Design And Implementation Of Computer Based Lottery Processing System

INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Lottery system is a very wide field of study and can be classified in so many ways such as the U.S.A. lottery system, Kenlucky lottery system, India lottery system, and German lottery system e.t.c. But the study will be limited to the VISA LOTTERY, which is associated with the United States and the most commonest.

WHAT IS THE VISA LOTTERY?
The diversity visa lottery issues 55,000 visas each year by lottery, to nationals of countries considered under represented in the immigrant flow.
Until 1965, our immigration system favoured immigrants who reflected the ethnic characteristics of our society. Heightened concerns about racism brought about by the system civil rights movement led to the scrapping of the system. Ironically, the current visa lottery system is a throwback to the earlier race-conscious system. It structures the immigrant admission system to discriminate among immigrant seeing countries in order to increase the number of immigrants from “underrepresented” countries.
The first visa lottery provision who adopted in 1986, with a set-aside of 10,000 “special visas” for immigrants from countries “adversely affected” by the 1965 immigration act. Over three-fifths of the 10,000 visas went to immigrants from Ireland, Canada and the United Kingdom. They were adversely affected by the 1965 Act only in that residents from those countries first experienced a ceiling that had not affected them previously.
In 1990, a new permanent lottery of 55,000 visas per year was enacted, and a transitional system of 40,000 visas per year (1992 to 1994) was specified of the 108,455 transitional lottery winners who entered the united states through fiscal year 1994, 84% were from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Poland or Canada. Natives of these countries had not been suffering from any discrimination in our past administration of our immigration policy.

1995 marked the beginning of the permanent “diversity” lottery for 55,000 visa per year. Unlike the transitional system, it is supposed to discriminate against countries that have large flows of immigrants already like Mexico and the Philippines. The Act was clearly worded, however, so that the lottery would remain open to the Irish. That is one of the major faults with the lottery system. Because it is “designer immigration” it invites tinkering for or against nationals of a given foreign country.

LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS
In November 1994, by executive agreement, president Clinton accepted to set-up a one-country immigrant visa lottery for Cubans. In November 1997, congress adopted an amnesty for Nicaraguans and Cubans and special screening provisions for other Central Americans who has come illegally to the United States during the revolutionary fighting in their homelands. To offset this adjustment process, the ceiling of 55,000 on lottery immigrants who lowered to until the amnesty process was completed.

1.2 THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
As a limelight, this project aims at going a long way to creating a conducive atmosphere between the post offices and applicants. The researchers have designed a computerized system of lottery processing in which applicants can browse the net from any Internet Service Provider (ISP) center convenient to him/her and get whatever or fills in the application form right there on the net.

Another objective is to reduce the voluminous forms of the applications involved in the manual system and to eliminates the risk involved in carrying physical cash and cheque as the only means of payment in the formal system.

1.2.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Despite the services rendered by zone lottery organization and post offices, unfortunately, the formal manual system of lottery processing has some unbearable disadvantages. There are:
– There is a question of equity in which sponsored family applicants are required a wait of years to get a visa.
– The issue of unfairness to applicants, which brings about some applicants not knowing whether their application wasn’t received or they just didn’t win the lottery.
– The issue of imposters whereby someone enters the lottery for someone else by forging the signature.
– Time consuming and sternums both to the post-workers and the applicants.
– The applicant’s applications are so voluminous and tends to get missing in one way or the other.

1.3 SCOPE OF THIS STUDY
This project is delimited to on-line computer lottery based processing system services. During the process of the research, lots of constraints were encountered. These are:-
– Inadequate Time:- There was a severe limited time that confronted the research work and this now disrupted the speed of this research and project submission.
– Finance:- Lack of adequate finance required was another constraint is this project which deprived the researchers the ability to travel far in fact findings.
– Clash Program:- This research was ruined along with other courses which lead to insufficient time for orientation and other required consultations that would have given the research the full required background.
– Lack of Material:- The much-needed materials like libraries, journals and magazines for computer projects are not very much available.

1.4 METHODOLOGY
The method used in carrying out this project are thus:-
i) Through the internet
ii) Through written materials
iii) Through interview

1.5 DEFINITION OF TERMS
COMPUTER:- This is an electronic device, which receives inputs, process and then relinquishes output at a fantastic speed.
PROGRAM:- This is a sequence of instructions written in a computer acceptable language so that computer can understand and carrying out the required task.
INPUT:- Data to be put and processed by the computer.
OUTPUT: This is the final result of a processed input.
SYSTEM:- This is a connection of sub-part/unit which interacts functionally to achieve a specific objective.
INFORMATION: – This is that substance expressed in concrete form, which creates impetus to perform an action.
DATA:- This are raw facts which are subject to further processing before it becomes meaningful and useful.
ON-LINE:- Equipment, devices, communication networks and persons that are in direct communication with the central processing unit at terminals.
FLOWCHART:- This is a graphical representation of programs in symbols of algonthin.
ATM:- This is an automatic teller machines used in keying in data.
POS MACHINE:- This is a point of scale machine used at terminals for imputing data.
INTERNET:- This is a massive network of computer terminals which offers users access to vast quantities of information and easy global communication.
W.W.W:- This is the most versatile tool available on the internet.