An unidentified Jamaican mother celebrated the new year with JMD 100,000,000 (about $644,000) in lottery prizes. According to Loop Jamaica News, the Supreme Ventures Gaming Limited (SVG) customer recently claimed the reward after the winning numbers were drawn in October last year.
“I didn’t know how to react when I saw my numbers come up on the draw. It is such an amazing feeling, I’m so happy,” she said. “The first thing I’ll be doing is putting some of the money into an investment account, ‘cause me nah bruk again!”
The single mother also said she’ll invest some of the money in her children as well as their education. “I had a rough childhood, and I don’t want my children to go through that so they are also my top priority. I’ll make sure their future is good and they don’t have to worry about anything,” she said.
Dwayne Tulloch, Senior Vice President of Retail and Customer Operations at Supreme Ventures Limited, added that they were “very happy to transform the life of another Jamaican through our jackpot winnings.”
“It’s a great note on which to start the year after producing so many jackpot winners in 2023,” he went on to say. “We look forward to making even more winners in 2024.”
The $644,000 lottery jackpot adds up to previous high sums won in 2023. Other prizes awarded last year included $405,000 (February), $289,000 (March), and $315,000 (May). Another $225,000 was awarded in May, but not claimed.
Lottery winners in Jamaica often disguise themselves to collect their rewards for safety reasons. “Unfortunately, Jamaica is unlike other markets. Simone Clarke-Cooper, a former assistant vice-president of Group Corporate Communications at Supreme Ventures Limited (the lottery business), told the Jamaica Star in 2018 that while other markets may not require it, Jamaicans choose to do so for safety reasons.
“We are not going to tell them not to do that because their safety is of paramount importance to us as well.”