IOWA LOTTERY OFFERS TEXT MESSAGING
FOR THE FIRST TIME!

New Service Delivers Lottery Information to Mobile Devices

DES MOINES, Iowa - There's a new service from the Iowa Lottery! Players can now receive lotto drawing results, jackpot alerts, plus updates on games, promotions and special events on their cell phones or mobile devices.

The Iowa Lottery is adding text messaging to the ways people can learn about the lottery. This new service is in addition to all the other places the lottery offers information, including televised drawings, the lottery's Web site and player newsletters and e-mails.

Players can receive text messages from the Iowa Lottery by sending a request from a mobile device or signing up on the lottery's Web site at www.ialottery.com. While the service is free, standard carrier fees apply. Players should check their service plan to learn what charges they may incur from text messaging.

There are four types of text messages available from the lottery. The following keywords can be entered from text-enabled cell phones or mobile devices:

• Text NUMBERS to 97063 for twice weekly updates on Powerball and Hot Lotto winning numbers and jackpots.
• Text ALERT to 97063 for updates when the Powerball jackpot is $100 million or more.
• Text PROMO to 97063 for periodic announcements about new games, promotions and special events.
• Text IALOT to 97063 for all text messages from the Iowa Lottery.

When a request is received, players will get a text message back asking for their birth date so the lottery can verify their age. Players must type in their date of birth, starting with the month and followed by the date and year (mmddyyyy). For example, if a player was born on Oct. 16, 1977, he/she will want to enter the birth date as: 10161977. After that message is sent, subscribers will get another text message back welcoming them to the service. Players can unsubscribe at any time and the instructions to do that are included in every message they receive.

Players may also visit the lottery's Web site at www.ialottery.com and sign up there. The Web site provides a “Text Messaging Frequently Asked Questions” section where players can get more information about the new service.

Since the Iowa Lottery's inception in 1985, more than $2 billion has been awarded in prizes and more than $1 billion has been raised for state programs.