Vietnam Veteran Awarded $100,000 In IWON® Annual Sweepstakes

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Until this morning, Frederick J Wendt III thought he was coming to New York City to march proudly alongside his fellow United States Armed Forces Veterans in the New York City Veterans Day Parade. However, this morning Wendt received an unexpected, yet very welcomed and well-timed surprise – Wendt was awarded a check for $100,000 from IWON.com®, one of the Internet's original casual gaming destinations.

IWON worked with Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization which Wendt supports through IWON, to surprise Wendt during the 2010 New York City Veterans Day parade. Wendt, a 64-year old resident of Baker, Fla., is a disabled Vietnam veteran who was brought to New York by IWON to march in the parade with Wounded Warrior Project – an organization dedicated to honoring and empowering injured service members. To his surprise, while appearing in the parade on the Wounded Warrior Project float, Wendt was met by IWON representatives, who informed him he was the IWON Annual Sweepstakes Winner and presented him with a check for $100,000.

"It is with great honor that we present this year's Sweepstakes prize to IWON gamer, Mr. Wendt," said Gui Karyo, President, IWON. "His dedication to this country and to his fellow veterans through his loyal online game play on behalf of Wounded Warrior Project makes him an inspiration to us all and he couldn't be more deserving of this great prize."

Wendt has been an active member of IWON since 2000 and plays for not only enjoyment, but also to raise money for Wounded Warrior Project through IWON's fundraising platform, Team Challenge. Since November 2008, Wendt and his IWON teammates have raised $94,000 for Wounded Warrior Project. To honor their great effort, and in recognition of Veterans Day, IWON has made an additional donation of $6,000 to Wounded Warrior Project, rounding out the amount donated on behalf of Team Challenge to $100,000.

Launched in 2008, IWON Team Challenge turns casual game play into a serious fundraising machine. Players can raise money for a national or community charity of their choice, form a team in support of a cause of their liking or join an existing team. Every month, the local and national charity whose teams accrue the greatest number of "coins"—IWON's form of currency—wins a $5,000 prize.  The total winnings donated by IWON to charitable organizations is close to half a million dollars as of October 2010. IWON gives away prizes on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis, and each year it gives away $100,000 as part of its annual grand-prize sweepstakes. Since its launch in October 1999, IWON has given away a total of more than $72 million in prizes.

"This is incredibly shocking. I've never won anything of this magnitude before," Wendt said following his acceptance of the $100,000 prize. "I've been playing IWON games for about a decade now just waiting for my moment to hit it big and all I can say is – WOW – this is quite surreal!"

About IWON®

IWON®, one of the fastest growing casual gaming destinations on the Web, and a top 20 game site with more than 4.7 million unique visitors per month, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009.   The site offers a range of both classic and new games, including Puzzle, Arcade, Casino, Card, Sports, Action and Board game favorites. Users can win cash and prizes instantly or through daily, weekly, monthly and annual sweepstakes opportunities. The site also features a Team Challenge initiative, through which players earn and award donations to their favorite charities.  Over the past 11 years, IWON has awarded over 500,000 prizes worth more than $72 million.

About Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc.

Mindspark, an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI), is home to some of the most popular and engaging brands on the Web.  Mindspark  features social and entertainment destinations including Zwinky®, IWON®, Excite®, Retrogamer™, Kazulah™, and GirlSense®, and fun and interactive products that enable users to creatively express themselves online including Webfetti™, My Fun Cards™, SmileyCentral®, Smiley Creator™, MyWebFace™, Cursor Mania™, and Popular Screensavers™.

About Wounded Warrior Project

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors.  Its purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured men and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. To get involved and learn more, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

SOURCE IWON