BOISE, Idaho ÔÇô It's coming in five days. The newest game from the Idaho Lottery is all about Idaho and all about the 5's. Tickets for the Idaho Lottery's $500,000 Spring Raffle will be on sale 5/1, Saturday, May 1st by 5 a.m. Mountain Time. Tickets are $5 a piece, the top prize is $500,000 and there are a total of 5,000 prizes.

"By popular request from our players and our retailers, I'm pleased to announce that we will be offering the $500,000 Spring Raffle starting on May first," said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery Director. "Just like the fall Raffle, this game is only available where Idaho Lottery products are sold. You can not buy a $500,000 Spring Raffle ticket outside of Idaho."

This game is not sold in any other state, however, players do not need to be Idaho residents to play or win. There are only 300,000 tickets available for purchase. Tickets will be issued sequentially from 000001 through 300000. No additional tickets will be issued once all 300,000 are sold. Tickets cost $5 a piece.

The game features one guaranteed top prize of $500,000. In addition to the top prize, there are two hundred and fifty (250) $500 prizes, fifteen hundred (1,500) $50 prizes, and three thousand, two hundred and forty-nine (3,249) $25 prizes.

"And just like the Idaho-only game, the entire advertising campaign is also an Idaho-only production," added Anderson. "As proud members of 'Buy Idaho', the entire suite of advertising for this game has been created by Idaho companies and artists."

Supporting the new game is a stop-frame animation television commercial, developed as a collaborative effort by the creative services department at DaviesMoore, a Boise advertising agency and headed up by Boise State graduate, Jason Seivers.

"Animation is tedious work and this commercial was one of the most challenging I've ever done," said Seivers. "The two to three second long shot that has multiple plants popping up in the field took three hours to animate and photograph."

To jazz up the commercial, the Lottery went with a local musical track from Treasure Valley band "Spondee." The 1950's flavor, up-beat, indy-pop, easy-to-dance-to song was the perfect compliment to the sunshine and popping flowers.

Led by singer, song-writer Clint Vickery, the band formed in eastern Idaho while he was attending Idaho State University in Pocatello. The word "Spondee" is a poetry term consisting of two long or stressed syllables. Vickery says when he and fellow drummer Cody White started playing together they were the only two members and the term just made sense.

"This is a great opportunity to have our music in a Lottery commercial," said Vickery before adding, "It would be great if this exposure could help us get a record label, too."

At six members strong, the band plays about 70% of their shows in the Treasure Valley. With their roots at Idaho State University, they have a following in eastern Idaho and Utah, and also play shows in Oregon and Washington.

To hear the entire song, "Stay Another Day" visit: http://www.idaholottery.com/idahoraffle/

Local production house North by Northwest in downtown Boise completed the editing for the commercial. And there could be a reason for the familiar voice used for the voice over at the end of the spot. It is former Boise News Anchor Shannon Paterson.

The commercial will start airing statewide today in all markets. Tickets for the $500,000 Spring Raffle go on sale in just five days on Saturday morning and the Lottery recommends that if you would like the chance to win, you may not want to wait to buy a ticket.

"Our raffle games always sell out early," added Anderson. "When the tickets are gone, they're gone."

The $500,000 Spring Raffle tickets will remain on sale until the last one is sold, or until June 29, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. MT, which ever occurs first. The winning numbers announcement will be held on June 30, 2010 at 5 p.m.

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