FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Marlene Meissner
Phone: 503-540-1016
Email: Marlene.Meissner@state.or.us


Just about everyone knows St. Patrick’s Day is a time for the “wearin’ o’ the green.”   This year in Oregon, March 17 was also a day for the “winnin’ o’ the green.”  That’s when the Oregon Lottery® announced the winning numbers in its first Raffle^SM game.  One lucky player won the $1 million top prize, ten players won $20,000 each, and 1,000 players won $100 prizes.

It all began on January 25, 2009, when 250,000 Raffle tickets, at a cost of $10 each, went on sale at over 3,800 Oregon Lottery retail locations around the state.  After a long bout of rough winter weather, Oregonians were ready for some fun and were excited to have the opportunity to try a brand new game that offered a 1 in 250,000 chance of winning the $1 million top prize and 1,011 guaranteed winners.

Sales began at a brisk pace with the first ticket sold just 28 seconds after the system came up at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 25.   The final ticket was sold a mere 11 days later, at about 2:03 p.m. on February 5.   From then on it was five long weeks of patience and eager anticipation, waiting for the draw announcement day to arrive.

“Our players had been asking for a Raffle game for some time,” said Carole Hardy, Assistant Director for Marketing.  “We were confident that it would be a hit and we were very pleased with the enthusiastic response.”

“Since everyone is familiar with ‘the luck of the Irish,’ St. Patrick’s Day seemed like the perfect day to turn lots of players into Lottery winners,” Carole added.

To introduce Oregonians to the new game, the Lottery enlisted the help of Shamus, the lucky leprechaun, also known as Kevin Thompson.  The Hollywood actor has appeared in numerous movies, including Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, and Epic Movie.  Kevin’s credits also include such television shows as Malcolm in the Middle, Ally McBeal, Married…with Children, and the Bob Newhart Show. 

In January, Oregonians got to know Shamus through television and radio spots, print advertisements and in-store POP.  During launch week, he and various Lottery staff visited radio and television stations to talk about the new Raffle game.  They also traveled to some Lottery retail locations around the state and met with players. 

While they waited for drawing day, visitors to the Lottery’s Web site had the opportunity to have some fun with Shamus.  Video clips on the site showed his visits to various Oregon landmarks, including beautiful Multnomah Falls and various locations in the Portland area.  The site also featured an on-screen memory game where players could search for matching Raffle symbols on a special grid.

To remind players to purchase their tickets as soon as possible, the site included a running tally of tickets remaining.  There was even a countdown clock showing the amount of time remaining until the day of the big announcement.

While players were waiting with anxious anticipation, Lottery staff were busy making plans for the announcement event scheduled to take place in the Lottery’s lobby at 8:30 a.m. on March 17.   As the big day got closer, special props – in the form of colorful mushrooms – began appearing in the Lottery’s lobby.  And if one listened carefully, they could even hear strains of lively Irish music coming from the nearby receptionist’s desk. 

Faith and begorra - at long last, March 17 arrived.  The day began before sunrise for Shamus, many Lottery employees, and members of the local media.  The local FOX network station, KPTV (Channel 12) in Portland, sent one of their personalities to broadcast live from the Lottery office, beginning at 4:30 a.m.  Prior to the drawing announcement, KPTV’s Andy Carson had the opportunity to conduct on-air interviews with numerous Lottery “personalities,” including Director Dale Penn and Winner Awareness Coordinator Ray Martin (decked out in his tuxedo and green tie). 

The Lottery’s doors officially opened to the public at 8:00 a.m. and the lobby was soon filled with representatives from eight radio stations, three television stations and the local newspaper – all of them ready to get out word about the winning Raffle^SM numbers.   Shamus mingled with visitors, signed autographs, and posed for pictures.  The lobby was a sea of green as Lottery staff and visitors decked out in the traditional St. Patrick’s Day color arrived for the event.  The representative from the local newspaper commented on the “positive energy” in the lobby that morning. 

Another Lottery first - visitors to the Web site were able to watch the lobby festivities via live Internet video streaming.  Over 7,560 unique visitors watched the drawing announcement and there were over 63,000 to the site on March 16 and 17. 

When it was time for the big announcement, Shamus made his way to the special stage set up for the event.  He was joined by Lottery Director Dale Penn, Lottery Communications Specialist/emcee Chuck Baumann, and Andy Carson.  With television cameras rolling live, Dale Penn handed Shamus a very large secret envelope containing the specially designed gold coin on which the $1 million winning number had been printed.  It didn’t take Shamus long to remove the 16” diameter gold coin from its envelope and announce to the world the lucky numbers – 243114! 

While the waiting was over for Lottery players, now it was the Lottery’s turn to wait.  When would the big winner arrive?  It was just three days later when Chuck Mickes from neighboring Washington state arrived with the winning ticket.  It’s traditional at the Oregon Lottery® to hold a public check presentation in the lobby when a jackpot winner receives their prize. Lottery staff gather in the lobby and on the balcony, drop streamers and balloons, and offer hearty congratulations to winners as they receive their checks from the Director. 

As it turned out, Chuck and his wife Caroline, along with their four children, arrived during the Lottery’s monthly Commission meeting on March 20.  Lottery Commission Chair Steve Ungar was very excited to have the opportunity  to present the check to the winner in the presence of a rousing crowd of Lottery staff. 

Almost as frequent as the requests for the winning Raffle^SM numbers are the requests from players for a second Raffle game.  Plans are already underway for a fall Raffle game, with sales expected to go on sale in early October.

“This was a very successful game and was very well-received by players,” said Traditional Product Manager, Louise Plata. 

“We look forward to building on the success of our St. Patrick’s Day Raffle as we plan for future games,” she added.

And next time, Oregonians won’t need to wait for March 17 to see green!



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