Post by MarioGS on Sept 3, 2011 17:46:14 GMT -5
Many states are currently offering a Wheel of Fortune instant win scratch-off game. The game itself is just a simple number matching game, but you can also submit your ticket online for a chance to win a trip to Hollywood to play a special Lottery Players edition of the game with Pat and Vanna, but it will not be broadcast on television.
Here's what my (losing) ticket looked like:
However, I've been thinking a lot about the sweepstakes vs. going on the actual show. I sent an E-Mail to New York Lottery asking them if the special Lottery Players Only game differed at all from the game seen on TV, and if it would affect eligibility for the show. Here's what I asked and what they replied:
"If one wins the trip to Hollywood and gets to play the non-broadcast
game, does that make them ineligible to become a contestant on the TV
show? Also, does the Lottery-players only game differ at all from
gameplay as played on TV, or is it exactly the same, and will the game
be recorded at all as a keepsake for the winners?"
"Thank you for your email and interest in the New York Lottery's Wheel of
Fortune Game! Only trip winners selected to play Wheel of Fortune while in Hollywood
will become ineligible to be on the show in the future. While the show
will be non-broadcast, it will be recorded for the players selected to
play, there will; however, be strict guidelines against any publication
or distribution including social networks such as Facebook, personal web
pages, etc. The game will play just like on television; however,
prizing will not include trips. Players will compete for cash and
vehicles."
So the eligibility issue is a big obstacle. I already entered this one ticket, and I know the odds of winning are pretty small, but what if I win the trip and get to play the lottery's version of the game? Should I wait to audition for the real deal? I've thought about this a lot, so here are the pros of each scenario:
TV Show:
- Broadcast on national TV
- More prizes
- Possibly higher stakes
- Can be played in locations other than LA (meaning close to home when the time comes, so more people can watch you play, and playing at a bigger venue in front of a much larger audience)
Lottery Game:
- Playing against contestants that don't have to go through a test and probably don't know as many strategies about the game
- Don't have to go through the partially-random chances of making it through the various steps of auditioning
- Not responsible for travel expenses
- More opportunities to win money
Here's an excerpt from the official rules:
"The Grand Prize Trip includes a pre-production day on the Wheel of Fortune stage at Sony Pictures Studios to be attended by the Grand Prize Trip winners and their guests. During the pre-production day, each Grand Prize Trip winner will have an opportunity to spin the WHEEL OF FORTUNE wheel one (1) time to win a cash prize ranging from three hundred dollars ($300) up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Each Grand Prize Trip winner will also have a chance to be selected as a participant in a non-broadcast lottery players-only experiential WHEEL OF FORTUNE game (“Experience Game”). Three (3) participants will be selected randomly from among New York Lottery Grand Prize Trip winners to play in the Experience Game. The game play for the Experience Game and the prizes available to the participants will be similar to the televised version of WHEEL OF FORTUNE.
Following completion of the Experience Game, one Grand Prize Trip winner will be selected randomly to participate in a Bonus Spin-Off event in which the selected participant will spin the WHEEL OF FORTUNE Bonus Wheel for a chance to win an additional prize ranging from five thousand dollars ($5,000) up to one million dollars ($1,000,000)."
So if you found out you won the sweepstakes, what do you think would be the better decision? Wait for an undetermined amount of time to see if an opportunity comes to audition (though something to note for Northeast residents is that the Wheelmobile has not been to the Northeast region in quite some time, but that might change during the show's next trip to New York or elsewhere close by)? Or is it better to take the trip to Hollywood and play the non-broadcast, "similar," but with a possible advantage against players who don't audition (and possibly don't watch the show regularly, like the average TPIR contestant if you catch my drift) Experience Game?
Here's what my (losing) ticket looked like:
However, I've been thinking a lot about the sweepstakes vs. going on the actual show. I sent an E-Mail to New York Lottery asking them if the special Lottery Players Only game differed at all from the game seen on TV, and if it would affect eligibility for the show. Here's what I asked and what they replied:
"If one wins the trip to Hollywood and gets to play the non-broadcast
game, does that make them ineligible to become a contestant on the TV
show? Also, does the Lottery-players only game differ at all from
gameplay as played on TV, or is it exactly the same, and will the game
be recorded at all as a keepsake for the winners?"
"Thank you for your email and interest in the New York Lottery's Wheel of
Fortune Game! Only trip winners selected to play Wheel of Fortune while in Hollywood
will become ineligible to be on the show in the future. While the show
will be non-broadcast, it will be recorded for the players selected to
play, there will; however, be strict guidelines against any publication
or distribution including social networks such as Facebook, personal web
pages, etc. The game will play just like on television; however,
prizing will not include trips. Players will compete for cash and
vehicles."
So the eligibility issue is a big obstacle. I already entered this one ticket, and I know the odds of winning are pretty small, but what if I win the trip and get to play the lottery's version of the game? Should I wait to audition for the real deal? I've thought about this a lot, so here are the pros of each scenario:
TV Show:
- Broadcast on national TV
- More prizes
- Possibly higher stakes
- Can be played in locations other than LA (meaning close to home when the time comes, so more people can watch you play, and playing at a bigger venue in front of a much larger audience)
Lottery Game:
- Playing against contestants that don't have to go through a test and probably don't know as many strategies about the game
- Don't have to go through the partially-random chances of making it through the various steps of auditioning
- Not responsible for travel expenses
- More opportunities to win money
Here's an excerpt from the official rules:
"The Grand Prize Trip includes a pre-production day on the Wheel of Fortune stage at Sony Pictures Studios to be attended by the Grand Prize Trip winners and their guests. During the pre-production day, each Grand Prize Trip winner will have an opportunity to spin the WHEEL OF FORTUNE wheel one (1) time to win a cash prize ranging from three hundred dollars ($300) up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Each Grand Prize Trip winner will also have a chance to be selected as a participant in a non-broadcast lottery players-only experiential WHEEL OF FORTUNE game (“Experience Game”). Three (3) participants will be selected randomly from among New York Lottery Grand Prize Trip winners to play in the Experience Game. The game play for the Experience Game and the prizes available to the participants will be similar to the televised version of WHEEL OF FORTUNE.
Following completion of the Experience Game, one Grand Prize Trip winner will be selected randomly to participate in a Bonus Spin-Off event in which the selected participant will spin the WHEEL OF FORTUNE Bonus Wheel for a chance to win an additional prize ranging from five thousand dollars ($5,000) up to one million dollars ($1,000,000)."
So if you found out you won the sweepstakes, what do you think would be the better decision? Wait for an undetermined amount of time to see if an opportunity comes to audition (though something to note for Northeast residents is that the Wheelmobile has not been to the Northeast region in quite some time, but that might change during the show's next trip to New York or elsewhere close by)? Or is it better to take the trip to Hollywood and play the non-broadcast, "similar," but with a possible advantage against players who don't audition (and possibly don't watch the show regularly, like the average TPIR contestant if you catch my drift) Experience Game?
And give us a "normal" week this time, unlike back in Season 25.
