The Virginia Lottery recently launched the industry’s first scratch ticket that is directly connected to a Facebook promotion. They also created a neat tool called Lottery Match that can be accessed on the Lottery’s website and on Facebook. Lottery Match matches players to games that are compatible with them.
Following is the Virginia Lottery’s news release:
At Virginia Lottery, social media is the name of the game
Lottery becomes first to introduce Facebook-tied Scratcher game
The Virginia Lottery continues to lead the lottery industry in offering players innovative products tied to their online and social media habits by introducing a unique Scratcher game and an interactive new web feature.
The new Scratcher game, Diamond Doubler, is the first ticket from any lottery directly linked to a Facebook promotion. Players with non-winning Diamond Double tickets who “like” the Virginia Lottery on Facebook are eligible for this second-chance promotion. Players can enter the Web code from non-winning tickets on a page accessed via the Virginia Lottery’s Facebook page for a chance to win a $500 Blue Nile Jewelry gift card. By special agreement, the unmistakable Facebook logo appears on each ticket.
In addition, players who access the Virginia Lottery mobile site will see a special feature, enabling them to enter the Diamond Doubler Facebook promotion anytime, anywhere. The Diamond Doubler Scratcher offers a top prize of $15,000. It is currently available at most Virginia Lottery retailers.
To offer players a unique way to interact online, the Virginia Lottery has also unveiled a feature called “Lottery Match” on the Lottery’s website and Facebook. Lottery Match is an online tool, inspired by the popularity of online dating, that is designed to match players with Lottery games that will be “compatible” with them. Similar to online dating websites, Lottery Match begins by asking the visitor to complete a user profile. The answers to those profile questions are then used to determine which Scratcher games are just the right “match” for that player. Three potential Scratcher matches are suggested. Players who aren’t happy with those suggestions can ask for further match suggestions from the dozens of Virginia Lottery Scratcher games currently available.
“With Lottery Match and the Diamond Doubler game, the Virginia Lottery is showing that it listens to consumers to deliver fun, innovative products and features,” said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto. “We’re finding that social media and engaging online features are great ways to meet, listen to and interact with lottery players and consumers.”
Players who fill out a Lottery Match profile get a coupon for a free Mega Millions ticket. In addition, players who indicate whether they like or dislike their matches will be registered in a monthly raffle drawing. Lottery Match launched on October 18 and includes an enhanced age-verification program to make sure all participants are at least 18 years old, the legal age to play the Lottery in Virginia. Following age verification, players can participate in other Virginia Lottery programs and promotions as well.
The Virginia Lottery generates approximately $1.2 million per day for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. Operating entirely on revenue from the sale of Lottery products, rather than tax dollars, the Virginia Lottery raised more than $444 million for Virginia’s public schools in Fiscal Year 2011. That represents about 8 percent of state funding for public education in Virginia. For more information, visit www.valottery.com. Follow the Virginia Lottery on Facebook and Twitter. Please play responsibly.
