News

The newest Lotto millionaire is counting his win as a blessing in the nick of time.
W. Brown bought the winning ticket earlier this month at the Di Endz Sports Bar in May Pen, Clarendon to secure the $95 million jackpot.
“I don’t regularly buy from that place, I usually purchase my ticket in Old Harbour or Spanish Town, but I was on the road so I just stopped there,” he said.
Brown also said he bought the same set of numbers with a few replacements over the past 20 years saying they were inspired by ‘rakes’ and meanings that he has come across.
He said he always knew that he would win the jackpot and change his life for the better.
“Life has always been very rough. I come from a poor family, sometimes I couldn’t attend school because my parents didn’t have it, but I told myself that God will help me one day so I can help my family,” he said.
According to Brown, he found out about his jackpot win when he watched the live draw on TV.
“I wrote down the numbers and saw that I won! I was excited and said mi finally hol’ him now! I then had a shower and went to sleep.”
Brown said he has not told many people of his winnings but is still thinking of a few things that he wants to do with his $95 million.
“I want to decide what is the best thing to do before spending anything. I need to decide what my goals are, but I know I want to own a bus, I love Coasters,” he said.
He also said he would buy a house and do some investing.
 
Source:
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20200717/lotto-winner-claims-95-million-jackpot

The Supreme Ventures Group has announced the retirement of Ian Levy, as Deputy Chairman and Director of the Board of Supreme Ventures Limited, effective July 11, 2020.
According to a release from the company, Levy has retired in keeping with the retirement age for directors as stipulated in the Company’s Board Charter.
He has also retired as a director of all subsidiary companies within the group on which he served.
As one of the founding members of SVL, Levy has served as a member of the board in many capacities since January 2, 1998.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, we use this opportunity to express our utmost gratitude and appreciation to Mr Levy for his strong dedication, stellar service and invaluable contribution to the Company and its subsidiaries over the past twenty-two years. We wish him all the best in this new chapter,” the release said.
 
Source:
https://www.loopjamaica.com/content/supreme-ventures-announces-retirement-ian-levy

A lucky Jamaican will walk away with $95 million after hitting the Supreme Ventures Lotto on Saturday, July 5.
The winning ticket for draw #1694 had numbers 08-09-10-19-27 and 30 with bonus ball 17 and was purchased from ‘Di Endz Sports Bar’ at 4 ¼ Brooks Avenue, May Pen, Clarendon.
This is the second Lotto win for 2020, with the previous winner, G. Walker, strolling into Easter with a $79 million jackpot from a winning ticket purchased at Joong Supermarket in Bridgeport, Portmore, St Catherine.
The new winner has a maximum of 90 days to come forward with the winning ticket with the signature affixed to claim their winnings.
Vice President, Marketing, Communication and Sponsorships, Gail Abrahams, says the signed ticket is the only way for winners to claim their millions.
“We want to inform the public that you need to keep your ticket safe and dry so that it can be processed, and the winnings disbursed. Your ticket is just as important as the jackpot itself and the only way to your millions,” she said.
The winner is to present his or her ticket to SVL’s Prize Payment Centre at 28-48 Barbados Avenue.
 
Source:
https://www.loopjamaica.com/content/second-lotto-winner-2020-secures-95-million

Howard Walker – Jamaica Observer – July 7, 2020
SUPREME Ventures Limited, through its brand JustBet, is ready and raring to go with new, innovative entertainment packages for their gaming fans, especially on their mobile platform, as the sports world cautiously reopens for business.
The global outbreak of COVID-19 cancelled spectator sports for over three months, and as a direct consequence the sports betting industry – which has been forecast to overtake all other forms of gaming over the next five years — experienced a steep decline across the board.
But Xesus Johnston, CEO of Prime Sports — the subsidiary which operates JustBet — told the Jamaica Observer that his company kept gamers entertained through a push of their virtual products, featuring wagering options on football, basketball, horse racing, tennis and dog racing.
“The impact on live sporting events was devastating with all major leagues across sports shutting down, and this was obviously a major disappointment for fans and athletes. In particular, we had the Olympics cancelled for the first time in history,” Johnston explained.
He continued: “So, it initially had a negative impact on JustBet. But with our state-of-the-art betting platform with over 25 plus sporting disciplines and 40,000 events yearly, our customers found events they could enjoy and bet on. They looked at smaller leagues in the market that are not well known like Russia and China, plus other sporting disciplines like table tennis, lawn tennis and virtual events.”
However, with the return of the English Premier League and La Liga, gamers are ready to start wagering on their favourite teams in live fixtures.
“During the pandemic we increased online betting and, in particular, betting on virtual games. Our online site, www.mobile.justbet.com offers football, basketball, table tennis, dog, car and horse racing. This has proven to be a hit with our customers since it’s conveniently accessible online and allows them to bet and be entertained 24/7,” said Johnston.
 
He noted that while sporting events were dormant for the last three months, the company continued to put in the work to make the return to sports and sports betting as smooth as possible.
“We want to give our customers the most premium gaming experience, both at our locations and on our mobile platform, and the changes we have in store will do just that. Months before the effects of the coronavirus we had upgraded the mobile platform, which opened so many avenues for the brand,” he said.
Johnston also said that the JustBet team has been pursuing even more upgrades to the mobile platform to make it more appealing to the gaming public.
“The new platform allows more gaming options to be layered into the mobile product, for example the virtual games that our customers enjoyed recently, and we are seeking to maximise on that opportunity. We have also been doing some behind the scenes work to open more financial options to our gamers, to make our platform as convenient as possible,” he added.
JustBet has sought to engage several market segments through various channels, including a well-received online Fifa tournament. The online tourney was oversubscribed by 200 per cent and saw Jamaican gamers playing for glory and cash prizes under the JustBet brand.
“Sports betting is a social pastime and we want to build on that community. You can imagine in these times we have to take a more imaginative approach, which is why we embarked on the Fifa tournament. We will be creating more unique social activities for our gamers to keep them engaged,” Johnston said.
 
Source:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/imagination-name-of-the-game-as-justbet-navigates-covid-19_197930

Supreme Ventures Group (SVG) on Monday announced the expansion of its gaming machine business in three Caribbean countries after the conclusion of negotiations with ICE Jamaica Limited.
ICE Jamaica, which has been operating in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana for the last 10 years, has provided video lottery terminals (VLT) in a revenue-sharing agreement with SVG.
“With negotiations now concluded, it means that SVG has purchased gaming machines and other equipment located in Jamaica, Trinidad, and Guyana from ICE Jamaica,” SVG Chairman Gary Peart told the Jamaica Observer.
“What this also means is that the revenue-sharing agreement with ICE has ended, and publicly I would like to thank ICE for their contribution over the many years we have worked together,” Peart said. “This deepens the presence of SVG in the gaming market as our programme of expansion continues.”
Chief executive officer of Prime Sports (Jamaica) Limited (PSJL) — a wholly owned subsidiary of SVL — Xesus Johnston said the company is always looking at new ventures and opportunities that will drive growth.
“We are aligned to our customers’ needs, and PSJL continues to innovate to improve customer satisfaction and increase market share,” Johnson said.
He pointed out that globally the gaming industry is a significant contributor to government revenue and national development, and Jamaica is no exception.
“Prime Sports (Jamaica) Limited recognises the opportunities in the industry, and so we continue to invest and innovate even during this uncertain period to ensure our gaming products achieve solid returns.”
Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business-report/supreme-ventures-takes-over-ownership-of-video-lottery-terminals-in-three-caribbean-countries_195434
Other Links:
Loop Jamaica
http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/supreme-ventures-expands-gaming-machine-business
Jamaica Gleaner
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20200607/svl-ices-gaming-machine-partnership