KANSAS MAN WINS $500,000 TOP PRIZE
IN IOWA-KANSAS LOTTERY GAME

The following media-ready jpeg images are available:

• Kansas Lottery Executive Director Ed Van Petten selecting the top-prize wiinning entry in Friday's drawing.
• Brad Adams of Newton with his ceremonial check.

View slide show of pictures from the drawing.

Five Other Players, Including A Central Iowa Man, Win $10,000 Prizes In 'Midwest Millions'

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Kansas man won a $500,000 prize and five other lottery players from Iowa and Kansas won $10,000 prizes Friday in a joint drawing by the Kansas and Iowa lotteries.

Greg Barnhart of Chanute, Kan., was selected as the top-prize winner of $500,000 in the "Midwest Millions" drawing conducted by lottery officials live on the air with "Van & Bonnie In The Morning" at WHO Radio in Des Moines. Five winners of $10,000 prizes also were selected in the drawing, including Brad Adams of Newton.

Friday's winners were:

The Kansas and Iowa lotteries became the first in the United States to offer a joint instant-scratch game when the initial version of Midwest Millions began sales in September 2007. The lotteries have built on that game's success with two more versions of the game, including the current Midwest Million game that began sales in September.

Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said players continue to embrace the concept of a multi-state scratch game this year, sending in more than 83,000 entries for Friday's drawing.

"This game has delivered what players want: the chance to play for big prizes, but lots of smaller prizes as well," Rich said.

Overall, the two lotteries have ended up splitting the game's top-prize winners. Iowa Lottery players won both $500,000 prizes in the initial version of the game and Kansas Lottery players took home both $500,000 prizes in the game's second round.

Kim Hertel, a registered nurse from Washington, Iowa, won the $500,000 top prize in the January drawing of this year's game.

Tickets in this year's Midwest Millions game featured scenes of outdoor activities in both Kansas and Iowa. Players in both states bought tickets and competed for prizes as part of one big pool. In addition to the prizes available in the game's two drawings, the $10 game offers instant prizes ranging from $10 to $50,000.

The idea behind the game is to apply to another product line the "Powerball concept" that has enabled states to join together in lotto games and offer bigger prizes and more chances to win than they would have been able to achieve on their own.

Kansas Lottery Executive Director Ed Van Petten said it has been gratifying to see Midwest Millions succeed.

"This game has delivered more exciting prizes to our players and helped both our lotteries raise more money for valuable state causes," Van Petten said.

Since the Iowa Lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.4 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.2 billion for state programs.