Aug. 10, 2004 – The V.I. Lottery is no longer rolling over the money for major-prize tickets that are not sold, Government House announced on Tuesday.
The rollover law ceased to exist as of July 31, when Gov. Charles W. Turnbull signed repeal legislation passed by the Senate, according to a release.
Under the former rollover law, if a top prize-winning ticket was not sold, the money would be carried over to the same prize of the next drawing. "That law basically crippled the lottery," Paul Flemming, V.I. Lottery executive director, said on Tuesday.
Flemming said the unawarded prize money had to be added to the prizes already in place for the next drawing.
With the repeal of the law, if a top prize-winning ticket is not sold, the prize money will go toward paying out smaller prizes in that drawing. "Every time there is a lottery drawing, the four top prizes play," the release stated. "For example, if a number is drawn for second prize and the number is not sold, that prize goes back into the lottery pool."
"By reverting back to the original drawing, the people of the Virgin Islanders should witness an improvement in our lottery system," Flemming said.

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