Category Archives: Lottery

Loto-Quebec using virtual reality to prep prize winners for fallout

Quebec’s provincial gambling monopoly is using virtual reality to prepare lottery jackpot winners for the ensuing chaos that traditionally follows such windfalls.

On Wednesday, Loto-Quebec announced that it had teamed up with anti-discrimination and bullying group Fondation Jasmin Roy to employ virtual reality technology “to sensitize lottery winners and give them the tools required to confront real-life situations.”

Loto-Quebec already offers customer service support to the roughly 1,500 lottery players per year who win prizes in excess of C$25k – including followup contacts two and six months after their big wins – but the new VR technology aims to increase support for individuals suddenly confronted with “important decisions, both on the emotional and financial level.”

Loto-Quebec claims its new VR tool allows winners to experience potentially problematic situations that can be expected to arise following their name and face appearing in the media holding one of those giant novelty checks.

Maharashtra lottery sellers to go on strike to protest 28% GST

Private lottery sellers in the state of Maharashtra will be putting up the “Closed” sign next week as part of their protest against the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India.

In June, the GST Council announced a dual tax rate for lottery tickets under the new indirect tax regime, which went into effect last July 1.

Private lotteries join gambling and race club betting in the 28 percent tax bracket, along with other “luxury” services such as cinemas and five-star hotels, while state-run lotteries are charged a 12 percent GST rate. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the GST would be charged on the face value of the lottery tickets, not on the margin retained by the government or private distributors.

The new tax regime has many lottery sellers up in arms.