January 21, 2012 - PRESS RELEASE

Love your pet?  Make yours famous! 

If you're like most pet owners, you think that your own pet is the cutest, most special, most photogenic, most talented or best dressed. Here's your chance to prove it! Enter the VI Lottery's "Love Your Pet" contest. Share a photo for a chance to have your pet chosen as one of 20 pets featured on the March 29, 2012 V.I. Lottery traditional lottery ticket.

"We wanted to celebrate the love of man's best friend, whether that friend is a dog, cat, mongoose, horse, pig, snake, fish or bird" explained Kevermay Douglas with the V.I. Lottery.

Pet lovers can get more information and enter by filling out an online form at www.winusvilottery.com and uploading a photo of their pet. The entry deadline is February 18, 2012 by midnight. Posters announcing the contest can be found at the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center, The St. John Animal Care Center and the St. Thomas Humane Society and at most veterinarians, groomers and pet supply retailers.

The Lottery website and Facebook page at Facebook.com/vilottery will feature the photos of all pets submitted. The public is invited to vote for their favorite photos. The judging team will select the top 19 photos. The 20th photo will be selected by the online popular vote from the public. The 19 pets selected by the panel of judges will receive $20 each. The pet with the most online votes will receive $100. 

"Like" VI Lottery Facebook at facebook.com/vilottery to get updates on the contest and to be the first to know which pets are the winners. Be sure to share this contest with friends around the world with the new "Share" feature on the Lottery website. 

Kevermay said the "Love Your Pet" ticket is an enormously popular ticket. "Our website voting page gets thousands of votes cast from the Virgin Islands and around the world. Social media like Facebook allows pet owners to spread the word instantly as they try to have their pet earn the most votes."

The "Love Your Pet" ticket featuring 20 pets will go on sale March 16, 2012. Full sheets are $30. The grand prize is $175,000 with a total of $330,000 in prizes available. Tickets are available at dealers outside any VI Lottery office, Anna's Market, MoneyGram locations, Udder Delight, Carabana in downtown Charlotte Amalie and Plaza Extra, St Thomas.