF)!

I'm shown here with Colonel Bob King, Executive Director of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs and Director of the Iowa Veterans Cemetery.  Colonel King served in the Iowa National Guard for nearly 36 years prior to his September 2004 retirement.

He got the ceremonial check showing that the lottery has raised nearly $20 million since 2008 to help Iowa veterans and their families through the IVTF. The precise total with our transfer for fiscal year 2016, which we made to the Trust Fund in late October, is $19,852,121.

Sneak Peek At Something Cool…

It’s been a little while since we’ve talked about the art project underway here at the lottery, but it’s almost done! The finishing touches are going into place right now and everything will be on display soon.

You’re getting the first sneak peek at the sculptures here on the blog, and we can’t wait to see this version of lottery luck in person!

The Iowa Lottery’s purchase and renovation of our headquarters location in Clive meets the requirements of the Art in State Buildings Program, which was enacted by state lawmakers in 1979 to ensure that fine arts are a part of eligible state building construction projects. State law specifies that one half of one percent of the total cost of an eligible state building project will be used to include fine arts in the project.

The art concept we chose is for metal, oversized four-leaf clovers to dot the grounds here at our building in Clive. 

Des Moines artists Dennis Reynolds and TJ Moberg presented the idea for the clovers and have been working for the past several months to finalize the concept, locate all the materials they needed and then produce the clovers themselves.  

Installation is set for tomorrow, so now it’s up to Mother Nature to keep the rain away!

 

 

We’re Now Up To Nearly $20 Million For Iowa Veterans & Their Families

As we prepare to observe the Veterans Day holiday tomorrow, it’s a time for each of us to honor and remember the service of our nation’s veterans. Here at the Iowa Lottery, this is also a time that we’re especially thankful and proud of the proceeds we’ve been able to raise to help Iowa veterans and their families. And we just upped the grand total.

Back in June, I blogged about the change taking effect in the way the lottery raises proceeds for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, and the positive impact that would have on the resources  dedicated to that cause.

Late last month, we made the lottery’s $2.5 million transfer to the Veterans Trust Fund for the current fiscal year. And that brings the grand total that we’ve raised for the cause to nearly $20 million! Today, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of all Iowa Lottery games is dedicated to the Veterans Trust Fund.

If you’re looking for more information about the Trust Fund or how to apply for assistance from it, click here to visit the website of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs. Click on the “Benefits” link at the top of that page to learn more.

The lottery’s office will be closed tomorrow in observance of Veterans Day, and we’ll be back to work on Thursday. 

How We Help Veterans & Their Families Is About To Change

On Wednesday, a new state law will take effect that’s designed to stabilize the amount raised by the lottery each year to help Iowa veterans and their families.

The Iowa Lottery requested the change, which I first blogged about this spring after Gov. Terry Branstad signed the proposal into law.

Since 2008, the proceeds from the sale of two scratch games and two pull-tab games each year have been dedicated to the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. But annual proceeds to the IVTF have been on the decline for the past few years. In FY 2014, for the first time since the lottery started raising money for the cause, we didn’t reach our publicly stated goal of providing between $2 million and $3 million to the IVTF. (The annual total that year was $1.8 million.) We think there’s a main reason for that decline.

While overall lottery sales and proceeds have repeatedly exceeded budget projections, we’ve seen a long-term decline in the sale of our pull-tab games. Pull-tabs have been closely tied to our efforts to help the Veterans Trust Fund, making up half the games for that cause. And if pull-tab sales kept falling, that would pull down our efforts to support the IVTF.

The law that takes effect on Wednesday will eliminate a certain number of lottery games each year dedicated to the cause and instead allocate $2.5 million in lottery proceeds annually to the IVTF. That’s the midway point of our publicly stated goal for the project and also is the yearly average of the total we’ve raised so far.

Under current law, the majority of lottery proceeds each year go into the state General Fund, where they help pay for the variety of programs that receive money through it. A smaller portion of lottery proceeds goes to the Veterans Trust Fund. That will continue to be the case under the new law, it’s just that the way we raise money for the IVTF will be changed, with $2.5 million in lottery proceeds going to that cause each year.

As of next week, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of all Iowa Lottery games will be dedicated to the Veterans Trust Fund.

We’ll of course continue to spread the word about the Veterans Trust Fund and the help it provides to Iowa veterans and their families. And I’m sure we’ll still sell patriotic-themed games from time to time. We did that even before we started helping the IVTF and they’ve always been popular. 

 

Proposal Signed Into Law To Stabilize Proceeds To IVTF

We’re gratified to announce some important upcoming changes in the help that the Iowa Lottery provides for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund.

A proposal from the lottery has been signed into law by Gov. Terry Branstad. The legislation will stabilize the proceeds that the lottery raises each year to help our state’s veterans and their families through the IVTF. Senate File 323 will take effect July 1 and will mean changes in the line-up of games that the lottery offers in retail locations – changes designed to ensure a stable, ongoing source of revenues for the IVTF.

The proposal was approved March 9 in the Iowa Senate and March 10 in the Iowa House before being signed into law Tuesday.

You’ve likely heard me reference before that the lottery has raised proceeds for the IVTF since 2008. I’m proud to report that through February of this year, we’ve provided a total of more than $17 million to this worthy cause.

Under current law, the proceeds from the sale of two scratch games and two pull-tab games each year are dedicated to the Veterans Trust Fund. But annual proceeds to the IVTF have been on the decline for the past few years. In FY 2014, for the first time since the lottery started raising money for the cause, we didn’t reach our publicly stated goal of providing between $2 million and $3 million for the IVTF. (The annual total from the lottery for the Trust Fund in FY 2014 was $1.8 million.) There’s one main reason for the recent decline.

While overall lottery sales and proceeds in recent years have been strong and repeatedly exceeded budget projections, the lottery is seeing a long-term decline in the sale of its pull-tab games. Right now, pull-tabs are closely tied to the lottery’s efforts to help the Veterans Trust Fund, making up 50 percent of the games dedicated to the cause. A continued decline in pull-tab sales would negatively impact the lottery’s ability to support the IVTF.

To stabilize ongoing proceeds to the Veterans Trust Fund, the legislation we introduced will eliminate the requirement for a certain number of lottery games each year dedicated to the cause and instead allocate $2.5 million in lottery proceeds annually to the IVTF. That amount is the midway point of the lottery’s publicly stated goal for the project and also is the yearly average of the total we’ve raised so far.

Under current law, the majority of lottery proceeds are dedicated each year to the state General Fund, where they help pay for the variety of programs that receive funding through it; with a smaller portion of lottery proceeds dedicated to the Veterans Trust Fund. That will continue to be the case with the change in law on July 1 – it’s just that the method by which the lottery raises money for the IVTF will be changed to $2.5 million in lottery proceeds being dedicated to the cause each year.

As of July 1, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of all lottery games will be dedicated to the Veterans Trust Fund. The set of games we introduced in January that provide 100 percent of their proceeds to the IVTF will be the last in that series that we’ll release.

We’ll of course continue to spread the word about the Veterans Trust Fund and the help it provides to Iowa veterans and their families. And we’ll also offer patriotic-themed games over time – we did that even before the lottery started helping the IVTF and those games have always been popular.