LOTTERY SEARCHES FOR WINNER OF UNCLAIMED
$10,000 HOT LOTTO® PRIZE IN SIOUX CITY

Players Urged To Double-Check Their Tickets

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Lottery is searching for a player who won a big lotto prize with a ticket purchased in Sioux City and might not know it yet.

A $10,000-winning Hot Lotto ticket purchased nearly a year ago at a Sioux City convenience store remains unclaimed and the deadline to claim the prize is approaching. Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said Tuesday that lottery staff will put up a banner at the store that sold the winning ticket to serve as a reminder for customers.

"We're spreading the word that winning tickets are still out there," Rich said. "So wherever you keep your tickets, double-check them. Some big prizes are on the line."

The $10,000-winning ticket was sold at Maggie's Mini Mart, 1203 Tri View Ave. in Sioux City, for the Hot Lotto drawing on March 21, 2009. It came close to winning the jackpot, matching the first five numbers but missing the Hot Ball® to win a $10,000 prize. The winning numbers that night were: 2-10-11-14-28 and Hot Ball 1. The prize will expire if it is not claimed by 4 p.m. March 22 at an Iowa Lottery office.

Rich said that as the Powerball®, Mega Millions® and Hot Lotto jackpots continue to climb, the added attention that lotteries receive provides an opportunity to remind people about the significant prizes involved in lottery games. The Mega Millions jackpot has reached an estimated $112 million for Tuesday's drawing, while the jackpots in Powerball and Hot Lotto, with their next drawings on Wednesday, have reached an estimated $114 million and $3.31 million respectively.

"Our jackpots always get attention, and when they reach today's levels, it's easy to see why," Rich said. "But there are lots of other prize levels in our games, so be sure to check your tickets for those, too."

Players in Iowa have up to 365 days from the date of the drawing to claim Hot Lotto, Powerball and Mega Millions prizes. Players have up to 90 days from the date of the drawing to claim prizes in Iowa's $100,000 Cash Game and the Iowa Lottery's Pick 3 and Pick 4 games. If the expiration date falls on a weekend or holiday when the lottery's offices are closed, the winner has until the close of business on the next business day to turn in the ticket.

"The lottery wants to see people claiming all the prizes they justifiably have won," Rich said. "We hope that calling attention to this $10,000 prize will remind people to check their tickets."

Tickets for these major Iowa Lottery prizes also have yet to be claimed and will expire in the next couple months:

In fiscal year 2009, more than $1.3 million in prizes went unclaimed in Iowa lotto games. Unclaimed prizes go into prize pools for future lottery games.

Players can visit an Iowa Lottery retailer or go to one of the lottery's offices in Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Storm Lake, Mason City or Cedar Rapids to claim a prize. Prizes of more than $600 must be claimed at a lottery office.

Winning numbers may be checked at the lottery Web site at www.ialottery.com or through the winning numbers' hot line at (515) 323-4633. Winning numbers may also be checked with lottery retail outlets or by calling the lottery at (515) 725-7900 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

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.