LOTTERY PREPPED TO AWARD NEXT MILLION DURING WEEKEND EVENT;“Millionaire Live!” Heads to Memphis on Saturday; Show to be Broadcast Statewide (More. . .)

NASHVILLE – Three Tennessee Lottery players are filled with anticipation today as they head to Memphis to begin preparations for the third “Millionaire Live!” drawing event which will make one of them a millionaire.

The 30-minute event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22 and will be broadcast throughout the state on the Lottery’s partner stations at the following times:

WKRN Nashville – 6:30pm CT
WTVC Chattanooga – 7:30pm ET
WBBJ Jackson – 6:30pm CT
WMC Memphis – 6:30pm CT
WBIR Knoxville – 7:00pm ET
WKPT Tri Cities – 7:30pm ET

There will be three prizes given: $1 million, $25,000, $10,000, making all three winners before the event ever begins. Details about the players include:

Ann Strong, 59, of Alamo, Tenn., northeast of Memphis: Ann loves her work with seniors at Tennessee Health Management in Parsons, where she has worked as a recruiter for 18 years. A former Register of Deeds in her native Crockett County, Ann keeps busy with her 2-year old Shih Tzu, Mckenzie, and spending time with her mother. If she wins the $1 million grand prize? “I’ll take care of my mother and will continue doing what I do,” she says.

Alvin Bhones, 52, of Madison, Ala., west of Huntsville: Alvin, who has been married for 29 years, has two children, one grandchild and is a millwright at Delphi. He is active in his church and enjoys traveling to visit his extended family. If he wins the million, Alvin says he might retire, but would definitely travel and increase his donations to charity.

Peggy Brady, 64, of Lancing, Tenn., northwest of Knoxville: Peggy and her husband of 22 years, Victor, own their own coast-to-coast trucking company and stay busy with work and family activities. Peggy says that if she wins the $1 million grand prize she will be able to provide an education for her two grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

The finalists were drawn from more than 225,000 entries mailed in from players who earned an entry through one of two instant ticket games, “Tennessee Millionaire” and “Volunteer Millionaire.” By playing one of these $1 games, players had a chance to win a variety of prizes, one of which was an entry ticket into a preliminary drawing with the chance of winning $1 million in a grand prize drawing event. (These two games are no longer available.)

”We’re looking forward to another exciting event, which is fun for players and also a great opportunity for us to spotlight the incredible amount of funding we’ve raised for education programs,” said Rebecca Paul, CEO and President of the Tennessee Lottery.

This is the third and final Millionaire Live! event. The 30-minute program will be held at the studio of WMC in Memphis. The past two events were held in Nashville and Gatlinburg.

The Tennessee Lottery began selling its first tickets on January 20, 2004. As of Sept. 30, 2005, the Lottery had raised more than $415 million to fund specific education programs, including college scholarships, pre-kindergarten and after-school programs. For more information, please visit www.tnlottery.com. For information about Lottery-funded scholarships, visit www.collegepaystn.com.