For Immediate Release: February 16, 2012
Contact: Kelly Thompson, 605-773-5770 or kelly.thompson@state.sd.us

Winners Drawn in Lottery Hollywood Trip Giveaway

(PIERRE, SD) – Looking for a way to render someone speechless? Tell them they’ve just won a trip to Hollywood, California. That was the reaction of two South Dakota Lottery players when they got the news that they’d won Hollywood trips through the Lottery’s Wheel of Fortune® scratch ticket game.

Special “ENTRY” tickets submitted by Eric Peterka of Yankton and Melissa Fischer Olson of Sioux Falls were randomly drawn from among 6,186 entries during a Feb. 15, 2012 drawing at the Pierre Lottery office. Both Peterka and Olson won a trip for up to four people to Hollywood April 24 – 28, 2012. Included in the prize is a chance at a $1 million spin-off to be held as part of a special non-broadcast lottery players-only Wheel of Fortune game with Pat Sajak and Vanna White to take place during the trip.

Peterka, who doesn’t normally buy a lot of scratch tickets, was stunned to hear he was a trip winner.

“I’m just in shock. I must have been feeling lucky the day I picked up that ticket. I’ve never been to California before so to win a trip there is great,” Peterka said.

While Olson frequently gives scratch tickets to family and friends as gifts, she purchased herself some Wheel of Fortune tickets after noticing her mother had bought some. Her “ENTRY” ticket almost didn’t make it in to the drawing.

“I almost threw it away. I enter a lot of things but I never win so at first, I wasn’t going to send it in. But I’m so glad I did!” said Olson.

Each winner can take up to three people with them to Hollywood. Peterka is still deciding who to take but Olson has at least two slots filled.

“I’ll take my husband, of course, and my mom. And I’ve got four kids so we’ll probably have to draw straws to see which one gets to go,” she said.

Players whose “ENTRY” tickets weren’t drawn for one of the two trips still have a chance to be a winner this fall. A second drawing will be held in August to choose one name to be included in a multi-state drawing for a cash prize of up to $1 million. Any entries received for the trip giveaway will also be included in that drawing, as well as any “ENTRY” tickets received between now and 5:00 p.m. August 17, 2012.

To enter an “ENTRY” ticket, the person must complete the claimant information on the back of the ticket and sign it then turn it in to any South Dakota Lottery office. Offices are located at 107B New York Street in Rapid City, 3824 S. Western Avenue in Sioux Falls, and 711 E. Wells Avenue in Pierre. Valid tickets may also be mailed to South Dakota Lottery, P.O. Box 7107, Pierre, SD, 57501. The finalist selection drawing for the cash giveaway is set for August 23, 2012 in Pierre. The cash prize drawing itself is scheduled for September 17, 2012 at the offices of MDI Entertainment LLC in Alpharetta, Georgia and will include entries from all participating lotteries.

Although Peterka and Olson are still recovering from the shock of their trip wins, each offered some advice for other players waiting to win cash and prizes.

“You need to just go for it!” Peterka said. Olson added, “It can happen to you. You never know.”

For more information on the Wheel of Fortune game, visit the Lottery website at www.lottery.sd.gov.

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