SAN DIEGO – For the first time in its history, the California Lottery is teaming up with the San Diego Chargers to put out a fantastic new Scratchers ticket that gives players a chance to win unique prizes like season tickets, luxury suites and tailgate parties, while also giving them the opportunity to take away instant cash.

The new Chargers Scratchers ticket combines the action and the thrills of professional football with the excitement of the Lottery. It is a joint marketing arrangement designed to appeal to football fans and Lottery players.
“This partnership brings two organizations with a great track record of achieving a common goal: entertaining their fans,” said Lottery Director Joan Borucki at a news conference this afternoon at the Chargers’ training facility. “It also gives fans of pro football and the Lottery another reason to get excited about the upcoming season.”

Here’s how the ticket works – players scratch off the 12 helmets on the ticket, which features the Chargers logo and a picture of Qualcomm Stadium, to see if they have won cash prizes of up to $20,000.

But if you don’t win the first time around, there is nothing to worry about. All of these tickets can be entered on the Lottery’s Replay Program, which gives players a second opportunity to win. Prizes in this program are aimed at making the dreams of football fans come true. They include:

• Season tickets for the 2011 season; 
• Trips to the Chargers’ 2011 training camp; 
• VIP road trips; 
• Tailgate parties; and 
• Jerseys, helmets and footballs signed by current players. 

At the same time this partnership provides excitement and entertainment for Lottery fans, it also helps support our schools.

The football ticket is just one of many exciting changes at the Lottery, which is changing its games to create more winners, more prizes and more money for education. In addition, the Lottery is improving its business practices to make it more efficient. All of this is happening in the same year that the Lottery is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The Replay promotion begins on September 3, 2010 at 8 a.m. and continues through November 28, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Players that purchase a San Diego Chargers Scratchers ticket can enter non-winning ticket numbers at www.calottery.com/replay for a chance to win one or more of the prize packages listed above. Each non-winning ticket can only be entered once and is eligible for each draw category. When a player enters a Pro Football Scratchers ticket code, that specific code is only eligible for the team prizes associated with that ticket. No mail-in entries will be accepted.

The California Lottery is celebrating 25 years of enhancing education and supporting local communities. More than 94 cents of every dollar spent by our players goes to public schools and colleges, prizes and retail commissions. Since 2000, Lottery players have contributed $1 billion to public schools each year, and, since we began in 1985, Lottery players have contributed more than $22 billion to education. That includes more than $1.7 billion to schools in San Diego County.