 Hoosier Millionaire was a television lottery game show that ran from October 28, 1989 until November 19, 2005.
The game show began on WTTV in Indianapolis, Indiana (along with an Indiana statewide television network consisted of WKJG-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana; WNDU-TV in South Bend, Indiana; WLFI-TV in Lafayette, Indiana; WTWO-TV in Terre Haute, Indiana; WFIE-TV in Evansville, Indiana; WGBO-TV in Chicago; and WDRB-TV Louisville, Kentucky.)
In February 1996, Hoosier Millionaire moved to WNDY in Indianapolis (as well as a new statewide network consisted of WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana; WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana; WTHI-TV in Terre Haute, Indiana; WTVW-TV in Evansville, Indiana; and WFTE-TV Louisville, Kentucky) but remained at WLFI-TV in Lafayette, Indiana.
During the 1990s, the show was sponsored by Long John Silvers, with their logo on top of the main gameboard. In addition, the show would also spotlight a "Hoosier Lottery retailer of the week" at the end of the show; in the early 1990s they would also spotlight a "[Indiana] county of the week".
Four years later, a new format called "The New Hoosier Millionaire" premiered in January 2000 and returned to WTTV (and in Fort Wayne moved to WPTA-TV). Unfortunately, the budget was drastically cut which meant the set now looked much cheaper and the $1,000,000 grand prize was only up for grabs every 13 weeks instead of on every show. The lowest dollar amount on the regular game board was increased to $2,000, however.
In June 2003, a whole new format emerged, and Tribune Broadcasting took over productions and fired Mark Patrick and Barbara Hobbs (who had served as host/hostess from the very start). Cody Stark and Catt Saddler, who were part of WXIN's "Fox 59 Morning News", took over hosts of Hoosier Millionaire. Unfortunately, ratings for Hoosier Millionaire declined for two more years until Hoosier Millionaire's final episode.
Original Rules
Six contestants each picked at least three numbers (this was known as rounds 1-3) from the game board, numbered 1-30. The dollar amounts ranged from $1000-$10,000 (with $1000 and $2000 being the most common of course). There were also two bonus prizes (typically 5000 Hoosier Lottery Scratch-Off tickets and a trip sponsored by ATA) on the board that "did not count towards a contestant's cash prize total" (that is, the contestant got to pick again until uncovering a number with a dollar amount). Round 3 eliminates the four contestants with the lowest dollar amounts until there are only two contestants in what was called the "playoff" round. The contestant who ended with the most money moved on the bonus round. All six contestants keep whatever money they earned (which was guaranteed to be at least $3000). Around the mid-1990s or so, a Doubler square was added to the game board which doubled whatever dollar amount was next picked.
Bonus Round
Version 1 (1989-1990s): The winning contestant is presented a board with four numbers. Behind each number is three green dollar signs and a red "no dollar sign" (called the "Stopper"). Picking the first dollar sign won the contestant $50,000. The contestant could then stop and take the $50,000 or risk it for a try at the second green dollar sign. Picking the second dollar sign earned the contestant $100,000. The contestant could then risk it by picking from the two remaining numbers; picking the third dollar sign won the contestant the $1,000,000 grand prize. Picking the Stopper symbol would lose the $50,000/$100,000 risked, but the contestant still keeps all money earned in the regular game as well as receiving a stack of free Hoosier Lottery online game tickets.
Version 2 (1990-2000s): Same as version 1, but the three green dollar signs were replaced by $50,000, $100,000, and $1,000,000 symbols. This meant that the contestant could now win $1,000,000 on the first selection. In the mid-1990s, the two smaller prizes were increased to $150,000 and $200,000. Also, the contestant was presented with a glass case of $100,000 cash that they could take and forget about the bonus round game (again, by hitting the red stop button to stop or green button to go on) or risk it for one of the bigger cash prizes. Again, picking the Stopper symbol (which was changed by this point to a matching exploding graphic like the cash prizes) lost all bonus round money but the contestant still kept whatever was earned in the regular game. It was also by this point that the contestant was always presented his/her winnings with a big check; previously only those who won the $1,000,000 grand prize was presented with the big check at the end.
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