WE HAVE A WINNER: LOTTERY'S "TECH THE HALLS"
HOLIDAY PROMOTION BROKE RECORDS

For media-ready jpeg image of the Tech The Halls logo click here.

Lottery Officials Say Results From 2009 Holiday Promotion Exceeded Expectations

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Lottery is celebrating business success from the 2009 holiday season.

From November through early this month, the Lottery had offered its players the chance to win cash prizes and electronic products in its "Tech the Halls" holiday bonus promotion. When all the promotion entries were tallied on Jan. 5, the totals broke records for the lottery. More than 405,000 entries were received in the promotion – the most entries the lottery has received in a single Web-based promotion since it began offering them in November 2001.

Prior to Tech the Halls, the "Hawkeye Victory" promotion in 2005 had held the record with nearly 277,000 Web-based entries.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the results of our holiday business season," said Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich. "The number of entries we received in our promotion exceeded expectations. We're glad to see our players were so excited about the Sony® electronics and cash prizes offered in Tech the Halls."

In total, 405,851 entries were submitted in Tech the Halls. Players entered their nonwinning holiday-themed scratch tickets for a chance to win one of 200 Sony electronics prizes or for a chance at one of 10 prizes of $10,000 cash.

The drawing to determine the Tech The Halls winners was held on Jan. 5. Players can find all of the winning ticket numbers on the Lottery's Web site at www.ialottery.com.

In order to claim a prize, players will need to sign and complete the back of their tickets and submit them, along with a completed claim form, to any of the five Lottery offices. Players can mail their claims to Iowa Lottery Authority, Attn: Promotions Manager, P.O. Box 10474, Des Moines, Iowa 50306-0474. Claim forms must be received by mail or at a Lottery regional office by 4 p.m. on Feb. 4. The lottery has offices in Council Bluffs, Storm Lake, Mason City, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.

Since the Iowa Lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.4 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.2 billion for state programs. For more information about how lottery proceeds have helped make Iowa a better place to live, go to www.ialottery.com.

®Sony products, marks and logos are registered trademarks of Sony Inc. and are used with permission.