The Guyana Lottery Company yesterday handed over a cheque valued $22 million to a mother of three, who won the September 11 jackpot.
Sheron Stephens of West Coast Demerara said she was very excited about being the jackpot winner and has not yet decided what to do with the money, beyond banking it.
Stephens took a while to claim the winnings because she was not aware she had won the jackpot. She added that her sister had contacted her and informed her that someone had won the jackpot. “When I check my ticket, is then I find out that I am the winner,” Stevens said.
The winning ticket was purchased at Sweet Point at the Bourda Market.
Guyana Lottery Company Ltd (GLCL) General Manager Tracy Lewis said the company was elated to hand over the cheque to Stephens.
Lewis, during a short press conference, noted that six weeks ago, GLCL launched its first $500 instant ticket game (10 x The Money) with a total prize of $1 million, which took the market by storm.
She also highlighted the GLCL’s plans for 2014, including conducting intense market research throughout Guyana to aid in the identification and implementation of games of chance.
Next year also, GLCL will be printing tickets on terminal paper via the new Abrazo machines. This type of paper, Lewis said, is used worldwide for retail cash register receipts, POS terminal and ATM machines. Terminal paper is a special fine paper that’s coated with a chemical which changes colour when exposed to heat. This will aid in the prevention of damaged tickets.
She urged customers to take proper care of their tickets, not to place tickets in pockets, wallets or expose to heat and water. Lewis also said that customers should ensure that they write their names and addresses at the back of their tickets.
Results for each draw can be viewed on the company’s website, its Facebook page, in the daily newspapers, on the television and also on the radio. She added that players are given 90 days to redeem their tickets.
