ialottery blog

Dear Lottery: I Really Don’t Like Your …

A woman reached out to us this month to share that she really doesn’t like our promotions that offer ticket prize packages to events like concerts and sports events. She said she plays the lottery for the chance to win MONEY, and nothing else.

And we get it. You’ve often heard us say through the years that cash is king. So, we’ll definitely keep offering games and promotions that offer cash prizes.

But we also know that variety is the spice of life. And for that reason, we mix in games and promotions that offer other types of prizes. We’ve given away cars, trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATVs, ticket packages for concerts and sports events, and luxury items including home entertainment systems and vacations to warm-weather destinations.

Our current promotions are a perfect example of that: The Countdown to Carver™ promotion offers ticket prize packages to Iowa women’s and men’s basketball games and men’s wrestling meets, while the Million Dollar Holiday promotion offers a total of $1 million in cash prizes.

We’ll keep changing things up, knowing that different people have different tastes. If you don’t see something you like at the moment, just know we switch out our line-ups just about every month!

The Name Says It: ‘Million Dollar Holiday’ Will Give Away Total Of $1 Million In Prizes

When that $1 million Mega Millions® prize in central Iowa expired this fall without being claimed, we said we’d give away the money in the Iowa Lottery’s holiday promotion. Now it’s time to put that into action.

The lottery’s Million Dollar Holiday promotion opened for entries this morning. Players can enter with nonwinning tickets in the seven holiday-themed scratch games available this year in Iowa.

During the promotion’s drawings from mid-November through early January, the Iowa Lottery will give away 89 cash prizes ranging from $1,000 up to the grand prize of $500,000. The total in prizes for the promotion? You guessed it: $1 million. By splitting the total up, we’re giving more players the chance to share in the winnings.

We’re applying the “max bet” concept in the promotion, meaning that the size of the prize you could win increases along with the purchase price of the scratch ticket you’ve entered.

The promotion runs through early January, with its final drawing date on Jan. 10. You can enter tickets on the lottery website or by using our mobile app.

In the promotion’s three initial rounds of drawings, a total of 85 prizes will be awarded. Twenty-five winners of $1,000 will be selected from among the $2 and $3 entries; 30 winners of $2,500 from among the $5 entries; and 30 winners of $10,000 from among the $10 and $20 entries.

The initial drawings will be held on Nov. 16, Dec. 14 and Jan 10. The promotion’s grand-prize drawing also will be held on Jan. 10. In that final drawing, we’ll go out with a bang, awarding a prize of $50,000, two prizes of $100,000 and the promotion’s grand prize of $500,000.

Entries won’t carry over from one drawing to the next, except for the grand-prize drawing. All entries submitted over the course of the promotion that are not selected as a winner in one of the initial drawings will automatically be eligible for the grand-prize drawing.

Hawkeye Gold: This Time, The Iowa-Themed Scratch Game & Promotion Focus On Basketball & Wrestling

For the second time this year, the Iowa Lottery and Hawkeye Sports Properties have teamed up for a Hawkeye™-themed scratch game and promotion, with the focus now on basketball and wrestling.

The exclusive “Hawkeye Gold” scratch game debuted Oct. 10, and the Countdown to Carver™ promotion built around the game has opened for entries today. The promotion offers ticket prize packages for coveted seats this season at ALL Iowa men’s and women’s home basketball games and Iowa men’s home wrestling meets. The promo also will give away ticket prize packages to the Hawkeye men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader Dec. 16 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Tickets in the $5 Hawkeye Gold scratch game have a bright gold background and feature a large image on the front of the distinctive Iowa Tigerhawk™ logo. As with this year’s initial Iowa-themed scratch game, Hawkeye Gold tickets offer players the chance to win cash prizes ranging from $5 up to $50,000.

Iowa Lottery players who don’t win an instant prize on their Hawkeye Gold scratch ticket can enter it into the Countdown to Carver promotion for a chance to win ticket prize packages for upcoming Iowa sports events, including the sold-out season of the Hawkeye women’s basketball team.

As of today, a total of 112 ticket prize packages will be given away in the promotion. More may be added as the full-season schedule for Iowa men’s wrestling becomes available!

Some of the prize packages will be for seats in the all-new, private Iowa Lottery Terrace in Carver-Hawkeye Arena™ with food, water and soda provided. Ohers will be for general tickets in the arena. Still others will be for the Iowa basketball doubleheader in Des Moines, with seats in a VIP suite at Wells Fargo Arena with food, water and soda provided.

Players will select the ticket prize package and event of their choice at the time they make an entry in the promotion.

The promotion’s entry period opened this morning and continues through 9:59 a.m. on Feb. 5, 2024. There will be five drawing dates in the promotion to award ticket prize packages for events throughout the upcoming college basketball and wrestling seasons.

To enter the promotion, players must join or already be members of the Iowa Lottery’s free VIP Club. Players can visit the lottery’s website at ialottery.com to enter the promotion or scan an eligible ticket with the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app to enter. As you enter, please pay close attention to the entry deadlines involved. The events earlier in the season will be closed to promotion entries once the applicable deadline has passed.

Here is a list of the ticket prize packages that will be given away in the Countdown to Carver promotion:

Oct. 26 drawing date
12 ticket prize packages awarded
9 Iowa Women’s Basketball prize packages
2 VIP prize packages with 4 tickets each on the private Iowa Lottery Terrace for these women’s basketball games: Fairleigh Dickinson-Iowa on Nov. 6; Kansas St.-Iowa on Nov. 16; and Drake-Iowa on Nov. 19. Complimentary food, water and soda with waitstaff service will be provided at the seats. Each prize package includes a parking pass and branded merchandise.
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa women’s basketball games: Fairleigh Dickinson-Iowa on Nov. 6; Kansas St.-Iowa on Nov. 16; and Drake-Iowa on Nov. 19.
3 Iowa Men’s Basketball prize packages
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa men’s basketball games: N. Dakota-Iowa on Nov. 7; Alabama St.-Iowa on Nov. 10; and Arkansas St.-Iowa on Nov. 17.

Nov. 16 drawing date
28 ticket prize packages awarded
15 Iowa Women’s Basketball prize packages
2 VIP prize packages with 4 tickets each on the private Iowa Lottery Terrace for these women’s basketball games: Bowling Green-Iowa on Dec. 2; and Loyola-Chicago-Iowa on Dec. 21. Complimentary food, water and soda with waitstaff service will be provided at the seats. Each prize package includes a parking pass and branded merchandise.
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa women’s basketball games: Bowling Green-Iowa on Dec. 2; and Loyola-Chicago-Iowa on Dec. 21.
9 VIP prize packages with 2 tickets each in a VIP suite at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines for the Iowa basketball doubleheader on Dec. 16 with food, water and soda provided in the suite along with branded merchandise. The featured doubleheader games are Cleveland St.-Iowa for the women and Florida A&M-Iowa for the men. Prize-package winners will be able to enjoy both games.
12 Iowa Men’s Basketball prize packages
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa men’s basketball games: N. Florida-Iowa on Nov. 29; Michigan-Iowa on Dec. 10; and UMBC-Iowa on Dec. 20.
9 VIP prize packages with 2 tickets each in a VIP suite at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines for the Iowa basketball doubleheader on Dec. 16 with food, water and soda provided in the suite along with branded merchandise. The featured doubleheader games are Cleveland St.-Iowa for the women and Florida A&M-Iowa for the men. Prize-package winners will be able to enjoy both games.
1 Iowa Men’s Wrestling prize package
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for the Columbia-Iowa men’s wrestling meets on Dec. 8.

Dec. 14 drawing date
17 ticket prize packages awarded
12 Iowa Women’s Basketball prize packages
2 VIP prize packages with 4 tickets each on the private Iowa Lottery Terrace for these women’s basketball games: Minnesota-Iowa on Dec. 30; Michigan St.-Iowa on Jan. 2; Indiana-Iowa on Jan. 13; and Wisconsin-Iowa on Jan. 16. Complimentary food, water and soda with waitstaff service will be provided at the seats. Each prize package includes a parking pass and branded merchandise.
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa women’s basketball games: Minnesota-Iowa on Dec. 30; Michigan St.-Iowa on Jan. 2; Indiana-Iowa on Jan. 13; and Wisconsin-Iowa on Jan. 16.
3 Iowa Men’s Basketball prize packages
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa men’s basketball games: N. Illinois-Iowa on Dec. 29; Rutgers-Iowa on Jan. 6; and Nebraska-Iowa on Jan. 12.
2 Iowa Men’s Wrestling prize packages
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa men’s wrestling meets: Minnesota-Iowa on Jan. 15 and Purdue-Iowa on Jan. 19.

Jan. 9, 2024, drawing date
30 ticket prize packages awarded
9 Iowa Women’s Basketball prize packages
2 VIP prize packages with 4 tickets each on the private Iowa Lottery Terrace for these women’s basketball games: Nebraska-Iowa on Jan. 27; Penn St.-Iowa on Feb. 8; and Michigan-Iowa on Feb. 15. Complimentary food, water and soda with waitstaff service will be provided at the seats. Each prize package includes a parking pass and branded merchandise.
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa women’s basketball games: Nebraska-Iowa on Jan. 27; Penn St.-Iowa on Feb. 8; and Michigan-Iowa on Feb. 15.
8 Iowa Men’s Basketball prize packages
4 VIP prize packages with 4 tickets each on the private Iowa Lottery Terrace for the Purdue-Iowa men’s basketball game on Jan. 20. Complimentary food, water and soda with waitstaff service will be provided at the seats. Each prize package includes a parking pass and branded merchandise.
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa men’s basketball games: Purdue-Iowa on Jan. 20; Maryland-Iowa on Jan. 24; Ohio St.-Iowa on Feb. 2; and Minnesota-Iowa on Feb. 11.
13 Iowa Men’s Wrestling prize packages
12 prize packages of 4 tickets each on the private Iowa Lottery Terrace for the Penn St.-Iowa meet on Feb. 9. Complimentary food, water and soda with waitstaff service will be provided at the seats. Each prize package includes a parking pass and branded merchandise.
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for the Penn St.-Iowa meet on Feb. 9.

Feb. 6, 2024, drawing date
26 ticket prize packages awarded
6 Iowa Women’s Basketball prize packages
2 VIP prize packages with 4 tickets each on the private Iowa Lottery Terrace for these women’s basketball games: Illinois-Iowa on Feb. 25; and Ohio St.-Iowa on March 3. Complimentary food, water and soda with waitstaff service will be provided at the seats. Each prize package includes a parking pass and branded merchandise.
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa women’s basketball games: Illinois-Iowa on Feb. 25; and Ohio St.-Iowa on March 3.
7 Iowa Men’s Basketball prize packages
4 VIP prize packages with 4 tickets each on the private Iowa Lottery Terrace for the Wisconsin-Iowa men’s basketball game on Feb. 17. Complimentary food, water and soda with waitstaff service will be provided at the seats. Each prize package includes a parking pass and branded merchandise.
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for these Iowa men’s basketball games: Wisconsin-Iowa on Feb. 17; Penn St.-Iowa on Feb. 27; and Illinois-Iowa on March 10.
13 Iowa Men’s Wrestling prize packages
12 prize packages of 4 tickets each on the private Iowa Lottery Terrace for the Wisconsin-Iowa meet on Feb. 18. Complimentary food, water and soda with waitstaff service will be provided at the seats. Each prize package includes a parking pass and branded merchandise.
1 prize package of 4 arena-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for the Wisconsin-Iowa meet on Feb. 18.

20 Iowa Players Will Win $2,500 & 1 Could Win a Trip To NYC to Celebrate New Year’s Eve & Have A Shot At $1 Million!

When you buy a Powerball® ticket right now in Iowa, extra chances at winning are on the line, including the possibility of spending New Year’s Eve in NYC to be in the running to become the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year®!

You, of course, have a chance at a Powerball prize when you buy a ticket. And for the next month, you can enter your Powerball tickets in the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year promotion for a chance to win one of 20 Iowa prizes of $2,500 cash plus the possibility of becoming the Powerball First Millionaire of 2024!

The promotion started at 10 a.m. today, and the entry period runs through the morning of Oct. 17. Any Powerball ticket purchased in Iowa on or after Sept. 1 of this year is eligible for entry (winning and nonwinning tickets can both be entered).

Please note this important detail: Simply buying a Powerball ticket during the promotion period is not an automatic entry. You’ll need to buy a Powerball ticket in Iowa and then enter that ticket into the promotion through your VIP Club account. (Click here to join if you’re not already a member.)

You may remember that a woman from tiny Swan, Iowa, had a ball on her trip to New York in last year’s Powerball First Millionaire of the Year promotion.

In the Iowa drawing on Oct. 19, we’ll select our state’s 20 winners of $2,500 prizes. Each of those winners will then be a semifinalist in a drawing from among the 23 states participating in this year’s Powerball First Millionaire of the Year promotion. Five finalists will be selected from all the participating lotteries’ contestants in a drawing on Nov. 8. Only one name per lottery will be eligible as a finalist.

The five finalists will each go to New York to celebrate New Year’s Eve and be in the running for the $1 million prize. The New York trip package is valued at more than $28,000.

Each eligible Powerball ticket entered will count as one entry into the promotion, regardless of the number of plays on it or how many drawings those plays may span.

Just after the ball drops to ring in the New Year, Powerball’s First Millionaire of the Year will be drawn during ABC’s live national broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.” And yes, it could be you!

© 2023 dick clark productions, llc

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Even and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve are registered trademarks of DCP Rights, LLC. All rights reserved.

No One Claimed The $1 Million Prize, So Now What?

The $1 million Mega Millions® prize won last year in Ames has expired without being claimed, but someone is still going to win that money. 

Click on the video above to learn how the Iowa Lottery will give away the unclaimed prize money in just the next few months!

We’ll Be At The State Fair Monday & Next Saturday

We’ll be at the Iowa State Fair for two days next week, so please stop and see us if your schedule matches up!

On Monday, the Iowa Lottery will take over the big white exhibition tent along the Grand Concourse to help celebrate Veterans Day at the Fair. The tent is right in front of the Fair’s Service Center, and we’ll be there from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. that day.

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 games available that can get you entries into our Kickoff to Kinnick™ and Cyclone Football® promotions. With a lottery purchase that day, you can spin the prize wheel for merchandise prizes.

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 more than $37 million for that meaningful cause!

And then next Saturday (Aug. 19), the Lottery will have a booth inside the Varied Industries Building at the Fair. We’ll be there from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. that day as well, and we’ll have the all the games and give-aways there that we had earlier in the week.

We look forward to seeing you at the State Fair!

See You Later Today at the Knoxville Raceway!

We’re headed to the Knoxville Raceway today for one of the biggest traditions in the world of racing – the Knoxville Nationals!

Our booth will be open from 2-8 p.m. today at the Raceway. You can find us in the Fan Walk area under the Main Grandstand. We’ll be selling scratch tickets, lotto tickets and InstaPlay tickets. You can get free lottery swag for stopping by to see us and you can spin the prize wheel with a lottery purchase. (Please note that our booth will be cash only.)

And yes, we’ll have the tickets you need to enter our Hawkeye™ and Cyclone™ football promotions!

Some of our lucky Race into Summer promotion winners have suite tickets tonight at the Raceway. In addition to all the racing fun, they’ll get to tour the garage area and meet 2022 Knoxville 410 track champion Brian Brown.

We look forward to seeing you at the Sprint Car Capital of the World!

Newest Lottery Promo Features Football Packages to 2023 Iowa State Home Games

Hey Cyclone™ football fans, this newest promotion is for you!

The Iowa lottery’s Cyclone Football promotion is officially underway. A total of 27 football ticket prize packages for Iowa State home games will be given away in it, including VIP suite packages for the Iowa®-Iowa State® game; VIP tailgate packages for the Northern Iowa-Iowa State game; and stadium-seat packages for each of the six Iowa State games at Jack Trice Stadium™ in 2023.

Lottery players can enter the promotion with any Mega Millions® ticket purchased in Iowa on or after July 17 of this year (winning and nonwinning tickets can both be entered).

The entry period continues through 9:59 a.m. on Oct. 3. Players will select the ticket prize package and game of their choice at the time they enter.

Please note this important detail: Simply buying a Mega Millions ticket during the promotion period won’t automatically get you entered. You’ll need to buy an eligible ticket in Iowa and then enter it into the promotion through your VIP Club account. (To enter the promotion, players must join or already be members of the Iowa Lottery’s free VIP Club.)

Players can visit the lottery’s website at ialottery.com to enter the promotion or scan an eligible ticket with the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app to enter. As you enter, please pay close attention to the entry deadlines involved. The home games earlier in the season will be closed to promotion entries once the applicable deadline has passed.

Each eligible Mega Millions ticket entered will count as one entry into the promotion, regardless of the number of plays on it or how many drawings those plays may span.

There will be three drawing dates in the Cyclone Football promotion. Here is a list of the ticket prize packages that will be given away:

Aug. 22 drawing date
23 ticket prize packages awarded

• 8 VIP suite prize packages that each include 2 suite tickets for the Iowa-Iowa St. game on Sept. 9. Food, water and soda will be provided in the suite and each winner will receive $100 spending money.
• 13 VIP tailgate prize packages that each include 2 stadium tickets and a tailgate experience for the N. Iowa-Iowa St. game on Sept. 2. Food, water, soda will be provided at the tailgate and the winner will receive $100 spending money.
• 1 prize package that includes 4 stadium tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for the N. Iowa-Iowa St. game on Sept. 2.
• 1 prize package that includes 4 stadium tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for the Iowa-Iowa St. game on Sept. 9.

Sept. 13 drawing date
2 prize packages awarded

• 1 prize package that includes 4 stadium tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for the Oklahoma St.-Iowa St. game on Sept. 23.
• 1 prize package that includes 4 stadium tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for the TCU-Iowa St. game on Oct. 7.

Oct. 4 drawing date
2 prize packages awarded

• 1 prize package that includes 4 stadium tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for the Kansas-Iowa St. game on Nov. 4.
• 1 prize package that includes 4 stadium tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass for the Texas-Iowa St. game on Nov. 18.

Iowa Lottery & Hawkeye Sports Properties Team Up For Hawkeye Scratch Game + Football Promotion

The Iowa Lottery and Hawkeye Sports Properties have teamed up for a new Hawkeye™ scratch game and promotion to give players the chance to win cash prizes or ticket prize packages to 2023 home football games at Kinnick Stadium™.

The exclusive Hawkeye scratch tickets are arriving in stores today, and the Kickoff to Kinnick promotion has opened for entries.

Tickets in the $5 scratch game feature the distinctive Tigerhawk™ logo and images of the Herky Mascot™ in the Hawkeyes’ black-and-gold colors. The scratch game offers players the chance to win instant prizes ranging from $5 up to $50,000.

Iowa Lottery players who don’t win an instant prize on their Hawkeye scratch ticket can enter it into the Kickoff to Kinnick promotion for a chance to win ticket prize packages to the 7 Iowa home football games in 2023.

A total of 41 football ticket prize packages will be given away in the promotion, with either VIP tickets in the private Ironmen Suite and food, water, soda and merchandise available in the suite, or stadium-seat tickets in Kinnick Stadium.

Players will select the ticket prize package and game of their choice at the time they make an entry in the promotion.

To enter the promotion, players must join or already be members of the Iowa Lottery’s free VIP Club. The promotion’s entry period opened this morning and continues through 9:59 a.m. on Oct. 3. There will be three drawing dates in the promotion, with ticket prize packages awarded in the month prior to the home football games involved.

Players can visit the lottery’s website at ialottery.com to enter the promotion or scan an eligible ticket with the Iowa Lottery’s mobile app to enter. As you enter, please pay close attention to the entry deadlines involved. The home games earlier in the season will be closed to promotion entries once the applicable deadline has passed.

Here is a list of the ticket prize packages that will be given away in the Kickoff to Kinnick promotion:

Aug. 16 drawing date
20 ticket prize packages awarded

• 17 VIP prize packages with 2 tickets each in the Ironmen Suite for the Michigan St.-Iowa game on Sept. 30 with food, water, soda and merchandise provided in the suite, and $100 spending money.
• 3 prize packages that each include 4 stadium-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass to the Utah St.-Iowa game on Sept. 2, the W. Michigan-Iowa game on Sept. 16 or the Michigan St.-Iowa game on Sept. 30.

Sept. 13 drawing date
19 prize packages awarded

• 17 VIP prize packages with 2 tickets each in the Ironmen Suite for the Minnesota-Iowa game on Oct. 21 with food, water, soda and merchandise provided in the suite, and $100 spending money.
• 2 prize packages that each include 4 stadium-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass to the Purdue-Iowa game on Oct. 7 or the Minnesota-Iowa game on Oct. 21.

Oct 4. drawing date
2 prize packages awarded

• 2 prize packages that each include 4 stadium-seat tickets, $100 spending money and a parking pass to the Rutgers-Iowa game on Nov. 11 or the Illinois-Iowa game on Nov. 18.

Player Question: Will entering my ticket in the promo void it for the Pball drawing?

Here’s a question I can’t remember receiving before, and it’s about the tickets that can be entered in one of our current promotions, specifically, Race Into Summer.

That’s the promotion where you can enter Powerball® tickets for a chance to win a VIP Knoxville Nationals prize package at the Knoxville Raceway. The player who reached out to us wondered if his ticket would be voided for the Powerball drawing he’d purchased it for if he entered it in the promotion.

And the answer is: Absolutely not. If you enter your Powerball ticket in one of our promotions, it’s of course still eligible for the Powerball drawing for which you purchased it.

The entry itself provides the information we’ll need in the promotion drawing. But be sure to keep your ticket until after the Powerball drawing you bought it for so you can check to see if you won a prize in THAT drawing.

Thanks For A Fun Weekend, We’ll Be Back In Knoxville On Aug. 10!

What a weekend of competition and fun we got to see at the Knoxville Raceway! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Iowa Lottery booth at the raceway’s main Grandstand, and congratulations to our Race into Summer promotion winners who had prize packages for the World of Outlaws races!

If you missed us this weekend, we’ll be back. There’s still time to enter the promotion for a chance to win a VIP prize package for the Knoxville Nationals on Aug. 10. And the Iowa Lottery will be back at the raceway that day, selling tickets and giving people the chance to spin the prize wheel.

Full details about the Race Into Summer promotion are available here.

See You Tonight & Tomorrow At The Knoxville Raceway!

We’re headed to the Knoxville Raceway for a weekend of sprint car racing -- and lottery giveaways to add to the fun!

We’ll have a booth tonight and tomorrow at the Raceway for the World of Outlaws races. You’ll be able to find us in the Fan Walk area under the Main Grandstand, near the space where the racers have their trailers displayed. The Iowa Lottery’s booth is open from 3-7:30 p.m. tonight and from noon-7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Both days, we’ll sell scratch tickets, lotto tickets and InstaPlay tickets. You can get free lottery swag for stopping by our booth. You can spin the prize wheel with a lottery purchase and we’ll have Luke Combs T-shirts with qualifying purchases. (Please note that our booth will be cash only.) Some of the games are eligible for entry into the lottery’s current promotions, so be sure the check out those details as well.

On Saturday, you’ll also hear us on a radio remote from noon-2 p.m. at the track with KRLS/KNIA Radio in Knoxville. And as a fan bonus, Brian Brown, the Knoxville Raceway 2022 Sprint Car 410 champion, will periodically stop by the Iowa Lottery's booth during our visit to the track. So you may be able to meet him, too!

We look forward to seeing you at the Sprint Car Capital of the World!

Lottery’s Summer of Music = Your Chance to Win Tix to Big-Name Concerts in Iowa

We started off the season by giving you a chance to win prize packages to some of Iowa’s top auto-racing events, and now we’re turning our attention to music. And specifically, giving you the chance to win ticket prize packages to big-name concerts this summer in Iowa.

The Iowa Lottery’s eight-week Summer of Music promotion opened for entries this morning. Players can enter it with nonwinning tickets in the $10 “Wild Cherry” scratch game for a chance to win prize packages to 14 Iowa concerts by headline artists at the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend in Newton and the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

The promotion will have two entry periods, with the first for race-and-concert packages at the Iowa Speedway in Newton, and the second for Iowa State Fair concert packages.

Up for grabs in the promotion’s first drawing date on July 6 (from entries accepted through 9:59 a.m. July 5) will be 95 prize packages to the IndyCar race and Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney performances on July 22, and 95 prize packages to the IndyCar race and Zac Brown Band and Ed Sheeran shows on July 23 in Newton. Players will select the Race Weekend concert of their choice when they enter tickets in the promotion.

For each day of the IndyCar Race Weekend, 20 prize packages will be in a VIP suite and 75 will be grandstand prize packages. Winners will receive tickets for that day’s IndyCar race as well as the pre- and post-race concerts at the Speedway.

The promotion’s second drawing period runs from 10 a.m. July 5 through 9:59 a.m. July 31. Up for grabs in the promotion’s second drawing date on Aug. 1 will be 20 VIP grandstand concert prize packages at the Iowa State Fair for these artists:

• For King + Country
• Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line
• New Kids on the Block
• Eric Church
• The Black Keys
• Lindsey Stirling
• Maren Morris
• Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges
• The Chicks
• Jason Aldean

Players will select the Iowa State Fair concert of their choice when they enter tickets in the promotion.

Entries will not carry over from the first entry period to the second. However, a player could win a concert prize package in each category drawing they enter.

Lottery’s Race Into Summer Promotion = Sprint Car + NASCAR

Iowa Powerball® players can now enter for a chance to win exclusive trackside prize packages in a promotion that features sprint car and NASCAR® racing.

The Iowa Lottery’s nine-week Race into Summer promotion opened for entries Monday morning. Players can enter it with any Powerball ticket purchased in Iowa from Monday through the promotion’s end on the morning of July 5.

Up for grabs in the promotion’s first two drawings on May 24 (from entries accepted through 9:59 a.m. May 23) are 20 VIP prize packages for the Knoxville World of Outlaws sprint car races June 9 and 10 at Knoxville Raceway. Players will select the race date of their choice when they enter tickets in the promotion.

The Race into Summer promotion is part of the Iowa Lottery’s official 2023 partnership with Knoxville Raceway, the legendary half-mile dirt oval on the Marion County Fairgrounds known as the Sprint Car Capital of the World.

Each World of Outlaws prize package includes:

• 2 suite tickets
• food, soda and water in the suite
• parking pass
• $150 spending cash
• photo/autograph event with driver Brian Brown, 2022 Knoxville Raceway 410 Track Champion
• Brian Brown merchandise prize pack, including a diecast model of his car.

The promotion’s second drawing date (from entries accepted through 9:59 a.m. July 5) offers 20 VIP prize packages to the Knoxville Nationals qualifying race on Aug. 10. And as an added bonus for players who enter for those Knoxville Nationals prize packages, they also will have a shot at winning a VIP trip to a NASCAR race and a chance at a $1 million prize.

Each Knoxville Nationals prize package includes:

• 2 suite tickets
• food, soda and water in the suite
• parking pass
• $250 spending cash
• photo/autograph event with driver Brian Brown, 2022 Knoxville Raceway 410 Track Champion
• Brian Brown merchandise prize pack including a diecast model of his car.

The promotion drawing for the Knoxville Nationals prizes will be July 6. The 20 winners selected that day also will be the Iowa Lottery’s qualifiers for a national promotion called the NASCAR Powerball Playoff.

Powerball players in 24 states will have the chance to enter the NASCAR Powerball Playoff this spring and summer. Each state will initially hold a drawing to determine its qualifiers in the promotion. Then from among all those qualifiers across the country, 16 national semifinalists will be selected.

Each of the 16 semifinalists will win a cash prize in the NASCAR Powerball Playoff. The number of semifinalists will continue to be whittled down until four finalists remain. The longer a semifinalist stays in the running, the more they will win. Each of the four finalists will win a VIP trackside prize package to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona.

During a live drawing broadcast from the Nov. 5 race, one of the four finalists will win a $1 million prize.

Here is the schedule of drawings in the NASCAR Powerball Playoff:

Prize Amount	Winners	Drawing Date	Winners Announced	Impact
$1 million + trip to Arizona	1	Nov. 5	NASCAR race Nov. 5 in Avondale, AZ	1 grand-prize winner selected
$10,000 + trip to Arizona	3	Nov. 5	NASCAR race Nov. 5 in Avondale, AZ	4 finalists attend race & live drawing
$7,500	4	Oct. 11	NASCAR race Oct. 29 in Martinsville, VA	Semifinalists narrowed to 4
$5,000	4	Oct. 1	NASCAR race Oct. 8 in Concord, NC	Semifinalists narrowed to 8
$2,500	4	Sept. 9	NASCAR race Sept. 16 in Bristol, TN	Semifinalists narrowed to 12
Selection as semifinalist	16	Aug. 12	NASCAR race Aug. 26 in Daytona Beach, FL	16 semifinalists selected

As with past Powerball promotions in Iowa, each eligible ticket entered into the Race into Summer promotion will count as one entry, regardless of the purchase price of the ticket or the number of plays on it. Entries that are not selected by the Iowa Lottery in the Race into Summer drawings on May 24 will remain eligible for the promotion’s second drawing date on July 6.

NASCAR® is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. Copyright ©2023 National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NASCAR, LLC is not a sponsor of this promotion.

InstaPlay Promotion Ending Tonight

Please note that the InstaPlay promotion underway since last week is ending at 11:59 p.m. tonight.

The “player bonus” promotion has been so popular, it quickly ran through the free plays allotted for it. The free plays had been expected to last through early May, but player demand for them had surged.

From now through 11:59 p.m. tonight, for every 10th ticket purchased statewide in the JACKPOT PARTY® Progressive game, the lottery terminal or self-service kiosk will automatically generate a free play in the $30 Super 7s Progressive InstaPlay game.

You’ll hear the “Surprise, player bonus!” sound from the machine as the free play is printed. Both plays are yours – the $10 ticket you bought and the $30 ticket you won for free.

Remember, not every 10th ticket purchased from a specific location or lottery machine is eligible for a free play. It’s every 10th ticket purchased statewide, so the free-play bonus has been hitting in stores all across Iowa.

Thank you for being part of this fun -- and unexpected -- moment! We heard from a lot of folks who got free plays this past week!

2023 ® & © Light & Wonder Inc. or one of its subsidiaries.

Player Bonus: InstaPlay Bonus Promotion Has Started Today!

When you play the JACKPOT PARTY® Progressive Instaplay game right now, you may get a surprise bonus: a free ticket!

From now through the end of the day May 9, for every 10th ticket purchased statewide in the JACKPOT PARTY Progressive game, the lottery terminal or self-service kiosk will automatically generate a free play in the $30 Super 7s Progressive InstaPlay game.

You’ll hear the “Surprise, player bonus!” sound from the machine as the free play is printed. Both plays are yours – the $10 ticket you bought and the $30 ticket you won for free.

Remember, not every 10th ticket purchased from a specific location or lottery machine is eligible for a free play. It’s every 10th ticket purchased statewide, so the free-play bonus will hit in stores all across Iowa.

Listen for the “player bonus” sound when you buy a JACKPOT PARTY Progressive InstaPlay ticket during the next month!

2023 ® & © Light & Wonder Inc. or one of its subsidiaries.

Lottery, Country Artist Team Up To Offer Trips To Nashville Concert + Cash Prizes

Iowa Lottery players have a chance to win a trip to an exclusive Nashville concert with country recording star Luke Combs and cash prizes of up to $500,000 in a new scratch game and promotion.

The “Living Lucky with Luke Combs” scratch game hit store shelves today, offering instant prizes ranging from $10 up to $100,000. Tickets in the game feature an image of the country star in concert along with music-themed graphics of CDs and guitar picks.

If you don’t win a cash prize on your ticket, you can enter it into the Living Lucky with Luke Combs promotion that began this morning, offering 10 trips to Nashville for a private Luke Combs concert.

During the concert, a $10,000 winner will be selected from Iowa and each of the other lotteries sending players to Nashville along with one grand-prize winner of $500,000. The grand-prize winner will be announced by Luke Combs during his performance.

To enter the promotion, Iowa Lottery players must join or already be members of the lottery’s free VIP Club. The entry period continues through 9:59 a.m. on June 20. The promotion drawing will be held June 22 to determine the 10 Iowa trip winners who will go to Nashville.

The Nashville trips will take place Feb. 4-7 in 2024. Each trip package is valued at more than $20,000.

Included in each Living Lucky with Luke Combs Nashville Experience prize package will be:

• Round-trip airfare from Des Moines to Nashville.
• Three-night stay at the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown Hotel, standard room with daily breakfast included.
• Private concert with Luke Combs at the iconic Ryman Auditorium.
• Chance at private meet-and-greet with Combs and VIP concert seating.
• Private dinner and self-guided tour at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum.
• Private lunch and entertainment at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint.
• Private Taste of Nashville dinner at the Skye Lounge on top of the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown Hotel.
• $500 spending cash.
• Custom “Living Lucky with Luke Combs” welcome gifts.
• Ground transportation in Nashville from the airport to the hotel and scheduled event activities.
• Required state and federal taxes paid on behalf of the winner.

Interesting Stats In Basketball Promo

Some interesting numbers have emerged from the first month+ of entries in the Suite Seats promotion that has some incredible VIP basketball packages on the line.

The chance to attend a Minnesota Timberwolves basketball game is the biggest single-category draw among entries in the promotion. But the national men’s college basketball tournament in Des Moines accounts for a majority of the promotion’s total entries when all three college sessions available are considered.

Members of our free VIP Club can enter nonwinning tickets from the “Money Madness” and “Triple Tripler” scratch games into the promotion.

When you make an entry, you choose between a session in a suite at the national men’s college basketball tournament this March in Des Moines, or a prize package that includes two suite tickets to the Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves game March 31 in Minneapolis.

More than 43 percent of the entries into the promotion so far have been for the pro basketball prize package.

But entries across the different sessions at the college tournament account for 57 percent of the promotion’s total to date.

About 27 percent of entries are for Session 3 of the men’s college basketball tournament. Teams playing in that session will have advanced through the tournament’s initial games.

About 17 percent of entries are for Session 1 of the tournament and 13 percent are for Session 2.

The entry deadline is 9:59 a.m. on Feb. 28! The promotion’s drawings will follow on March 1.

You can win only once per category, but it is possible that you could win tickets to each men’s college tournament session in Des Moines and the Minnesota Timberwolves game.

Suite Seats Promotion Returns – With Some Exciting Additions

Some incredible VIP basketball packages are on the line in the Suite Seats promotion that started today.

The promotion’s entry period opened at 10 a.m. today. This year’s edition of Suite Seats is similar to a promotion with the same name held in 2019, but with several fun additions.

Members of our free VIP Club can enter nonwinning tickets from the “Money Madness” and “Triple Tripler” scratch games into the promotion for a chance to win. When they enter, they’ll choose between tickets to a session of the national men’s college basketball tournament this March in Des Moines, or a prize package that includes two suite tickets to the Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves game March 31 in Minneapolis.

Each college basketball prize pack is valued at more than $1,600 and includes 2 suite tickets to Session 1, 2 or 3 of the national men’s tournament (you’ll choose the session you want when you make your entry), as well as food and non-alcoholic beverages, $400 spending cash, tournament merchandise and a parking pass. There are 16 prize packs up for grabs for each of the three sessions at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Each Timberwolves prize pack is valued at nearly $2,000. It includes 2 suite tickets for the Lakers-Timberwolves game on March 31 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, a 1-night stay at the Loews Downtown Minneapolis Hotel with valet parking, food and non-alcoholic beverages, merchandise and $400 spending cash. Ten NBA prize packs will be given away in the promotion.

The Suite Seats entry period runs through 9:59 a.m. on Feb. 28, with the promotion’s drawings to follow on March 1. A player can win only once per category, but it is possible that someone could win tickets to each men’s college tournament session in Des Moines and the NBA game.

As part of the fun, the Iowa Lottery will hold a special event at the Jan. 29 Iowa Wolves basketball game in Des Moines. VIP Club members will be able to request 4 free tickets to the game, and the lottery will be there with courtside scratch ticket sales, a contest, and giveaways before and during the game.

These Small-Town Iowans Are Lovin’ NYC!

Update following drawing: The winner of the $1 million prize in the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year® drawing was the contestant from North Carolina, but we think Iowa's Chris Manuel gets the award for the feel-good story from her trip to New York. Chris, thank you for sharing the fun with us!    

I blogged earlier this week about our winners from tiny Swan, Iowa, who were headed to New York City – and the update today is that they’re taking it ALL in while they’re in the Big Apple!

#LifeGoals. Seriously.

Chris Manuel of Swan, a Marion County community of 76, won the trip as Iowa’s contestant in the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year drawing. She and her husband, Randy, get to see the iconic New Year’s Eve ball drop tomorrow night during an exclusive Times Square party and Chris will have a chance at the $1 million prize in the special drawing.

But for now, Chris and Randy are out and about in NYC. They’ve done a double-decker bus tour of the city, they’re seeing a performance of the Radio City Rockettes this afternoon and they’ve also got Ellis Island and Lady Liberty on their list of things to see and do.

We love to see them having so much fun!

The $1 million winner in the special Powerball drawing will be announced live on air just after midnight EST during ABC’s broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023.”

If you want to follow along with tomorrow night's festivities, here are the times you could see Chris and the other contestants in the drawing. (All times below are for the central time zone, when we’ll see the broadcast here in Iowa.)

7 p.m. – The live broadcast on ABC begins.
7:18 p.m. – The first Powerball segment is shown.
7:55 p.m. – The first drawing is held to select 5 finalists from among the 29 nationwide contestants.
8:41 and 10:20 p.m. – On-air interviews are broadcast with the 5 finalists.
11:16 p.m. – The $1 million drawing takes place.

Good luck, Chris! We're pulling for you!

A Lottery Winner’s Trip From Swan, IA, To NYC & A Chance At $1 Million

A lottery winner from a tiny central Iowa community will spend New Year’s Eve in New York and have a chance to win a $1 million prize in a special Powerball® drawing.

Chris Manuel of Swan is among 29 nationwide finalists for the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year® drawing. The $1 million winner will be announced live on air just after midnight EST during ABC’s broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023” from New York’s Times Square.

Chris says she’s excited for the trip, but still worries she’s being punked!

Chris, who’s 60 and a locksmith, has had a trying yet successful year, undergoing cancer surgery and radiation treatments. She said she hopes that in February, she’ll find out she’s cancer free. She said that winning the $1 million prize would mean she could retire early and enjoy time with her husband.

This is the fourth consecutive year for the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year promotion, and it’s the first time since the inaugural edition in 2019 that finalists get to travel to New York City for the event.

Chris says she’s heard from nearly everyone in her Marion County community of 76 about her sure-to-be-memorable New Year’s plans. She said there will be a lot of people watching the drawing that night!

Each of this year’s finalists won an exclusive trip for two to New York valued at more than $28,000. It includes round-trip airfare; a three-night hotel stay in Times Square; two tickets to a theater performance and other iconic NYC excursions; all meals while in New York; $1,000 spending cash; and New Year’s Eve festivities including a Times Square party and viewing of the iconic ball-drop.

Chris says that while she and her husband, Randy, are both the “camouflage and blue jeans” type, she’s gotten a manicure with dark, sparkly polish for their trip and they both went clothes shopping.

They plan to take in a lot of New York: dinner at Carmine’s Italian Restaurant in Times Square, a performance of the Radio City Rockettes, a double-decker bus tour of the city, and a ferry ride to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

They also plan to fulfill their grandson’s request for M&Ms® in every color from the M&Ms World Times Square store.

Randy Manuel, who‘s 61 and retired, describes himself as “a totally country boy.” But he says he’s looking forward to New York, even if he is a bit nervous.

Randy says he initially thought something was wrong when his wife told him she had news to share in October. But then she said they were going to New York.

Randy says Chris is pretty lucky, so he hopes her luck keeps going!

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and New Year's Rockin' Eve are registered trademarks of DCP Rights, LLC. All rights reserved.

Do I Need To Keep The Tickets I Entered? Can I Mail Them In For Your Promo?

We’ve gotten the same questions from a few different players about our “Holiday Cash Bash” promotion, so I’ll provide the answers here to share the details with everyone.

The specifics apply to any ticket you’ve entered in an Iowa Lottery promotion through your VIP Club account.

Some players have asked if they need to keep their tickets after they’ve entered them into the promotion. As in, will I need to present the ticket to claim a prize I might win in the promotion?

The short answer is no, you don’t need to keep a ticket for promotion purposes. Entering an eligible ticket into one of our promotions meets the requirement of presenting that ticket to the lottery. So, you don’t need to keep the ticket after you’ve entered it.

A couple folks also have asked if they could mail their tickets to the lottery for the promotion. The answer in that case is no. Entries into our promotions need to be made online, either through the Iowa Lottery’s website or by using our mobile app.

It’s been more than 13 years since any Iowa Lottery promotions have involved the mailing in of tickets. Our players have let us know that they prefer the convenience and time savings of online entry, so that’s what we have offered since 2009.

Free Play With Every 5th Ticket Purchased Statewide In Lotto America

When you play Lotto America® in Iowa right now, you may get a nice surprise: a free ticket.

From now through the end of the day next Friday (Nov. 25), for every fifth ticket purchased statewide in Lotto America, the lottery terminal or self-service kiosk will automatically generate a free $1 ticket in the game. You’ll hear the “Surprise, player bonus!” sound from the machine as the free play prints out.

With the Lotto America jackpot at its highest level ever -- $30.39 million for Saturday night's drawing -- this seemed like the perfect time to add some extra fun for players in the game.  

Every Lotto America purchase of at least $1 counts as one ticket in the promotion, regardless of the number of plays on the ticket.

The free plays kicked in with the start of the business day this morning and will continue through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25.

Remember that it’s not every fifth ticket purchased from a specific lottery terminal or kiosk that's eligible for a free play. It’s every fifth ticket purchased statewide, so the free-play bonus will hit in stores all across Iowa during the next eight days,

So listen for the “Surprise, player bonus!” sound when you buy a Lotto America ticket!

Fly With Cy Winners In Texas!

From enjoying a rooftop pre-party (with tacos, of course!), to seeing a football game in one of the world’s biggest stadiums and getting to explore the city, our Fly with Cy winners officially took in the sights and sounds of Austin. Click on the video above to hear them talk about their trip and see them in Texas!

#FlyWithCy #WooHooForYou #Cyclones #IowaStateFootball 

‘Holiday Cash Bash’ Promo: 91 Prizes On The Line, Including Top Prize of $100,000

Dozens of prizes ranging from $1,000 up to $100,000 are up for grabs in the lottery’s “Holiday Cash Bash” promotion that just opened for entries today.

Last year, we mixed things up and offered warehouse dash shopping trips as well as cash prizes in our holiday promotion. This year, we’re returning to all cash prizes.

The Holiday Cash Bash promotion features 91 cash prizes totaling $355,000, including a grand prize of $100,000. We’re applying the “max bet” concept in the promotion, meaning that the size of the prize you can win increases along with the purchase price of the scratch ticket you’ve entered.

Players could start making entries in the Holiday Cash Bash at 10 a.m. today, and the promotion runs through early January, with its final drawing date on Jan. 12. You can enter tickets on the lottery website or by using our mobile app.

Players can enter the promotion using nonwinning tickets in the 13 holiday-themed scratch games we’ll have available this year. Tickets in 11 of those games are already available in stores. Our final two holiday games for the year will hit the market on Nov. 1.

On each of the promotion’s three initial draw dates, 30 prizes will be awarded. Each time, there will be 10 prizes of $1,000 from among the $1 and $2 entries; 10 prizes of $2,500 from among the $3 and $5 entries; and 10 prizes of $5,000 from among the $10 and $20 entries.

The initial drawings will be on Nov. 17, Dec. 15 and Jan 12. The $100,000 grand-prize drawing also will be on Jan. 12.

Entries will not carry over from one drawing to the next, except for the grand-prize drawing. All entries submitted over the course of the promotion that are not selected as a winner in one of the initial drawings will automatically be eligible for the grand-prize drawing.

Player Comments In the Middle Of The Night: Your Mobile App Isn’t Working

We’ve heard this week from some players who were having trouble in the middle of the night using the lottery’s mobile app to check their tickets or enter them into promotions. They told us that our app needed to be fixed.

But it’s actually working as it should. There’s just a period of time each night when the app is offline. If you try to use an app function that’s unavailable at that time, you’ll get a message asking you to try again later.

Many of the mobile app’s functions are tied into the lottery’s central gaming system, which links all Iowa Lottery terminals and self-service kiosks in real time along with some functions on the app.

As part of the lottery’s security procedures, the central gaming system is taken offline each night at midnight so that sales from the previous day can be balanced, all plays can be accounted for, and system updates can be made.

When the lottery’s statewide gaming system is offline, ticket checking doesn’t work on the mobile app because that function needs to access the gaming system. And lotto tickets (in Powerball®, Mega Millions®, etc.) can’t be entered into promotions at that time for the same reason.

Tickets in scratch games and InstaPlay games can be entered into promotions when the gaming system is offline because the process for those products is slightly different.

Some nights, the central gaming system is offline for less than half an hour. Other nights when bigger updates need to be made, the system may be offline for a few hours.

We choose to take the gaming system offline just after midnight knowing that’s when foot traffic is lighter in retail locations and there are fewer online visits to our website and mobile app.

So if you’re trying to use the lottery’s mobile app between about midnight and 3 a.m. and you get a message asking you to try again later, please do that. The app’s functions will be live again once the central gaming system is brought back up.

It’s A BIG Day For Promotion Winners – And The Powerball Promotion Is Still Going!

Today is definitely a day for winner news! We’ve just announced the 72 winners in our summer promotions, including the two grand-prize winners of $50,000 in the Explore Iowa promotion. But that doesn’t leave you shut out of the fun. Our Powerball® First Millionaire of the Year promotion is live now with more prizes on the line, and so is the Moola Prize Zone promotion!

On the Promotions Results page of our website, you’ll find the complete drawing results for the Explore Iowa, Fly with Cy and Money Magnet Prize Zone promotions. Those include the winners of the $50,000 cash prize and the $50,000 Polaris® gift certificate package in the Explore Iowa promotion, the 50 winners of VIP trip packages in the Fly with Cy promotion, and the 20 winners of prizes of $300 cash in the Money Magnet Prize Zone promotion.

It’s Friday, so it seems like a good time to send a bunch of people into the weekend on a happy note! Congratulations to all the winners announced today!

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!

Ticket To Austin: How You Can Have A Chance To ‘Fly With Cy’

Last month, we announced the Iowa Ironmen Suite promotion giving folks the chance to win football prize packages to two big rivalry games for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Today, the focus turns to Iowa State, and specifically, the chance to win an exclusive VIP trip to Austin for the Iowa State -Texas football game.

The Fly with Cy promotion has started today! Members of our free VIP Club can enter the promotion with nonwinning tickets in the “Hit It Big!” scratch game. We’ll draw for the Fly with Cy winners on Sept. 15.

Fifty winners and their guests will get to go on a private chartered flight that leaves Des Moines on Oct. 14 and returns from Austin on Oct. 16. Included in the trip package are:

• a 2-night hotel stay for two at the Hilton Garden Inn in the Austin University Capitol District,
• a reception at the hotel on the evening of Oct. 14,
• 2 tickets to the Iowa State - Texas football game on Oct. 15 at DKR Texas Memorial Stadium,
• Hotel and stadium transfers,
• Merchandise swag bag.

Each trip package is valued at nearly $7,300!

Entries can be made into the promotion until just before 10 a.m. on Sept. 13. We’ll post the winners’ names as soon as we have the details available after the drawing on Sept. 15.

Last year, Fly with Cy winners and their guests had a ball going to an ISU game in Las Vegas! We look forward to the fun this year in Austin.

(And for Hawkeye fans, remember that the entry period in the Iowa Ironmen Suite promotion runs through 8:59 a.m. on Aug. 17. You’ve still got time to enter!)

Weekend Destination: See You At The Iowa Speedway In Newton!

We’re gearing up for a weekend of fun in Newton! The Iowa Lottery will be at the Iowa Speedway starting later today for the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend.

We’ll have a tent in the vendor area behind the Grandstand at the Iowa Speedway where we’ll be selling tickets and giving away fun merchandise prizes to the folks who get to spin our prize wheel. And with tonight’s huge Mega Millions® jackpot on the line, it’s a perfect time to get a ticket! We’ll be selling lotto tickets, scratch tickets, and InstaPlay tickets at our tent.

We also get to be part of presentations on the Speedway’s main stage to highlight the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, one of the most important uses of lottery proceeds in our state. The Iowa Lottery has raised more than $34.8 million for the Veterans Trust Fund to date, and that money goes directly to help Iowa veterans and their families in need.

Sure, you play for the fun and the chance to win a prize. But you also know that a portion of every $1 spent on lottery tickets in Iowa goes to worthy state causes. We’re excited to join veterans and their advocates for these presentations tomorrow and Sunday!

And of course, the winners from this spring’s Powerball® INDYCAR Race Weekend promotion will be at the track for the headline concerts and races. Some of our promotion winners get VIP infield access for tomorrow’s concerts while another group of winners get to take two-seater race car rides on Sunday. It should be an action-packed weekend, all the way around! (Will Iowa will see a big jackpot winner to add to the excitement?!)

The Iowa Lottery’s tent at the Iowa Speedway will be open during these hours at the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend:

• 2-9 p.m. on Friday, July 22
• 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, July 23
• 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday, July 24

We hope to see you there!