After the usual baseball pleasantries and big flies and cash of Home Run Riches, Seth Elkin of The Maryland Lottery tells Nestor about the launch of a new, simple daily game called “Cash Pop.”
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
lottery, homerun, work, game, people, win, team, year, ticket, pittsburgh, scratch, baseball, prize, played, part, crab cakes, runs, week, number, documentary
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, Seth Elkin
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:02
Welcome home we are wn St. am 1570, Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive we are positively into the crab cakes season 85 degrees and sunny and beaten up on the Yankees. Smells like crab cakes in the year we’ll be down to fade Lee so I’m actually going to say this before the game on Thursday. I just made that executive decision on my friend superior wellness gave me some tickets. I’m like, Yeah, I’m gonna go to the Yankees play, but we’re gonna be down there on business. Not pleasure. Next Friday. It’s always pleasure as part of my business. We’re going to be families at the new Lexington market eating delicious crab cakes as well as shrimp salad. And I’m going to work some fish damy always working the fish, maybe some oysters, some fried oysters. I’m thinking about all this. All we brought to you by the Maryland lottery friends. Bring us the Pac Man scratch. We had a bunch of winners. Last week. We had some we had a bunch of winners at Greenmount station as well. Last week, we did a big horse racing show there. It’s Derby week around here this week. Our friends at Liberty pure solutions keeping our water clean and safe and out on the road and Jiffy Lube, multi care putting us on the road. Each and every Friday, the orals are home, we’re families. I’m putting together the rest of the schedule. I have not quit on new places, old places. I’m getting it all together because I’ve been efforting on this 25th anniversary documentary. You know why? Because there are people a few people from the Pittsburgh area who migrate emigrate. I don’t know what I’m trying to think of something really insulting you would say for leaving Pittsburgh and coming to Baltimore. Seth Alcon is one of those guys. He is the executive director of the communication side of I don’t know his official title. He’s here to talk about the Maryland lottery and talk baseball and homerun riches. But, dude, the reason I put this movie together is there’s guys like you that come into my life a little later on. I mean, I don’t know when you first heard of me or became acquainted through the lottery or through being a huge sports fan. And you are. I know that because I’ve stood on the Terrible Towel that you have on the floor in your office. So I know what a big fan you are. But you I made this movie and I hope people like you’ve enjoyed it. You’ve told me you’ve watched it. And I’m like, we’re gonna talk about this on the air. So I gotta get the full drum out. How are things at the Maryland lottery? Is Martin gone? Again, trying to figure out how to pay all of these homerun riches winners. I’m convinced of that, that that’s why he takes these weeks off after these grand slams. I’ll
8
Seth Elkin 02:26
tell you what, it’s awfully cool that we have a contest that pays people when the Orioles hit homeruns bearing in mind that they are through the first month of the season, leaving the Major Leagues you know home runs. How cool was that cost
Nestor J. Aparicio 02:38
in the state of fortune, it’s costing the lottery every time one of these goes out, you know, as
Seth Elkin 02:42
as as you and I are speaking $42,000 worth of prizes that we’ve paid through 45 home runs so far, but it’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 02:50
8actually 20,000 More than you probably did four years ago, right?
Seth Elkin 02:56
They’ve come a long way since then, to say the least. Gunnar Henderson was was ale rookie of the year last year, he looks like he’s gonna win al MVP this year, given the his performance so far. So that’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 03:07
a man I’ve always been trying to bring you over to the Oriole side. I mean, 79 was a long time ago, you can give it up if you want. You live here, you represent the Maryland lottery for crying out loud sponsors and partners with all this. I mean, I mean, there’s room on the bandwagon, we had empty seats or money. You know what I mean? Like there is still room for you to get like a cow outfit and come on down and be a part of the cows or clan. You know what I mean? Like whatever you want to do. There’s room on the bandwagon. They can be Oreos, can be your American League team, nobody I will, that doesn’t travel to Pennsylvania, I will tell anybody up there that you become an Oreo fan.
Seth Elkin 03:46
Very secret they kind of are my American League team. It’s just putting more
8Nestor J. Aparicio 03:50
of my heart, in my heart with all that. So what did you learn from the documentary? Because you’re like a perfect case example. How do you know if it’s because of our lottery thing or your about me around town, you’ve lived a
Seth Elkin 04:01
little bit, a little bit of both. But I’ll tell you the thing that really jumped out at me that I identify with, and we’ve talked about this before is that we have similar roots in our professional lives that we both started out as newspaper guys as sports reporters. And, you know, I was looking at all of these photos and clippings and headlines that that flashed by on the screen and I’m reminded certainly of the time that I spent as a sports reporter as well. It’s I identify because I traveled that same road. I didn’t I didn’t travel it as successfully as you did i Where did
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:34
you work? Please tell me because I there were some Elaine Lemieux references there are some penguins because the my first Skipjacks teams in 8485 86 that was Jean Uber Jaco that were they were all the guys that went up and played for Jean and Barry and those guys a little later on in Pittsburgh. That sort of predated the first you know, coffee and Lemieux and cups and all of that. But the early Lemieux teams were Bob airy Have you know, Tim Chuki add? Roberto Romano like I’m Warren young. I mean, a lot of those players were the guys I covered early on, including, who’s that?
Seth Elkin 05:13
8Not that I was going to go ahead, including who?
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:17
I’m the guy I’m trying to think of, well of Steve Carlson, who was in the movie slapshot. Steve Carlson was a skipjack a bob Irie. I’m trying to think Greg Tabet but I try to think the guys that that that made it and played well. Oh porks brother. Phil Bork
Seth Elkin 05:36
Bork yep don’t
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:37
work well. Yeah, he was uh,
8Seth Elkin 05:39
he was I remember air area and Bork of course we’re still on the team in the early 90s when they won the back to back cups but some of those some of those guys are Wenzel young and the guys you’re naming Roberto Romano. I remember from those, those, those mid 80s and late 80s teams when the we didn’t know exactly whether the penguins were ever going to turn the corner. We knew we had Mariola mu but and we had Paul coffee starting in 1987. But didn’t know if we were ever going to manage to turn around the bend with that team in
Nestor J. Aparicio 06:06
America one’s own in a team and at the you know, like it’s a thing, the Painswick seven
Seth Elkin 06:10
years into his career before he finally before they finally build a championship team. So
Nestor J. Aparicio 06:16
8yeah, the first time I interviewed Marissa was on the phone. He called and talked to me about a lane. I was doing a story on a lane I had to call up to the penguins, PR and get you know, get Mary on the phone, because Marijo never played a game as a skipjack. Right ever dressed brother, his brother played here, right brother, Lane was always trying to make it and Elaine was a nice guy. Elaine’s English was a lot better than Mario’s. And when I talked to Mary on the phone that first time, he’s English was very much like, you know, as he was, and that His English is part, you know, like, it’s amazing. I don’t think I could ever go to Quebec and fake my fake French, you know, and ever pick it up. So I was always and especially the European players like Michael Pavana. And a couple of guys from the Cavs came over not being able to speak a word of English, and then their English is perfect. So, you know, in those days hockey, it was such a minor league sport here, and I took it so seriously in the capitals and all of that, but I’m glad you identified. So what did you cover and for whom I
Seth Elkin 07:16
covered mostly community sports, high school sports in a number of places in western Pennsylvania, in Morgantown, West Virginia. And then, of course, for 12 years with the Gazette newspapers, may they rest in peace, that published in the suburbs outside of Washington, DC, the Gazette published in Prince George’s County, which is where I worked, and then montgomery county, and Frederick County for a while as well. So
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:38
several are my friends, George Van, Danica and Luke Cortino. A bunch of guys came through there, and I work with them at sports. First, the news, American and the sun, because that papers were, you know, definitely a feeding ground for all of the people who became journalists. And as John Eisenberg would say, the glory era of sports writing, and it’s
Seth Elkin 07:58
really that’s the thing that really I reflect on is how much the media landscape has changed. And you’re kind of see the reflection of that as you watch your documentary. So yeah, took me back. Definitely. Well, I’ll
8Nestor J. Aparicio 08:08
tell you, what takes me back are all these big flies and homeruns and I sit here each and every morning with Luke after they hit home runs and they win games, and they beat up on the Yankees and even the other nasty nester, the second nasty astronaut the original, he probably doesn’t even know that but I should give him a get nasty shirt. We talk about this baseball team hitting homeruns and what they do, and how how fun it is. But this really is a generational thing and you’re such a baseball and Seth Alcon is here from the Maryland lottery. We love talk baseball, we’ll talk a lot and we’re gonna talk about new games next week and all that but you’re Clemente star jewel and your baseball background and all that I really do as I get into may hear we’re second month into this. It’s only the second may that Henderson’s even been like a guy counselors arrived. Now, Westbrook looks like JJ Hardy or rich, dour, I don’t know what to compare him to. And then there’s this whole pipeline at Jackson Hole is gonna make it and all this. This is an unbelievable generation talent, especially for homeruns for homerun riches, and grand slams and all that but it’s just a pleasure everyday to have baseball sort of be the heartbeat of what’s going on around you again. And if I can plug my 25th anniversary documentary in that way. It’s this whole thing started where that’s what this was back in 1992 3456 was Cal Ripken, Brady Anderson, Mike Messina, and it was the daily heartbeat of baseball. And I love that. And the lottery has always been a part of that as well. And every night I’m watching the games. And when the bases get loaded, I know what’s up. And it’s made it a much more fun promotion, I think for the lottery.
Seth Elkin 09:36
Yeah, it’s it is a lot of fun for us. I mean, as we talked about, a lot of people look forward to homerun riches every year. Just because the baseball season is so much fun and having the having the team be relevant again, really adds a lot to it. And it’s exciting for us and we sure we’re looking at a team that’s leading the major leagues and homeruns and hopefully that continues and we give away a lot more money. as the season goes along,
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:01
we’ll move the fences in for the Yankees so they can hit more home runs, even though no pay anybody for all that, or we get new games. John told me some things last week, freshen me up fresh in the audience up on anything that’s going on. Because it’s spring. And aside from going out to festivals, and in threes this weekend, and we’re getting outside, it’s 85 degrees and perfect baseball, weather and all that. You guys have a whole bunch of things to roll out here last year is 50th anniversary, everything. You guys are working hard over the lottery. Yeah, you know, I
Seth Elkin 10:29
8was thinking about that we we had so much going on last year because of the 50th anniversary. But this year, the theme for us I think is is things that are new things that are a little bit novel, because there are two games, one of which has already launched I know you and John Martin talked about last week called the big spin, it’s a new scratch off game that launched April 22. And then we also have a new draw game that’s going to launch May, the sixth, that these are two brand new things that are that are innovative, that are a lot different, really than what we typically have. So with big spin, it is a scratch off game where certainly you can win instant cash prizes, but you’re looking for that spin symbol on the ticket. If you scratch off the ticket, you see that spin symbol, scan your ticket and find out what you’ve won, you probably will end up with a cash prize on that spin symbol somewhere between $10.02 $150 When you scan your ticket and you see that cash prize, that is the prize that you want on your ticket. Unless you have one of the eight lucky tickets, that wins a big spin. If you have one of those eight, and you scan that ticket, you’re instead of a cash prize amount, you’re not going to see $1 amount, you’re going to see a message that says you’ve won a big spin, you need to contact a lottery office to schedule an appointment and you’re going to come in and spin the big prize wheel. It’s a six foot tall game show style proc coming
Nestor J. Aparicio 11:50
down and seeing this I want to see the wheel I want to take a picture with the wheel. I’m tell Roz I got enough for next week. But after that, I’m gonna need some freshening up with my my scratch offs, because I’ve been giving them away left and right. But I want to like is this a Bob Barker? I mean, I’m picturing the thing with the, you know, my little mother, you know, grabbing the wheel onto things and giving it a nice hurl and has to go around one time we all know there has to have one rotation. And does it go?
Seth Elkin 12:19
Does it does that it doesn’t have like
Nestor J. Aparicio 12:21
a little gold or silver around the big that was like I just keep picking Bob Barker. And I know true Karis hosted the show forever. But I think Bob Barker, it looks
8Seth Elkin 12:31
a lot like that it’s not quite the same, it’s not branded quite the same way. But it does look and sound a lot like that. And it’s gonna be a lot of fun, we haven’t had that first one yet there. Again, there are eight of those somewhere randomly out there waiting to be one. And when somebody brings one of those here, they will get a chance to spin and it’s going to be a lot of fun for us, it’s going to be exciting. It’s something we’ve never done a ticket like this before. So we’ve had to get creative in the way that we figure out how to explain it to people. And then of course, I
Nestor J. Aparicio 13:02
always tell John, one day, I’m gonna get rid of your communication people. And I want to get to the nerves that create these games. Because like, that’s the M like that, too. With all my people. I’m like, No, who picks the menu and who picks the ingredients? And you know, how do we name the item? And how do we do that, like, I love that put the cook in the kitchen on all that because this is, this is how the fun happens, right? You’re trying to create games and engage people to have fun. Like, everybody knows Pac Man is fun. And it’s branding. And like all that. That’s simple, that’s easy. But like, who comes in to John Martin in the cast of 1000s, their marital lotteries, I got this game, it’s a little bit like the price is right, but it’s not. And we’re gonna have a wheel spin, and they’re gonna have to scan it. So they have to use the app, which is gonna, we’re gonna introduce the app, so you need to do all that. And then, like, next thing, you know, like people are showing up, and it literally becomes like a game show. And it’s gonna be like, it’s gonna be fun for your office. I think the
Seth Elkin 13:58
it’s the art and science of product development. And we got a product development team that works very hard and days that we call PD, here you go.
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:07
8r&d research, I don’t know. I mean, I’m just trying to use the Insight terminology that’s about
Seth Elkin 14:12
product development, Kate Arias, our product development director, and she and her team are in charge of planning what we’re going to do and how we’re going to execute it. And they get some help from people in the industry. They’re certainly the the game manufacturers, the companies that we work with,
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:27
I want her back on the show. Let’s go it’s time it’s time now. It’s time to get creative around your springtime right?
Seth Elkin 14:34
Well create creativity is kind of the theme because like we say your big spin is something a little bit different. And then coming up on May 6, we’ve got a brand new draw game launching, which is kind of exciting because it’s not every day that we launch a new drug and we’re gonna have a new daily draw game. Draw game that’s going to be added on on May the sixth.
8Nestor J. Aparicio 14:53
And just like three and four, it’s just gonna be different though. Three original games every day. It’s gonna play Well,
Seth Elkin 15:00
here’s how it works. It’s called cache pop. And every day, there will be four drawings of cache pop, where we select one, winning pop, it’s a number, we call it call it a pop for this game, one winning pop from a range of one to 15. So there are only 15 possible outcomes in every drawing, so it’s just a matter of choosing that right number. And, and you win. So you can play as many numbers from that range of one to 15 as you want. So you can pick one, you can pick two, you can pick all 15 numbers, if you want for the drawing. So if you do that, you’re going to win. And then it’s just a question of how much you end up winning the prize amounts for cash pop are, are generated by the lotteries computer system and printed on the ticket. So when your ticket prints out, whatever numbers you’ve chosen, will have a prize amount assigned to it. And if that pop, that number is the winning number, then that prize that’s shown for that number on your ticket is the prize that you win. So four times every day, you got a one in 15 chance of having that winning number, and it’s gonna,
Nestor J. Aparicio 16:07
I’m gonna have to figure this out so I can understand it better to play it better. Yeah,
Seth Elkin 16:11
8it’s, it’s a simple game, in that there are only 15 possible outcomes in every drawing and, and it’s drawn four times a day, there’s only one winning number. So it’s not like pick three or pick four, where you have to get all the numbers, right, or it’s not like Powerball, where you have to get a few numbers, right. It’s it’s one winning number in every drawing. So the simplicity of it, I think, is something that’s going to be appealing to people. Because sometimes, you and I’ve talked about this before, people get a little intimidated if they haven’t played lottery games before, they don’t quite understand how it all works. They don’t know what they’re supposed to choose and, and what combinations of numbers they need, in order to win. This is simple. Choose a number from one to 15. If you’re right, you’re the winner. So I
Nestor J. Aparicio 16:53
was always afraid of scratching off something that would cost me the prize like that, you know, I push it too hard. And now in the in the scan, and when the coding error, but I’m talking about years ago, there was like, Do not scratch this part off. And I was like that was like sort of like eating the eating the devil in the crab. You know what I mean? Just don’t do that. Don’t touch that you’ll mess up the win. So I’m always a little intimidated that I could sort of screw up the scratch off part of it. But I have people come up all the time now and I have to have the app obviously. So I can scan and say you’re a winner. And and that’s fun for me too, because people want to know if they’ve won, they don’t realize that they can scan you know. So it’s a teaching point for me when I get the tickets out and it allows me to meet people. There’s nothing better than going up to people at a table and saying, Hey, I’m Nesta for wn St. Baltimore positive Maryland lottery sends me through this goofy podcast and I have a PacMan ticket. They know what PacMan is. But they and they know about Sherry’s and ghost and because probably played it, but they don’t know how the game works. And sometimes that can be I mean I’m old and staid and fuddy duddy and in my ways and sometimes I I’m slow to understand simple things. That’s my wife she’ll tell you
Seth Elkin 18:01
you know on the on the scan to even even if you do do you might you might be good happy to know this that even if the ticket gets damaged Depending on how badly damaged it is, it can still be redeemed there are still ways of figuring out what that prize is even if that that that QR code on the tickets being damaged just
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:19
gotten given these out and I really don’t know how to play it. So now I’m reading the directions. Scratch each game start to finish your five games on the PacMan cards. There’s five games here, right? And plus second chance. So you’re gonna start to scratch to finish without running into a ghost. I understand that you’d have to go see, boop, boop, boop, we eat you. So you don’t want to do that. So if you get to the end, you win reveal a cherry in any spot, you win the prize. You pick that up, you get 100 You know, you get 100 points in the real world. I don’t know what you get on this thing here. But I had a bunch of winners. I took pictures last week with a bunch of folks at a Greenmount station and if at least you come we’ll get you into the Pac Man game as well. I don’t know what the next scratch off I’m going to have is going to be but it’s not going to be as good as it Gunnar Henderson Grand Slam. I promise you that.
8Seth Elkin 19:06
Nothing will be we’re hoping he gets one here pretty soon another $5,000 to give away that’ll
Nestor J. Aparicio 19:13
cost me John Martin next week. Next thing you know Doug will be on next week. John Martin will return Seth Alcon is here from the Maryland lottery. What is your official your communication? Some some right?
Seth Elkin 19:22
Yep, Managing Director of Communications, managing the DMD
Nestor J. Aparicio 19:24
8of the see. See,
Seth Elkin 19:27
I guess too many initials. Oh, I
Nestor J. Aparicio 19:30
know. I know what era I know whip. No, I know the important things. You know, I am still trying to figure out launch angle and spin rate and, you know, trying to do all that. So am I missing anything? And it’s springtime. You guys are doing a bunch of festivals and stuff. I know you and the team Ross everybody. I bumped into you, I serendipitously many many times in spring and summer because we tend to run in the same circles out having a good time and enjoying the land of pleasant living in summertime. The reason Yen’s come down from Pittsburgh and one To live here and be a part of this humidity and all that stuff.
Seth Elkin 20:02
We this is starting to get to the very busy season for us and we are going to be the this coming weekend, May 4, and fifth we’re going to be at the Annapolis Irish Festival on the fourth. The Frederick running Festival on the fifth. We will be at REM Fest in the Remington neighborhood in Baltimore on the 11th of May, and will of course be at the Preakness on the 18th. And we’re going to be that same weekend. Preakness weekend is also winding the woods, May 18, and 19th. So we’ve got a whole bunch of stuff on the calendar, it gets really really busy for us in May, later in the later in May, we’re at brew at the zoo. So it’s a lot of great events, a lot of fun events in May for us to do it. We’re going to be out and about as the weather warms up and we get into springtime here. I’m
8Nestor J. Aparicio 20:45
going to be at the zoo and five hours accelerant is having their big event there. Bill Cole has invited me and Kirby Fowler and I love the people at the zoo. They were part of copper Super Bowl back when we did our Charity Week back during Super Bowl week. We were at state fair with them. So I’m loving everything you’re giving me. I’m gonna give you my my tip for the week because you said Preakness and you know one of the things I love about being I really screwed this whole radio station up now that you’ve watched the documentary, I should have called the station to nest right because my name Nast whatever, right. But I never really liked Nestor. That’s why I went with the nasty part to begin with. And the documentary tells you all that, but it took me until maybe about 10 years ago, people would call me nests for 25 years, you know, my wife really kind of only knows me as NES kind of sort of in the new century because NES tour was an era Oh, our people will get the email wrong, all of that stuff. So it took me about 10 years ago, I realized that my name is a suffix for almost anything. Awesomeness. You know, stupid Ness, you know, funniness? You know, all of the messes right? So I didn’t even realize I could have had Preakness like all of these years. I did all of these events out there. And also so this weekend, the favorite in the Derby, and would be the favorite in the Preakness it clearly this horse runs like the buyer speed numbers. And I had picture already on this we talk in horse racing. Fierce Ness. fierceness is the favorite in the derby this week and put your horse about that. So I gotta you know, it’s five to two in LFK. If you’d like to Derby, you’re racing guy.
Seth Elkin 22:23
Not not particularly I’m not really into horse racing. But we all watch those three races every year. I think everybody wants to triple crown so you
Nestor J. Aparicio 22:30
kids are too busy playing racetracks is what you’re doing, you know, I mean, every time I go into cost, it’s it looks like a horse race is running. And it’s racetracks because it’s a realistic looking right.
Seth Elkin 22:39
8A popular game very popular and people loved playing racetracks, so
Nestor J. Aparicio 22:45
I sewed up agreement on station two at the OTB Seth Alcon is here he is the managing director of communication. I get hope I got that. Right. He cares more about era than titles anyway. And, you know, John Martin, I’m shocked that he didn’t come on this week with this search. What’s a baseball team in Cleveland. I know he has his little hat and he has his whole thing he’s got going on. So baseball is fun this year. Beating the Yankees is fun. And homerun riches has been fun as well. I hope we give away 5g several times this weekend in Cincinnati about that. There you go. Absolutely. Cincinnati. I like them better. Pittsburgh, we beat them in 70 I am Nestor. We are wn st am 5070, Towson, Baltimore. And if Seth Alcon knew he was coming on the show this morning. I had a feeling what I had to start with jersey on I was already I had my I had my Warren move and Dan passed already kryptonite for the Pittsburgh get him back for more right after this. Enjoy the derby this week, folks.
