HONEY CREEK RESORT SELECTED AS STATE'S FIRST MAJOR ATTRACTION TO MAKE SPECIAL 'EXPERIENCE IOWA' OFFER

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          "Honey Creek Resort"

Iowa Powerball® Players Can Get $20 Complimentary Certificates To New Resort; Other Bonus Offers Come Streaming In

DES MOINES, Iowa – The first special offers available to Iowa Powerball players in the "Experience Iowa" campaign begin Sunday, with southern Iowa's new Honey Creek Resort offering $20 complimentary certificates that can be used for any activities at the destination resort, including food, golf, lodging and its indoor water park.

Honey Creek is one of eight featured attractions in the summer travel initiative from the Iowa Lottery and Iowa Tourism Office. The idea behind the Experience Iowa project with its "Keep Your Powerball Ticket Handy" slogan is to encourage people to travel the state, frequent Iowa attractions and businesses, and give the entire state a boost in these tough economic times.

To take advantage of the Honey Creek offer and additional "bonus" discounts from other attractions, Iowa Powerball players who have a nonwinning ticket from Saturday's drawing (May 2) can log onto the lottery Web site at www.ialottery.com, print off a coupon there starting Sunday, attach their nonwinning ticket, and then present the coupon to the participating attraction or business to receive the special deal. The initial round of offers will be available through Wednesday.

Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said the summer campaign not only will mean bonus offers for Iowa Powerball players, it's a way for Iowans to work together to help the state’s economy.

"Iowans are helping Iowans save money through this project," Rich said. "We can all get out and play in our state and receive a good value while we're at it."

Located near Rathbun Lake in south-central Iowa, Honey Creek Resort is a destination spot offering a 105-room lakeside lodge and hotel, 28 luxury cabins, an 18-hole championship golf course, indoor water park, restaurant and lounge, RV park and boat and bike rentals. Visit http://honeycreekresort.com to learn more. Officials encourage Iowans to print and save the coupon, even if they don’t have immediate plans to visit the attraction, because the coupon will only be available for the limited time and it can be used until the end of the year.

"In these tough economic times, people are trying more than ever to stretch their entertainment dollars," said Nancy Landess, manager of the Iowa Tourism Office. "Our initiative fits right in with that by providing special offers from across the state."

In keeping with the all-Iowa theme of the summer initiative, advertising for it will feature Lolo Jones, a champion hurdler from Des Moines who competed on the U.S. team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Lolo's fun-loving attitude is the perfect feel to help spread the word about all of the entertainment options available in Iowa," Rich said.

BONUS OFFERS STREAMING IN

As news about the new initiative spread, other Iowa events and attractions also decided to make special, unadvertised bonus offers to Iowa Powerball players, Rich said. So, starting Sunday, players also can visit the lottery’s Web site to find out how they can use their nonwinning Powerball tickets to receive:

• $30 savings on tickets to the North Dakota St.-Iowa St. football game on Sept. 3 in Ames (receive tickets for $10 each vs. $40 retail price).
• Up to $25 savings on tickets to the Principal Charity Golf Classic May 26-31 in West Des Moines (receive single-day tickets for $5 vs. $15 retail price, or a champions club single-day pass for $125 vs. $150 retail price).
• $7.50 savings on tickets to the Summer Jam concert June 27 in Des Moines (tickets for $20 vs. $27.50 retail price).
• A free 16-ounce coffee at U-Stop convenience stores in Council Bluffs, Minden and Crescent.
• A free 20-ounce fountain drink or coffee at all Country Store of Carroll convenience store locations in northwest Iowa.
• A free 20-ounce fountain drink at Fast Break convenience store locations in Fort Madison, Mediapolis, Muscatine and West Burlington.

Powerball ticket holders must use one ticket per coupon, or select which offer they wish to use.

The special offers being made through the Experience Iowa initiative will change with each Powerball drawing, so the initial discount coupons will only continue through Wednesday. A new round of offers will start Thursday, with nonwinning Powerball tickets from Wednesday's drawing eligible for those discounts. The next round of offers won't be announced until after Wednesday's drawing, so Powerball players can check back at the lottery Web site then to learn more.

"The idea behind the project is that Iowa Powerball players can receive more than the purchase price of their tickets back in value," Rich said.

OTHER IOWA ATTRACTION AND BUSINESS OFFERS YET TO COME

The lottery-tourism project will continue through May and June, with discounts from other featured attractions to include Riverboat Twilight, which offers riverboat trips from Le Claire to Dubuque; Kings Pointe Waterpark Resort in Storm Lake; Iowa Marriott Hotels at special participating locations; Pzazz/FunCity amusement park in Burlington; Adventureland amusement park in Altoona; Iowa Speedway in Newton; and the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque.

The campaign will extend the fun even further in two ways:

Starting May 3 through late May, the lottery also will offer a "Big Beepin' Deal" promotion. For every 20th $10 Powerball with Power Play® purchase made statewide, the lottery terminal will make a beeping sound like a car horn and the customer who purchased the ticket will win $20 cash on the spot.

And, Powerball "prize patrol" teams will visit Iowa festivals, fairs and other local events during May and June to give out free merchandise and other special offers to folks there who have Powerball tickets.