The Idaho Lottery’s game, the Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle and Veterans Day have a long history together. The very first time the game went on sale was on Veterans Day in 2007. Even more compelling, the very first winner of the Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle was a retired United States Marine who served at the tail end of World War II and in Korea. He bought his ticket in the eleventh minute of sales on 11/11 - Veterans Day.
That very first year of Raffle, Veterans Day was the very first time tickets ever went on sale. There were a total of 35,891 tickets sold on Day 1. The game itself sold out just 35 days later on December 16, 2007. Now in its 13th year, the Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle is now a well-established holiday tradition, with sales starting about ten days before Halloween and lasting until around Christmas when it finally sells out.
Comparatively, though, this year’s Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle game is performing at a pace not seen in what we call the modern era of Raffle, post 2011, when the game, promotions, and prize structure has taken on more of their current form. By Veterans Day this year, the game has already sold 30% or 75,000 tickets. That is 28,000 tickets ahead of last year’s pace that sold out on December 28, meaning selling out this year could come as early as the weekend before Christmas shopping wraps up.
What does that mean for you, the player? Take advantage of the Veterans Day weekend and buy at least one Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle ticket as our first winner did. Okay, so you do not necessarily have to buy one at 12:11 AM (the 11th minute of the day when our winner bought his), but he also did not wait to buy one, either. You do not want to be left out of this year’s game, because once we sell out, there are no more tickets until next year. When they’re gone, they’re gone.
Consider it a tribute, to commemorate this Veterans Day, and buy an Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle ticket. And be sure to thank the men and women who are veterans, or on active duty, for their service to our country. Who knows, you might just end up winning a $1,000,000 in the process.
Happy Veterans Day!
