Seth Elkin of The Maryland Lottery talks 50 years of nostalgia and a summer full of events and giveaways.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
lottery, tickets, promotion, week, years, drawing, win, winner, game, wife, orioles, fun, talking, fest, finalists, zoo, prize, event, maryland, seth
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, Seth Elkin
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back, WN S T tassel. Baltimore, Baltimore positive here at 850 70. Hope you’re setting your dial when you’re out there in YouTube land or Facebook land or LinkedIn land where lots and lots of places, including in fallston. We were at the local on Tuesday. You know it’s a bad outcome for the Orioles in the first game but we had some good outcomes. We had some winners at the local and fall so they gave away these. It’s a lot of scratch offs. We’re gonna be doing that in Hale Thorpe. We’re gonna be doing that downtown. We’re gonna be doing that on Wilkins Avenue right around the corner from the headquarters of the Maryland lottery. It’s spirits West. We’re gonna be a lot of places in June July, kicking off the 25th anniversary of wn St. Drugs city. And it cost this in early August. also brought to you by friends and window nation. 866 90 nation, it’s still may you got a couple of days for the 0% financing for five years. Take advantage of it before the end of the month and Happy Memorial Day to this guy who is hoping at some point once you start pinch hitting, I mean, I’m not looking for you to Wiley, Pip. And you know at all John Martin, but we do miss John around here, but Seth Alcon is here long enough for me to have the Orioles beat up on the pirates a little bit long enough to get $50,000 away with a Ryan mountcastle home run. And now Happy Memorial Day week to you, man what’s going on with the lottery, you guys, you’re giving money away. And the thing that you did Wednesday, like just money, money, money, money, money, money. It really is the 50th anniversary this week of the lottery, and you guys are kind of everywhere.
8
Seth Elkin 01:26
Yeah, we had a lot of fun in the planning stages of our 50th anniversary. It was a lot of work that went into it on the part of have quite a few people here planning last year really all the planning happened for months and months in advance. And we were really glad we finally got to 2023 when we turn that calendar base to January so that we could start actually rolling out a lot of the things that we were doing. And you mentioned the the big promotion, the one day promotion thanks for playing which awarded a million dollars worth of cash vouchers to our players. We were really happy about that and excited to to celebrate that anniversary date, May 24, which was the day in 1973, when the lottery had its very first drawing. So an important data milestone date on our calendar, and we wanted to celebrate it with our players. So we were really happy that to have that promotion in and everybody enjoy that.
Nestor Aparicio 02:16
How much stuff have you found from 50 years ago like that? And I looked on the website a little bit. I’m just wondering if and I asked Mr. Acosta’s this because they were an original cost this from the very, very beginning the first day. What did it how did it get vended? You know what I mean? Like, what did the ticket look like a betting ticket at a horse racing when I like? How did it get produced in 1973? That that’s the part that kind of blows my mind about it, because I have no recollection. Now, I do remember the early scratch offs, right? This was all like it was almost like a bingo card. And I’m done. Like I’m familiar with bingo. But I’m thinking the games people were playing in the 70s. And how you would walk in and get a ticket of three, three, all three digits right? 50 years ago, right?
Seth Elkin 03:04
Well, it was that first twin win game, I’m trying to remember the actual number of digits it was it was more than three. And that was it. Okay. The tickets themselves were you were used to everything being digital. Today, you get tickets for a concert or a sports event and it’s digital, it’s on your phone, you don’t actually have a paper ticket in your hand most of the time. But back then, it looked like those the old school paper tickets that you would have had or papers that cardboard stock tickets that you would have had for a game with the with the dot matrix printed text on it with the numbers and the date of the drawing. And in fact, we had somebody that approached us a few weeks back, her name was Alice green, she had original twin wind tickets from that very first drawing that went on sale may 15, of 1973. And it says it on the ticket. And it’s the drawing date that first drawing date, May 24. And her tickets she had 11 original twin wind tickets from that may 24 1973 drawing that were printed out with that date on there. And she saved them for all these years. She had them in a photo album, she mounted them around a newspaper clipping of the original winning numbers from that first drawing. And she she collects items from pop culture and she just had fun with a cheat. She said I’m gonna I’m gonna save these. They’re the lotteries first tickets and 50 years later, she still had them and called us up to see if we were interested in the story and we had fun talking to her you know, it’s nice to know that somebody is a fan of the lottery to the point that they would hold on to something like that for all these years and, and we know she’s not alone. We’ve heard from other players, longtime lottery players who are fans of ours that that appreciate the history of 50 years so that was that was a lot of fun for us to to hear from her and see the enthusiasm that she had for the lottery.
Nestor Aparicio 04:55
8Well as my age says, I you know, I’m pop culture like dude you’re aware of Willie Stargell jersey from 1979 on this program and I tolerated this, and I actually pulled out my damn Passerini. Jersey as well. Then Ostalgie part of the logo, I mean, even on the scratch off the deal wishbone, the way the l was blue for a period of time, but before that, it was that, that black Maryland lottery with the wishbone that I remember, as a child, it seems to me the tickets and stuff you guys do all these events, it’d be kind of a neat, like display to, it would certainly get my attention to walk over. And when I took a picture out in your hallway, I’m going to share this with everybody who’s watching out on the video, because this is me with every one of these old school logos. And these were like Back Page ads, I guess on like the Sunday sun or the Sunday News American or the news post or whatever. But the old logos and stuff, I’m drawn to it. And I would think that I’m not the only one. And I’m not like a, you know, lottery player every day in my life. The last 50 years people have played a lottery and played for a lifetime. And if one jackpots and won money, and it’s invested part of their life, the people we speak to all the time, I would think seeing the early tickets as everybody would want to take a look at that. PCAT. And I bet you got a lot of hits on the website off that stuff. Yeah, the
Seth Elkin 06:17
one of the ones we really had fun with a couple of months back, we have that Maryland lottery logo ticket was a $1 ticket. And there were four different designs that had the four different logos over the years that we’ve used. And you may be able to see in the background as we were moving some things around here recently, I
Nestor Aparicio 06:32
see the blue target. What’s that mean? o clock,
Seth Elkin 06:34
we on Earth an old lottery clock with the old logo. I said, You know what, that’s old school. I like it. I’m gonna put it in here. It’s right next to my lottery burst in the background. So I kind of like that.
8Nestor Aparicio 06:44
We’ll see. And so you have an established piece on your set. And you think I’m nuts to think that at the Timonium fair, somebody would want to see this this beautiful ladies tickets from 50 years ago. I want to see it. I want to see the machine that produced it, though. That’s like the old cash registers. You know what I mean?
Seth Elkin 07:00
I don’t think we have any of those still sitting around. That’d be a pretty big piece of equipment to hold on. Hold on to for that long.
Nestor Aparicio 07:07
Was it? Was it a big machine? You know what I don’t? Well, before my time somebody Western Maryland has one in the basement. I’m telling you right? Through somebody maybe if we look around on eBay, we can find one No, I’m gonna set yet some of those antique shops I found out there in Hancock and Buddy Lou’s antique place. I mean, they’ll they’ll find Seth Alcon this year, he represents the Maryland lottery and having fun it is. You guys have had a lot of fun with this 50th anniversary, not just what happened on Wednesday, given a million dollars away. The baseball promotion still very much alive. Seth, I’m watching the Yankee game on Tuesday night. And some poor sap is the winner for the night. And I’m thinking man at the beginning of the month, he thought he had a shot at 50 grand. He was trying to get the Orioles to hold the brakes on all these homeruns you know, because you guys didn’t think this was going to happen at least next week. Next month. It’s already happened. It happened before Preakness I mean, it really is amazing with the Oreos, but I see these names of the winners and I feel bad for right now in the Oreo games.
Seth Elkin 08:06
8We had a fun time celebrating with Barbara Phelps Anderson though from shady side. She was that first $50,000 winner in the homerun riches contestant of The Game promotion I want
Nestor Aparicio 08:17
to have her on the show. Come on. I want to hear the five games leading up that she wanted everybody to hit a home run every night so she can win.
Seth Elkin 08:24
I you know of course we talked about the previously you know they got three in that first game of that week off Shohei Otani, which I didn’t think I could probably a lot of people didn’t think they were going to do they were at 45 when that week started and all of a sudden they get three and they were two away. And then Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan mountcastle came through for and she won that $50,000 for being the contestant when the 50th homerun was hit and we’re gonna have some fun now the Orioles are going to have her out to a game next week and we’re going to do a onfield check presentation to her and we’re gonna have some fun. I’m sure she’s going to enjoy that she’s a big Orioles fan. We we found out when she came in to claim her prize and file the paperwork the day after that 50th Home run, that she’s a longtime most fan, and in fact was at Game one of the 1983 World Series. So how great is it that the person who wins this is actually a longtime Orioles fan because a lot of people enter this you know it’s a popular fast play ticket. That’s the mechanism for entering the homerun riches fast play ticket as a progressive top prize that at the at this moment anyways is more than $115,000 waiting for somebody to win. So you can win big on that ticket. But certainly whether your tickets a winner or not, you can enter it into your rewards account and you automatically just by entering that ticket into your account, get an entry into the contest into the game promotion. And as you said we got drawings coming up the next few months and still another $50,000 prize to award there in that final drawing on August 29. When we do the contestants for September we will also draw another $50,000 winner at that time so plenty of time to still get involved in that
Nestor Aparicio 10:00
Well Far be it for me that too. You have talked to a guy who has a Willie Stargell jersey but the 1983 World Series but it turns out Bob and I have something in common. I was at that game. All the pictures I had I have a lot of pictures i i just gotten a pan TxA 110 camera mic for my birthday is was October 14 is October 14. So it was all going on during that week. And I have the pictures from Cal Ripken the bird the fanatic them lined up like all sorts of pictures from Game one. Game one we lost. So you know she was not good luck at the ad three world. We won the other four. And even though I’m wearing Phillies red right now where my coons sweater, we won the World Series in 83. So we like to talk about the 83 World Series around here. Seth Elkins here. Oh, man, Richard still very much alive, right. People could still play. There’s a still a big thing going on. It’s ammonium at the end of the summer, right?
8Seth Elkin 10:55
Yep. The Well, the thing is it demonium You’re talking about would be the state fair. That’s confusing. I’m confusing promotions, we have so many promotions going on. I think all of our staff has noticed that as well. Normally, we’ve always got at least a couple of Second Chance contests going but now I think there are about five or six different Second Chance promotions happening all because it’s our 50th anniversary, we wanted to really do it big. So that the cashback promotion that you’re talking about is any $50 worth of tickets that you enter into your mind lottery rewards account, we’ll get you an entry into the cashback drawings, the next one of those is coming up right at the end of May. And then we still have more drawings in throughout the summer. And we’re going to award $10,000 to each of the finalists, that gets selected for the event that we’re going to have at the state fair, there will be 10 finalists who each win at least $10,000.04 of them have already been selected, we still got six more of those to go. And then one of those finalists at that event will have a chance to win up to $5 million for our 50th anniversary. So we’re excited about that. And there’s still plenty of time for you to get in on that promotion as well. A lot of prizes to be given away. In addition to those finalists, each one of those monthly drawings in cash bash awards, cash prizes of $1,000 or $2,500. So you may win one of those where you may be a finalist for that event at the State Fair, which is going to be a lot of fun.
Nestor Aparicio 12:19
So my riches tell me that there’s still another grand after this one right
Seth Elkin 12:24
50 $50,000 prize and that’s coming up in the drawing at the end of August. So okay, you still got plenty of time to enter in the way the the entries worked for
Nestor Aparicio 12:33
8Barb’s not the only one that’s breaking the bank is what we’re telling us. That’s correct. And
Seth Elkin 12:37
the entries are cumulative. So if you enter your entry stays in unless it’s drawn as a winner. So you’re in for the rest of the drawings for the rest of these promotions when you get in.
Nestor Aparicio 12:47
My wife still wants to be a homerun riches contestant she just wants to have you know, be on the broadcast at Ben McDonald. flub up her name a little bit have some fun, man. The broadcast have been great. Baseball has been great. Summer has been great. You guys have things happening. You’re setting up events, what’s going on after Memorial Day because I need to know about Miss wine in the woods last week. But my calendar in June and July i i have some free time. Where are you sending me
Seth Elkin 13:12
we are going to be a whole bunch of places we have a bunch of fun events brew at the zoo is coming up. That’s May 27 and 28th that is at the Maryland Zoo. In and when that’s a lot of fun.
8Nestor Aparicio 13:25
I know it’s a lot of fun. I know it’s a lot of fun. I’ve been I’ve had a lot of fun with the zoo. It’s here’s what happened. So my wife loves animals. So this is shout out to Kirby and and the man who saved your life loves penguins. And they have the world’s greatest public penguin exhibit here right? My dear partner Bill Cole from coal roofing. I spent the morning with big supporter of the zoo. We love the zoo, right. So last year, my my wife and her sister her sisters in love with this hippopotamus at the Cincinnati Zoo. So they get a wild hair to like do a sister’s weekend. Memorial Day is my wife’s birthday is next week next Wednesday, she turns Again 29 Again. So her sister came in last year. So I do know about this. You know why? I know this says Coons and you know, I could drive a Coon’s vehicle, but I’m really an Uber driver for my for my wife. I took my wife down to the zoo, and dropped her off and then went back and picked her up in a totally different state after she took the brew a little far for the zoo. And her sister did too. It’s like the new zoo review coming right to you. So yeah, my wife indulged and and she put wine in the woods and beer and brewing on it. Same thing at the zoo. Man brew at the zoo is one of the great events of the year. I mean, bands grew zoo animals, outdoor spring, allergies, all of its built in right. So you guys spinning the wheel. What are you doing out there?
Seth Elkin 14:51
We’ll have the winner of the prize. We will go in and lots of fun with that. And then there’s more still coming because we got capital Jazz Fest in early June. And
Nestor Aparicio 15:00
that’s a DC area. Where is that? Where’s their Merriweather Post? That’s the only weather. Okay,
Seth Elkin 15:04
8let me so there’s that. And then of course, Hunt fest, which is another big one. We love hunting fest. And it’s a lot of fun being out there and then
Nestor Aparicio 15:12
can I make an admission? I don’t think I’ve been. I’ve been to maybe one hunt fest ever. Give me a give me a like, I shouldn’t even admit that right. I just I just I just lost my Baltimore I might as well move to Pittsburgh, right? I mean, literally, right.
Seth Elkin 15:29
It’s it’s, it’s a lot of fun. It’s as you say, it’s a Baltimore event. It’s a Baltimore happening. What is it? You gotta be? You gotta be there for that to June 10 and 11th in Hampton. So I love these
Nestor Aparicio 15:38
segments with you because I get to go through the Community Calendar. Because I’m not you know, I’m going to be a town that weekend. All right. Yep. I should go to Han fest. I really should. Right.
8Seth Elkin 15:47
He will be out there for both days. Come on, down on that’s, that’s
Nestor Aparicio 15:51
limited. Hold on. Here’s the really good part. I mean, let me get me because I have hair now. It’s about rock and roll. This is my Rico. Casey, let him brush your rock and roll hair. Remember that let the good times roll.
Seth Elkin 15:59
I don’t remember I don’t remember anything about hair as you can see. So yeah, well,
Nestor Aparicio 16:02
8so I got I’m thinking maybe my wife could do something that’s almost punishing it. Maybe I could do like a Han hair with my hair. I’m gonna do it. I’m going to confess if
Seth Elkin 16:14
they’re if you’re daring. Maybe if you’ve had enough brute zu you. You can you could do something up around fest. Listen
Nestor Aparicio 16:20
to last year my wife had a really good time. She said she just want to go to the zoo now. You know, go to the zoo to see the AMS. The Brew at the zoo thing was, was overwhelming. Last year. We had it we I went with my son and his wife two years ago and you know, during COVID Just getting out and being out in the park was just a beautiful thing. So guys, have a great weekend. I hope we get good weather this week. And it feels like spring. Preakness was unbelievable man like we did you got to break this. I was
Seth Elkin 16:49
not there. No, but I was out of town actually for a couple of days. But I saw there was a big band of rain that came through. And hopefully five minutes
8Nestor Aparicio 16:57
before Bruno Mars went on five minutes before Bruno Mars went on.
Seth Elkin 17:02
Unfortunate for those for those folks. Oh, no,
Nestor Aparicio 17:04
no, you know what somebody said we stay kind of dry. We found ourselves some shelter under an abandoned maybe as the mayor of the lottery tent, like literally by that point. A lot of the vendors had left and the tent was just open. So we went to stay in dry. But like the amazing part about it is I looked down on my phone. Everybody’s getting drenched in front of us. I didn’t feel guilty. I had a nice jacket on my wife had bought her a beautiful dress to wear. So we didn’t get annihilated. But somebody I’m looking on my time because I put a video on my wife saying And lucky for you, that’s what I like. That’s what I like. So I put this thing up. And someone said there’s nothing better than dancing in the rain. And I thought, You know what, that’s gonna leave you with that as a spiritual thing from Memorial Day weekend said Elkanah about that. There we go. So I don’t want to leave anything out. Did I leave any lottery promotions out?
Seth Elkin 17:55
8No, we I think we covered it all. We were very busy with all kinds of promotions and as you mentioned events which are great for us to get out there and interact with people and and have one on one time to be able to talk to people talk to the people that make us go the players so great to remember them and great to get out there and interact with them on a regular basis. Like
Nestor Aparicio 18:12
Alright, if you see somebody looks like me and hug fest and my hair is up, it’s probably it probably is me. Marilyn crabcakes over taking it out on the road on the second. We’re gonna be at Halo four, but Shannon’s POB I’ll be giving these things away here as long as they last and Roz is going to freshen me up at some point around here as well, because I’ve been given these things out. We were at the local and fallston last weekend. Great, great guests. How about this, Seth? Yeah, I don’t this Pittsburgh have a famous vendor of any kind. Fancy Clancy was my guest on the Maryland crabcake tour at the low he’s got his he said his own beer. And I’ve actually drank it on the Maryland crab cakes were out at the creek last summer. So fancy class he was on the show. We also just had the chef of the year on with us at the local so I brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery. Get on out play some games have some fun, please do it responsibly. Get yourself involved in at home run register. You can be like BB get yourself on the field. Have a good time. I you know, I’m thinking about the squirt zone for a game in July. I’m just being honest. I’m thinking about a birdbath game. So I’m back on the Oracle bandwagon looks at the ballpark. We appreciate everybody for supporting us here through Memorial Day weekend. I am Nestor we are wn SDA and 1570, Towson Baltimore. And we never stop talking Baltimore positive
