Cyberattack Takes V.I. Lottery Offline

The Virgin Islands Lottery has suspended all operations after a cybersecurity attack “severely impacted” its information technology systems, the agency announced Monday night.

As a result of the attack, Drawing #1047, originally scheduled for March 13 and already postponed due to air quality concerns at the agency’s St. Thomas office, will be further delayed until the systems are fully restored, it said.

“We understand that this disruption affects not only our scheduled draw but also our retail sales, prize claims, and other operational functions,” it said in a press release announcing the attack. “The Virgin Islands Lottery is working diligently alongside the Bureau of Information Technology (BIT), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other cybersecurity specialists to investigate the breach, restore system functionality, and implement enhanced security measures to prevent future incidents.”

All valid tickets for Drawing #1047 and #1048 remain valid, and a new draw date will be announced as soon as system stability is confirmed, according to the agency.