LOTTERY'S LATEST TRANSFER BRINGS TOTAL RAISED FOR VETERANS TRUST FUND TO NEARLY $2.4 MILLION

The following media-ready jpeg images are available:

     "Freedom Rings" instant-sctatch ticket

     "Land of Liberty" pull-tab ticket    

Lottery Proceeds Will Help Iowa's Veterans And Their Families

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Lottery on Wednesday made its latest transfer of proceeds to the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, bringing the total raised for the Fund from the sale of lottery tickets to nearly $2.4 million.

The lottery had initially estimated it would raise between $2 million and $3 million annually for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund and it remains on track to do so in fiscal year 2009.

"We're honored to have the opportunity to support Iowa veterans and their families," said Lottery CEO Terry Rich. "We thank our players for recognizing the importance of this cause. They've helped us provide a stable, ongoing source of revenue for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund."

Legislation dedicating some lottery revenues to veterans' causes was signed into law by Gov. Chet Culver in March 2008 and the lottery's first games to benefit the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund began sales in July. Proceeds from two instant-scratch and two pull-tab games each year are dedicated to the Trust Fund.

The lottery transfers its proceeds to the state on a quarterly basis, and on Wednesday, it sent $935,284.03 to the Veterans Trust Fund. That money was raised by lottery ticket sales from January through March. Total lottery proceeds to the Veterans Trust Fund for FY 2009 have reached $2,378,009.43.

The latest lottery games to benefit the Trust Fund were released in January. They are "Freedom Rings," a $1 scratch game with a Liberty Bell theme; and "Land of Liberty," a $1 pull-tab game that also has a patriotic theme. The lottery's next set of games to benefit veterans are scheduled to begin sales in July.

Rich said that the veterans-benefit games remain popular with the public.

"Our players can have fun playing these games and know that they're helping our state's veterans in the process," Rich said.

The Iowa Veterans Trust Fund was created to assist qualified veterans in paying for expenses such as:

• unemployment or underemployment assistance due to service-related causes
• assistance with vision, hearing, or dental care
• durable medical equipment and prescription drugs
• counseling and substance abuse services
• emergency housing repair and transitional housing in an emergency.

To learn more about the Veterans Trust Fund, visit www.iowava.org.

Since the Iowa Lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.2 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.1 billion for state programs.