The ISU athletic ticket office has implemented a lottery system for highly attended basketball games to avoid long waiting lines.

Season tickets are not valid for the women’s and men’s games against the University of Iowa and the men’s game against the University of Kansas. Instead, vouchers are given to students with their season basketball tickets with lottery numbers printed on them.

On designated distribution days, the lottery numbers will be called off at the ticket office, starting at 8 a.m. with lottery No. 1. Officials will call 250 numbers each hour. Voucher redemption starts Nov. 12 for the Iowa men’s game, Nov. 14 for the Iowa women’s game and Dec. 10 for the Kansas men’s game.

Student season-ticket holders may exchange their vouchers for tickets at the ticket office anytime after their lottery number has been called.

Fans wanting to sit with friends can pick up tickets together once the highest number has been called.

Season basketball tickets and vouchers can be picked up at any time.

David Crum, athletic ticket manager, said the change was made for a number of reasons.

“We found in the past that for the Iowa men’s game and the Kansas men’s game, people were standing in line for days,” he said.

This raised safety issues, Crum said, and students missed classes to get tickets.

With the new system there will be no overnight lines for the Iowa games and the Kansas men’s games, he said.

“The people who want to go to the game will get to,” Crum said. “It will also fill the stadium up. We had a number of games in which the students didn’t show.”

If voucher time conflicts arise, Crum said another student can pick up the tickets.

“You can have another student come in with your fee card, student ID and, now, voucher,” he said.

Tickets may be obtained any time after the redemption time starts – the key is to do it before the on-sale date for the general public, Crum said.

This transition has caused some confusion, said ticket seller Brent Holck. He said he has helped fans understand the procedure.

“A lot of people don’t understand what’s happening,” said Holck, sophomore in exercise and sport science. “Nobody’s been really negative. Everyone has been pretty helpful.”

Crum said this system has been discussed for a number of years.

“It’s modeled [after] student input, off of the Kansas system for the most part, and to some extent, on the UCLA football pick-up ticket system,” he said.