.jpg)
VI Lottery Logo By. VI Lottery
The Virgin Islands Lottery, under the new leadership of Executive Director Raymond Williams, is embarking on a rebranding effort beginning in 2020 that aims to enhance the territory's lottery system by moving away from the machine the VI Lottery has utilized for over 83 years to randomly select winners, to the proven Random Number Generation (RNG) Origin technology.
The current machine uses two large globes, one containing 34,000 balls ranging from 001- 34,000 and the other globe containing the prizes. As the globes spin, winning numbers are selected when the two balls simultaneously roll out of each globe together.
But this method is archaic and time-consuming, and Mr. Williams along with his time, after careful thought, have settled on the RNG technology used around the world.
"As we approach the year 2020, we recognize and value the hard work that was required to keep this 83-year-old traditional drawing alive, but we are looking forward to an exciting new chapter for the VI Lottery," said Mr. Williams. "It’s no secret that change is inevitable and organizations that refuse to adapt quickly become obsolete. Given the importance and longevity of the VI Lottery in this community, it is our singular goal to protect its existence. This requires the development and implementation of technology to elevate our products and services to become a competitive entity in the gaming industry."
Mr. Williams said using the RNG technology "will not only bring us in line with industry standards and best practices, but will streamline our drawing operations resulting in timely, efficient, and fair drawings. It also provides us with the opportunity to host more frequent drawings and develop new games to attract new customers, which will increase our revenues."
The VI Lottery is rolling out a campaign around its rebranding effort to take effect in 2020. This will include a new logo and slogan. "We want to invite the community to join us in celebrating the VI lottery’s long and rich history and witnessing its evolution," Mr. Williams said.
According to information provided by the V.I. Lottery, the RNG Origin system comes replete with benefits. It is the most popular technology utilized in the gaming industry, and is embedded with the Smart Audit technology that provides immediate assurance that drawings have been conducted within range and without manipulation. The Origin Portal also provides a mechanism for draw staff to securely share drawing results to multiple media and social media locations simultaneously, allowing the public to have quicker access to winning results. The technology's developer, Smart Play International Inc., has been in existence for over 22 years and has over 195 clients in at least 85 countries.
V.I. Lottery's new slogan, "A Wave of Opportunities", reflects the many opportunities that the VI Lottery provides to the people of the Virgin Islands, V.I. Lottery said. It added that a "wave" often represents the flow of change "and we want the changes that we are making to be fluid and organic."
The rebranding includes two campaigns: "Ride the Wave", which encourages the V.I. Lottery's many customers and dealers to embrace the new journey. And the second called “Catch the Wave”, an effort to attract new customers through the expansion of retail vendors, game development to create new attractive games, and training to equip dealers with the ability to accept cashless transactions.
The V.I. Lottery is one of the V.I. Government's most important arms, as it provides funding to a myriad of government functions. From fiscal years 2015-2019, the V.I. Lottery has provided more than $23.8 million to its Educational Initiative, Pharmaceutical Assistance, the Government Employees' Retirement System, and its Horse Racing fund.
