Wooh News - February 2023

VOL. 34 NO. 2

• Lucky for Life Promo

• Powerball Double Play

• Friends Win $1,000,000

• Sweethearts’ Date Night

• $1,000,000 Raffle Winner

• School Heroes

• Weekly Grand Winner

GET LUCKY FOR A DAY, OR LIFETIME

Your player’s chance to get lucky is coming just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! Each day, every day, for 31 days between February 15 and March 17, the Idaho Lottery will be randomly awarding $1,000 to a lucky, Lucky for Life player.

Here’s how it works. Let your players know they could win $1,000 instantly just by purchasing a Lucky for Life ticket. Each day, one random purchase will receive a voucher instructing the player to contact the Lottery as the Daily $1,000 Winner!

In addition to being a daily winner, players are still eligible to win the Lucky for Life jackpot prize of $1,000 a day, every day for the rest of their life. They could also win the second-tier prize of $25,000 a year every year for the rest of their life.

Be on the lookout for the winning vouchers. From February 15 to March 17, it’s a luckier version of Lucky for Life, the game where luck lasts a lifetime!

$1,000 A DAY GIVEAWAY!

to match their selected or quick pick numbers in a second drawing.

Double Play drawings are held after every Powerball drawing on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights, starting with the February 6, 2023 draw.

Players play the same set of numbers in the both the main Powerball drawing and Double Play drawing. Powerball tickets that include the Double Play feature will be eligible to win prizes in both drawings – including BOTH jackpots. The PowerPlay feature does not apply to prizes won in the Double Play drawing. Double Play and Powerball both have winning numbers drawn from the same two pools of numbers: five numbers are drawn from the first pool of numbers 1-69, and one Powerball number is drawn from a pool of 1-26. Players are trying to match the same set of numbers on their ticket in both the Powerball and Double Play draws.

Players could be seeing double when they win one, or both, games: Powerball and Double Play. Sales begin on February 5, 2023!

MATCH PRIZE ODDS

Here’s how it works:

Director’s Corner

Dear Friends,

delivered its second billion-dollar jackpot since July 1st. Matched with the world-record Powerball jackpot in November, strong holiday Scratch Game sales, and yet another very big Powerball jackpot at press time, we are poised to achieve and likely exceed the FY2023 forecasted dividend for our good causes, Idaho public schools and buildings.

Looking ahead, in early February we begin with Double Play, a new add-on feature to Powerball. There is a related article on Double Play in this edition of the Wooh News. Also, this month we are bringing back one of last year’s popular promotions – the $1,000 Daily Winners in the game Lucky for Life. Your players could win $1,000 each day or win $1,000 a day for life. Lucky for Life is the game of a lifetime!

One thing that makes me feel lucky is you. A great retailer network who supports our games and our mission is essential. As we continue to have more frequent, significantly larger big-game jackpots, I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who offers Lottery products. This past Mega Millions big jackpot alone created $3.6 million in dividends for the People of Idaho. For all your hard work, I thank you. Happy Selling.

FRIENDS CLAIM $1,000,000 PLAYING MEGA MILLIONS

During the most recent billion-dollar Mega Millions jackpot run in January, a group of nine individuals from across the Treasure Valley claimed the $1,000,000 Mega Millions winning ticket from the November 15, 2022, draw.

Dubbed “The Big Friend Group”, the nine long-time friends have been playing as a pool for about twelve years. They purchase their tickets once a month as a group, with each member buying a single line per draw.

The group did not immediately check their winners from November. Once they saw news stories about the outstanding ticket in December, the group checked their tickets and realized they had a big winner. After everyone returned from their holiday vacations, they claimed their prize.

One of the winners learned about the big prize while on vacation in Hawai’i. “I woke up rich in paradise,” he said. “My wife thought we should stay another month!”

Most members of the group planned to pay off bills with their winnings and they all agreed to continue playing. The consensus among the group was that to win you had to buy at least one ticket.

WES AND NANCY: A SWEETHEARTS’ DATE NIGHT

In early December, Wes and Nancy Underwood from Boise celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. To celebrate New Year’s, Nancy bought Wes a $5 Sweethearts Scratch ticket from the Idaho Lottery. Wes won $5 on that ticket and took it to the Maverik on Ustick and Cole Roads.

“I cashed in the $5 winner and I bought another Sweethearts,” described Wes. “I played it, I saw the number 16 matched and then I saw it won $50,000. I smiled, I folded it up and put it in my pocket. When I got to my pick-up truck, I remembered the Lottery always says to sign your ticket, so I turned it over right there and signed it!”

Sweethearts, the beloved, heart-shaped candy brand best associated with Valentine’s Day is the theme for the newest Idaho Lottery Scratch Game. For more than a century, the iconic Sweethearts brand and its conversational candies have been adored by generations with sayings centering around love and caring. So which phrase was on Wes’s big winning ticket? “Date Night.”

Wes went home, found his bride of three decades, and asked her on a date. “I asked her if she wanted to go to the Lottery Office with me,” he said chuckling. “She asked me what for? I told her I’d won $50,000.”

“I didn’t believe him. I knew he’d only won five bucks on the ticket I gave him. I thought he was pulling my leg,” said Nancy. “Then I saw the ticket. Luckiest guy I know. Probably because he’s married to me.”

Two hours after buying the ticket, the couple, who had arrived wearing matching plaid jackets, walked out of the Lottery Offices with the first top prize of $50,000 on Sweethearts.

“This is going straight to the bank,” said Nancy.

“And tomorrow, I’m gonna pay cash for my new hearing aids,” added Wes. “And then I’m gonna take Nancy to dinner for a date night!”

Sweethearts has one top prize of $50,000 remaining. The young couple, Wes and Nancy, have a lifetime of “Date Nights”

DATE NIGHT

WIN

SWEETHEARTS

$50,000

$1,000,000

RAFFLE WINNER!

First thing the day after the Lottery announced the winning numbers in this year’s sold out Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle, Steve Mitchell of Nampa got the phone call of a lifetime from his wife, Kim, telling him they were this year’s winners.

“I was watching the news and saw the winning numbers, so I checked our

tickets,” Kim described. “The first one was close! Then I saw the second one. No way! I called Steve immediately and told him we won the Lottery!”

“I thought she was messing with me,” Steve added. “Once she convinced me, I told her I’d be home in a few minutes.” Then he told his work he had to leave because he’d won the Lottery.

Steve and Kim arrived at the Lottery within the first hour of business that morning to claim this year’s $1,000,000 Raffle prize. Last year’s winner waited until twelve days before the ticket was set to expire. “If my wife had her way, she’d have been here at 6:30 this morning,” said an excited Steve.

The couple plan to set aside their winnings for retirement. This year’s winning Raffle ticket was sold at the Maverik on Karcher and Franklin in Nampa. For selling the winning ticket, Maverik earns $20,000.

NOMINATING OUR SCHOOL HEROES

The Idaho Lottery is finding out what makes someone a school hero. They could be a teacher, an administrator, a food service manager, or a bus driver. Whomever it is, oftentimes the results of their efforts are profound, and the difference-makers are often the unsung heroes of the school.

This winter, the Idaho Lottery is recognizing twenty School Heroes across Idaho as part of their Sweethearts Scratch Game campaign to “Share the Love”. One such hero is Kim Brown, a 5th grade teacher at Lakevue Elementary School in Nampa.

Kim was nominated by one of the parents at her school, Stephanie Calderon. According to Stephanie, two years ago, Kim recognized that a student needed help. Other teachers had disregarded the need as behavior problems. Once Kim became involved, the parents realized their son is autistic and has ADD – two conditions that had gone undiagnosed. Through Kim’s intervention, he is now getting the help he needs to be a successful student.

It is more than just the one student that stands out. Kim attends current and past students’ sports and band performances outside of school time and continually cares for the students in her classroom.

“Never have I met a teacher who truly looks out for her students (past and current) the way she does,” said Stephanie.

That’s why Kim was the first School Hero award winner from the Idaho Lottery. During an assembly with 143 cheering 5th grade

students at Lakevue Elementary, Kim received a $250 VISA gift card and other Sweethearts related items. Kirk Vashaw, CEO for Spangler Candy, maker of Sweethearts in Bryan, Ohio, made a special visit to Idaho just for the surprise school presentation and to recognize Kim’s contribution to her school and students.

“We are pleased to partner with the Idaho Lottery and their commitment to support schools in Idaho,” said Kirk Vashaw, CEO of Spangler Candy, maker of Sweethearts. “Community partnership is good business and supporting education benefits everyone.”

“The Idaho Lottery was created to benefit public schools,” said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery Director. “Our School Heroes program this month is one more way we Do Good for the schools and the people who run them every day.”

Players have until January 31st to nominate a school hero. They follow the links for MORE INFO from the Share the Love banner on the Lottery’s homepage.

MERIDIAN MAN CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY BY WINNING LOTTERY

Last May, the day after completing a series of cancer-related radiation treatments, Radlee Payne had his son pick numbers for his Weekly Grand ticket. That ticket won the game’s jackpot of $1,000 a week for a year, after taxes.

Radlee plays regularly, using his own numbers. One of the prizes for Weekly Grand is receiving a free ticket for matching two winning numbers. Despite playing his own numbers, in the past few weeks he had been winning $200 regularly from his free tickets. Then, around his birthday, Radlee was checking his most recent tickets for winners.

“I thought for sure if I was going to win it would be from the tickets I play regularly, so I set aside the free ticket I had,” described Radlee. “I won $25 on a couple of my regular tickets. Then I scanned the free ticket. I couldn’t believe it, I’d won again!”

Radlee is the only two-time winner of the Weekly Grand jackpot. He purchased this winning ticket from Fred Meyer on Fairview in Meridian.

With cancer hopefully in the rearview mirror, Radlee was definitely looking forward to his upcoming birthday!

HEROES SCHOOL

KIRK VASHAW - PRESIDENT SPANGLER CANDY COMPANY

KIM BROWN - 5TH GRADE TEACHER AT LAKEVUE ELEMENTARY

STEVE AND KIM WIN $1,000,000 RAFFLE!