Public Gaming International November/December 2021

39 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 being able to celebrate with us from the comfort of their home. · New Jersey started licensing couriers to sell Lottery draw games in November 2019. When the pandemic shut down most of the state in the spring of 2020, courier game options were expanded to allow players the convenience of purchasing the iconic daily games of Pick-3, Pick-4 and Jersey Cash 5. New Jersey Lottery’s players responded enthusiastically to the option of purchasing tickets online through a courier. · Appointments for claims were instituted to limit the number of people in the office. Those with tickets under $100,000 or non-jackpot winning tickets are encouraged to mail or drop off their winning tickets. Moving forward this change will continue. • The installation of a drop box at Lottery Headquarters open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The drop box provides a safe alterna- tive for those who do not wish to mail their ticket to easily and securely submit claim forms. No appointment is needed to access the drop box, and the drop box is monitored by Lottery Security Officers. • Reorganization of the office space to ensure safe social distancing for all staff members. • All people in the building are required to wear masks. • All meetings are held digitally using either Teams or Zoom platforms. • Lottery evening drawings moved from 7:57 p.m. to 10:57 p.m. daily beginning June 29, 2020, bringing the timing for New Jersey Lottery’s core games closer in line with the big multi-state games Mega Millions and Powerball. • When the draw time was moved, evening drawings became exclusively livestreamed. FLORIDA LOTTERY No workplace policies were needed. However, the Florida Lottery, like most businesses, has implemented measures to be responsive to the evolving needs of our employees, by: • Allowing some employees to work remotely on a temporary basis. • Increasing the regularity of cleaning and sanitization of the Lottery’s offices, especially high-touch/high- traffic areas. • Encouraging the use of face masks among employees working in close quarters. • Utilizing virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams where appropriate. • Increasing the use of electronic routing, review, and approval of certain documents. VIRGINIA LOTTERY In mid-March 2020, as the severity of the pandemic first began to emerge, the health and safety of our workforce, our partners and our customers was priority. Our leader- ship team quickly mobilized to conduct a real-time drill of our crisis response plan. We first created a rotating telework schedule for Headquarters employees so we could test our technology capabilities and ensure continuity of operations. Our ITS team rose to the challenge, quickly supplying employees with needed hardware and remote work support. To minimize our employees’ interaction with the public, we temporarily closed our customer service centers (CSCs) and instructed our field staff to also work from home. With an eye on reopening our CSCs as soon as safely possible, our teams collabo- rated on new processes to begin to service our customers again. When our CSCs reopened in June 2021, we were confident that we could both provide the same level of superior customer service we always have and keep our employees protected. We reengineered the customer claims process, redesigned the physical environment, and reconfigured processes to protect our employees. By September 2020, our field sales staff began limited in-store retailer visits. Given the success of remote office work, our Headquarters staff remained in that posture until July 2021, at which point we returned to a staggered two-day-a-week in-person schedule. Under CDC and Virginia Department of Health guidance, vaccinated employees can choose to wear masks while non-vaccinated employees are required to wear face coverings. As of September 1, 2021, all Virginia state employees were required to show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing. Our Human Resources team, in partner- ship with our legal team, implemented new policies to guide our workforce through these requirements. Other policies related to employees’ use of technology and remote work requirements, though already in existence, were also updated accordingly. FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS IS CRITICAL FOR LOTTERIES, EITHER WITH RETAILERS OR WINNERS COMING TO YOUR OFFICES. HOW WILL THIS LOOK IN THE FUTURE? NEW JERSEY LOTTERY At this time, the front office will remain closed to walk-in visitors, but open to scheduled appointments. This will allow the Lottery to continue to practice safe social distancing and minimize the number of people in the building at any one time. With scheduled appointments, there is a need to conduct security interviews for prizes of a certain amount and all appropri- ate safeguards - wearing of masks, practic- ing social distancing, using hand sanitizer - will continue to be followed. Players filing claims for prizes not eligible for appointments will have the following options: • Mail the winning tickets to the New Jersey Lottery Headquarters. • Use a drop box in the lobby at Lottery Headquarters, which is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. When visiting retailers, Lottery Sales Rep- resentatives must continue to wear masks. FLORIDA LOTTERY The Florida Lottery is constantly looking for creative ways to increase our efficiencies while improving the overall experience T H E F U T U R E O F W O R K