You can design a lottery ticket

Iowans who love playing those scratch-off lottery games now have the chance to design their own game. Mary Neubauer, spokeswoman for the Iowa Lottery, says they’re launching a contest called “Design A Game From Scratch.” She says many of the winning designs will go on to become real scratch-off games. To enter, get an entry form at any Iowa Lottery retailer, any of the regional offices or download it from the website, then mail or bring in the completed form with your original design. The design-your-own-game contest was last held in 1998 and Neubauer says it generated much interest — and thousands of designs from Iowans. She expects this new contest to do the same thing. She says many boxes are already set up in anticipation of getting piles of ideas. The top prize is three-thousand dollars with ten cash prizes being awarded. Neubauer says some of the designs from Iowans really do go on to become actual games. Two recent games were products of the 1998 contest — “Cash in the Couch” featured a man looking for change under his sofa cushions, while “Fair Play” featured ribbons and ferris wheels from county fairs. Entries are being accepted through May 27th. Contestants have to be at least 21 and submit original ideas and artwork. For more information, consult the website “www.ialottery.com”.