The Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission-approved lottery company Lucky Play enjoyed a positive reception from gamers as operations officially began last Wednesday morning with the first live draw at 8:00 o’clock, operators have said.

In a statement yesterday, the organisation said that players quickly embraced the Lucky Play pick one game Big Pot, enticed by the $300 payout for each $10 winning bet, and flocked to local agents and community vendors islandwide to scoop up tickets.

According to Lucky Play, one customer from Shortwood, St Andrew commented, “I buy my ticket at the Grant’s Pen location. I love how inside look and I catch a Big Pot the second time mi buy.”

Lucky Play Founding Director and Chief Gaming Officer Pradeep Vaswani noted, “Our core focus is to expand the gaming market by offering credible value-oriented games, through innovative distribution channels. Lucky Play has created over 300 direct and indirect jobs as of launch, with numerous more to follow as we scale up. We would like to express our true gratitude to the Government, the gaming commission and all stakeholders who have made it possible to reach this milestone.”

The company said that the publicity around Lucky Play had the market “buzzing”, spurred on by a jingle from popular dancehall artiste Govana inviting players to “Win a bigga money”, and an appearance by Internet sensation Bawdacat.

“Players were further delighted to see social media sweetheart Chelan Smith as the face of the much-anticipated Dream 6 lottery. Dream 6 has caused quite a stir in the market with its starting jackpot of $30 million and winners of match, 5, 4 and 3 not having to share prizes with other players,” the news release stated.

It said that Smith had embraced her role as part of the Lucky Play team, noting, “Partnering with Goodwill Gaming was basically a no-brainer for me. Presenting the winning Dream 6 numbers gives me the opportunity to be where I am most comfortable, in front of the camera. Plus I love the fact that the numbers I call can possibly cause a major change in someone’s life and that is the ultimate dream”.

Lucky Play said that a local agent confirmed that business has already got off to a good start, saying, “My customers like the pay-out for Big Pot and how easy Super 5 is set-up. They can put everything on one bet slip, including their side bets. No need to fill out different bet slips if you also want to select 4 , 3 or 2 numbers.”

According to chairman of Lucky Play, Ian Dear, “We are overwhelmed by the support we have received. Our team continues to remain focused on providing an extraordinary gaming experience for our players and supporting our network of authorised agents. Lucky Play is here to stay. At the core, Lucky Play is a company focused on providing an extraordinary lottery experience for the good of their customers, team members, partners and the community.”

Vaswani added: “We have Jamaica and it’s people in our hearts, which will be evident by the initiatives and programmes we will undertake. Thank you, Jamaica and get ready to win more money”.