There aren’t many places UF and Florida State University will be seen together outside of a stadium, but now the schools have agreed to put their logos side-by-side on the new “$50,000 Gridiron Cash” Florida Lottery tickets.
Meaghan Dougherty, spokeswoman for the Florida Lottery, said the lottery has partnered with UF for the past 14 years, including sponsorships and promotions for sporting events.
“We wanted to do something fun for the fans,” Dougherty said. “We like to stay ahead of the game I guess you could say.”
She said the tickets, which came out Aug. 13, are expected to raise $30 million.
Of the earnings, $5.5 million will go to the Florida Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. The fund pays for scholarships such as Bright Futures.
The total in cash prizes includes $20 million. There is also a new promotion where losing tickets can be entered into the Florida Lottery’s website to raffle off prizes such as a Hyundai Sonata GLS and season football tickets.
Andrew Kleinman, a 19-year-old advertising junior, said he doesn’t see the point in using the schools’ rivalry for a scratch-off game.
Kleinman said the promotion advertises gambling to a young audience who can easily be seduced by a large cash prize.
“I know they’ll get a lot of attention for this,” he said. “But it feels like they’re using our logos to make a profit.”
A version of this story ran on page 4 on 8/30/2013 under the headline "UF, FSU lottery partnership expected to raise $30 million"
