GAME ON - MN Lottery

March 2016
Volume 27
Issue 3
Lottery partners with Minnesota’s most unique brand
Zubaz® were all the craze in the 1990s
and they’re back thanks to two
local businessmen.
Bob Traux and Dan Stock took a
chance and reintroduced Zubaz, the
Minneapolis-based business, to fans
a couple of years ago. Stock said the
“nostalgia factor” was what led them to
start the business back up again, which
they both left in the mid 1990s. “People
still had a lot of interest in it,” Stock
explained. “We thought, ‘Why don’t we
do this again and see what happens.’”
“Our customer base has really
changed, said Stock. “It used to be
80/20 men to women, now it’s 50/50
and that’s pretty cool.”
Stock and Traux both agree that their
number one priority is getting the
Zubaz brand out there. “That’s our
biggest challenge, said Stock. But with
sponsorships with many professional
and college sports teams, it’s a
challenge that they’ve conquered
pretty well.
Zubaz is still wildly known for their
popular zebra-striped pants, which was
the iconic look back in the day—selling
more than 10 million pairs worldwide.
They continue to offer the Zubaz pant
in the same silhouette that was initially
popular among professional athletes.
Traux says the best part has been
collaborating with businesses in their
home state of Minnesota. “That’s what
makes it really enjoyable for us,” he
said. “We love the local angle,” which
is why they jumped at the chance to
partner with the Minnesota Lottery on
the Crazy Cash scratch game.
Now Zubaz is equally known for their
other apparel, including women’s
leggings and hooded sweatshirts.
“Doing promotions like this, with the
Minnesota Lottery, is a fun way to let
people know Zubaz is back!” said Stock.
Zubaz founders and owners Dan Stock and
Bob Traux sporting the popular pants and
new Zubaz themed-scratch ticket.
He offered one piece of advice for
Minnesota Lottery retailers: “Learn from
your mistakes. We had a lot of success
the first go around and we made a lot of
mistakes and we’re trying not to repeat
those a second time. We’re a little
smarter. We have a great product and
we are passionate about selling it!”
GAME
ON
Retailer incentive!
Ask for the Frogger sale! Your business
could earn $25 Visa® gift cards. Check
your new game kit for details and frog
key chains!
© Konami Digital Entertainment
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Top 2 Minnesota Millionaire Raffle
ticket sellers from each region:
Region 1:
Coborn’s/Little Dukes #2031 in Big Lake
Holiday Stationstores Inc. in Garrison
Region 2:
M & H Gas in Moorhead
Pine Square in Brainerd
Region 3:
Kwik Trip #316 in Hutchinson
Kwik Trip #466 in St. Peter
Region 4:
Cub Foods in Maple Grove
Holiday Stationstore #319 in Maple Grove
Region 5:
Kwik Trip #824 in Winona
Dakota Station in Welch
Region 6:
Kwik Trip #812 in Andover
County Market in St. Francis
Upcoming Top Sellers (schedule is tentative):
April – Top 10 sellers of Minnesota Platinum games
#564 – #567 (combined)
May – FY16 3rd quarter sales leaders
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The Lottery’s Top Sellers recognizes retailers
for exceptional sales performance.
Each of the businesses that made this month’s
Top Sellers will receive $50 in free scratch tickets.
Progressive
Print-N-Play 101
Everything you need to know about the
lotto ticket with an instant win play style
What does a progressive jackpot mean?
The Progressive Print-N-Play jackpot starts at $5,000
and grows as tickets are sold.
Have you ever had a customer in your business that seemed
to be playing the Lottery for all the wrong reasons? Maybe
they were desperately trying to win their money back or they
talked about needing to win to pay their bills. What can you
do to help?
An informational video is available in the retailer section of
www.mnlottery.com that will help you identify a potential
problem gambler and explores some ways that you can help.
The video is less than 4 minutes long and is appropriate for
any store employee who deals with customers.
March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month so it’s a good
time for you and your staff to review the basics.
Make sure the Minnesota Problem Gambling Helpline sticker
and brochure are prominently displayed in your business to
let your players know that help is available.
What are the different types of play styles?
Players can currently choose from Bingo, Crossword and
Slots. All of these games share the same prize pool.
Why are there three different ticket prices?
$1 ticket pays 20 percent of the jackpot
$3 ticket pays 60 percent of the jackpot
$5 ticket pays 100 percent of the jackpot
How do you know what the current jackpot is?
Retailers can look up the current jackpot amount on the
terminal by selecting “REPORTS” “JACKPOT REPORTS”
“PROGRESSIVE PRINT-N-PLAY.” Players can find the
current jackpot amount listed on the LottoVision screens
as well as the Lottery’s website.
What type of players like this game?
Progressive Print-N-Play has slowly gained popularity
since it debuted nearly a decade ago. Players who enjoy
the game, generally prefer the extended play styles.
Next time one of your customers asks for the newest
Crossword, Bingo or Slots scratch game you might want
to point out that they can always play these favorites
without scratchin’!
How often is the jackpot won?
Approximately once a month! Remember, Progressive
Print-N-Play is a Minnesota-only game so all of our
jackpot winners are local players!
What’s the record jackpot?
$414,854 — won on a $5 Bingo ticket purchased at Holiday
Stationstores (123 W. Julian) in St. Peter on Oct. 28 2015.
Can you win other prizes besides the jackpot?
Yes! Players can win prizes ranging from $1 all the way
up to $500, depending on the cost of the ticket.
A new training video is now available on the
Lottery Learning Link that highlights the new software
changes. The Lottery Learning Link is an online training
program available 24/7. If you have any questions,
please contact your Lottery sales representative.
March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month
Minnesota’s top-selling Powerball retailer
Retailer t
Spotligh
“We are a half of a mile
from the Canadian border
so we’re kind of the first
and last stop, depending
on which direction you’re
heading,” said Debbie
Bakke, co-owner of Ryden’s
Gas in Grand Portage.
“We’re a gas station and convenience
store. Gas prices are cheaper here than
in Canada, so that brings the Canadians
here,” she explained. “My cousins have
the store next door to us which has a
money exchange and duty-free shop
and souvenirs.” She added, “It’s a family
business. My grandparents started the
business in 1947 and we are on our third
generation now. I’m pretty proud of that.”
During the recent record Powerball
jackpot run, Ryden’s Gas was the topselling Powerball® retailer in Minnesota.
January Powerball sales were five
times higher than a normal January
on average. For Ryden’s, January
Powerball sales were 30 times higher.
“It was crazy,” said Bakke with a laugh.
“It was pretty crazy busy, pretty much
from open to close.” She estimates
that “99.9 percent” of the sales were
to Canadians.
“They not only had long lines, but
customers had Canadian money—
so they had to convert that to U.S.
dollars,” said Lottery sales rep Carole
Borndal. “Many of the players were
buying large numbers of Powerball
tickets for work pools, etc. and there
were lots of new players, so they had
to explain Powerball to these players.”
Co-owners Debbie Bakke pictured with
her brother, Mike Ryden.
Bakke isn’t complaining about being
busy. “It was a nice draw for business,
that’s for sure,” she said. “It was tiring.
It was long days, but we survived. It
boosted our business and it boosted
our cousins’ business also. Once the
Powerball went it was pretty quiet
around here compared to what it was.”
The Powerball players were buying more
than just tickets. “They were buying gas
and buying merchandise. I think we still
made more money off of Powerball than
we did off of anything else because of the
quantity that we sold. I think we made
more during that time than we did all year
last year,” she added.
Borndal said that Ryden’s Gas is a
great Lottery retailer even when the
Powerball jackpot isn’t causing record
sales. “Being located so far north,
delivery can take a little longer than
normal. Debbie is so organized—
she never runs out of ticket stock
or supplies, activates on time and is
very prepared for her customers.”
30X
INCREASE
25X
20X
15X
10X
5X
AVERAGE
STATEWIDE JANUARY
POWERBALL SALES
RYDEN’S JANUARY
POWERBALL SALES
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Retailers win big, too! Congratulations to...
Sun Ray Cub Liquor in
St. Paul, $500
Schmidty’s St. Stephen
in St. Stephen, $1,400
Jubilee Foods in Mound,
$343
Silver Lake Foods in
Rochester, $1,000
Holiday Stationstores Inc.
in Maple Grove, $500
Kwik Trip #411 in Plymouth,
$1,000
Murphy USA #7078 in
Buffalo, $500
Bobby & Steve’s Auto World
in Bloomington, $500
Lake Country Convenience
& Bait in Faribault, $290
Cub Foods in Stillwater,
$500
PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
DETROIT LAKES, MN
PERMIT NO. 14
Minnesota State Lottery
2645 Long Lake Road
Roseville, Minnesota 55113
mnlottery.com
Debbie Hoffmann, executive editor
Marie Hinton, editor
Emily Frost, managing editor
Megan Kleinschmidt, graphic designer
This publication is available in alternative
formats to individuals with disabilities by
calling (651) 635-8273, (888) 568-8379.
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New Games
March 15, 2016:
April 5, 2016: