Game Features $50,000 Top Prize; ‘Second-Chance’ Prizes
ALBUQUERQUE – Comedian Jeff Dunham is bringing good word of mouth to the New Mexico Lottery’s latest Scratcher™.
Dunham and the New Mexico Lottery today revealed the world’s first-ever Scratcher based on the award-winning performer’s “Disorderly Conduct” tour. Featuring a top prize of $50,000, the $5 “Jeff Dunham” game showcases four of his signature chatty characters – grumpy retiree Walter, frenetic Peanut, skeletal Achmed, and spicy José Jalapeño.
The “Jeff Dunham” Scratcher is available now in 1,100 stores across New Mexico. The sale of all New Mexico Lottery games benefits Legislative Lottery Scholarships, a college tuition-assistance program.
“I’m very happy and proud to be working with the New Mexico Lottery,” Dunham said. “The Legislative Lottery Scholarship is key to helping New Mexico’s students afford college, and I’m honored to be a part of the action.”
Dunham, named on Forbes Magazine’s Celebrity 100 list three years running, is the ideal funnyman for a lottery game, according to New Mexico Lottery Marketing and Communications Director Adriana Binns.
“Jeff has brought laughter and joy to fans worldwide, but the only place where they can play the ‘Jeff Dunham’ Scratcher is in New Mexico,” Binns said. “With Jeff’s help, the New Mexico Lottery is breaking new ground to bring more fun to Scratcher entertainment.”
In addition to instant cash prizes, the “Jeff Dunham” Scratcher offers players with non-winning tickets a second-chance opportunity to win prizes, including passes to Dunham’s performance at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho on March 15, a “meet and greet” backstage and $250 to cover travel expenses. Players enter their non-winning “Jeff Dunham” Scratchers into the drawing at “Second Chance City” at www.nmlottery.com. The deadline to enter is Feb. 13 and winners will be drawn on or about Feb. 18.
The game’s four tickets were designed by Holli Fillmore, a New Mexico Lottery graphic designer. Fillmore, a native of Hobbs, attended Doña Ana Community College and New Mexico State University on a Legislative Lottery Scholarship. She graduated from NMSU in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design.
Dunham’s successful cross-country “Disorderly Conduct” tour touches down in New Mexico twice this spring. First, Dunham performs in Las Cruces on March 13 at the Pan American Center, followed by a performance at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho on March 15. Fans can look forward to a new jam-packed show with more laughs than ever before. Dunham’s famed troupe of sidekicks are back: Walter the Grumpy Retiree, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, the manic purple creature Peanut, the spicy pepper from south of the border José Jalapeño, and Peanut’s own ventriloquist dummy Little Jeff, a mini-version of the ringmaster himself.*
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
The sale of all New Mexico Lottery games funds a college tuition-assistance program. Since its inception in 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $583 million for education and more than 82,600 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.
Follow the New Mexico Lottery on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nmlottery) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/NewMexicoLottery).
*Comedian Jeff Dunham is Pollstar’s #1 Comedy Tour in North America, three years running, and The New York Times declared Dunham “the most successful comedian working in America.” Dunham has five record-breaking Comedy Central specials and the Bio Channel’s top rated telecast ever. Dunham’s social media presence now boasts more than 8 million Facebook fans and nearly 1 billion video views on YouTube. Dunham lives in Southern California with his wife, Audrey, and is the proud father of three daughters.