LOTTERY OFFERS NEW PODCASTING SERVICE

DES MOINES, Iowa - Players can now get their lottery news on the go with the new podcasting service offered by the Iowa Lottery.

Beginning Friday, Jan. 11 the lottery will post weekly podcasts on the iTunes Web site. The weekly program, named “A Whole Lotto Talk with the Iowa Lottery,” will feature an informal discussion between lottery employees about lottery winners, promotions, games and more.

A podcast is basically an Internet newsletter, but a podcast can contain audio and video. Players may subscribe to the weekly episodes via iTunes. Once players have subscribed to a podcast, they don't have to do anything else to get new episodes as new podcasts are produced; the podcasts are automatically delivered to the subscriber. The subscription service offered through iTunes is free.

Once a player has downloaded the podcasts to an mp3 device, he or she may listen to the program anytime or anywhere. Players may also listen to the podcasts via their home computers.

“We're excited about utilizing new technologies to make lottery news and information more readily available to our players,” said Iowa Lottery Vice President of Marketing, Joe Hrdlicka. “The text messaging service we began last month is becoming very popular. Podcasts are just another way our players may choose to receive information.”

For instructions about how to subscribe to the podcasts, players may visit www.ialottery.com and click on the “Videos and More” link on the left side of the page, then click on the “Podcasts” link at the top of the main Videos and More page. For a limited time, there will also be a direct link from the site's home page.

Since the Iowa Lottery's inception in 1985, more than $2.1 billion has been awarded in prizes and more than $1.1 billion has been raised for state programs.