Loto-Québec has announced a partnership with anti-bullying and anti-discrimination group Fondation Jasmin Roy to offer lottery winners with virtual reality resources. The Quebec gaming company is looking to use VR technology help sensitize people into better managing their lives after they’ve won a jackpot. According to Loto-Quebec, there are 1,500 winners of prizes over $25,000 every year.
“When they win a large prize, winners’ lives change and they are immediately confronted with important decisions, both on the emotional and financial level,” Loto-Quebec wrote in a press release. “They also often solicited from a number of sources for various reasons, including requests for donations, lifelong projects, investments, etc.”
With VR, winners will experience different situations that may arise and be given ways to react and answer unsolicited requests they might receive, all from Loto-Québec’s customer service team. An example of this could be helping winners learn how to say “no” to people asking for money. Winners’ loved ones can also participate in workshops to become better accustomed to their new lives.
“The use of virtual reality to sensitize the public and foster empathy for victims of bullying and violence will constitute a Canadian first, and we are happy to team up with Loto-Québec to make this happen,” said Jasmin Roy, president of the Fondation, in the press release.
Loto-Quebec says the VR services are in addition to the professionals that winners enlist to advise and coach them, who typically check in two and six months after the prize has been received. It’s currently unclear how, exactly, the VR experiences will play out.
More and more often, though, VR is being used as a tool in a variety of ways to help people manage difficult situations. For example, medical professionals have also been using the technology to help treat patients with phobias and other disorders.
Source: Canada Newswire
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
