Telling the history of the lottery is kind of a challenge, especially making it brief. It has a mix of legends that might have happened thousands of years ago and scarce records of the beginning of the Modern Age, combined with what we know for certain.
From the drawing of lots to distribute lands in a fair way back in the 1500s BC to automatic machines with RNG software that ensure fairness, lotteries went through a fairly long road. Let’s understand the changes that occurred along the way to transform simple draws of lots into the lottery games we love playing nowadays.
Quick Jump
How the History of the Lottery Begins: The Origin of the Lottery
The lottery origin possibly dates back to 3500 BC, in the region divided between Lower Egypt and Higher Egypt, and possibly before that. The drawing of lots is a frequent method described in the Bible and, although its purpose had more to do with democratic decisions, lotteries had to start some way.
- Around 1500 BC
According to the Book of Joshua, more specifically Joshua 18:10, one of the many mentions to the drawing of lots, Moses drew lots to distribute the territory to the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Around 200 BC
The Han Dynasty in China has also left traces of the use of a lottery to fund government projects like the famous Great Wall of China around 200 BC. Back then, it had a format similar to Keno, called “the white pigeon game” back then because birds would send the results of drawings to far-away villages.
- 27 BC – 68 AD
Back in Ancient Rome, there were lotteries among the rich and noble for the pure sake of their entertainment, not long before the distribution of tickets to the crowds during festivals and as a way to also fund Roman projects.
Fortunately, that drawing method has been improved over the years, eliminating the possibility of lottery fraud and balancing odds. Before proceeding to its evolution, are you curious to know how the word “lottery” appeared?
The Etymology of the Word Lottery
The word lottery has its roots in ancient Germanic. It derived into the Old English hlot, which means an “object that determines someone’s share”, and also into lotto that resulted in the Italian lotteria, which means a portion or a share. The Germanic also resulted in the word loterje, Middle Dutch, with the same meaning and resulting in the French loterie.
The Beginning of the History of the Lottery in the Modern World
Merchants used to be responsible for spreading the word about new products, innovations, and the opportunities of lotteries. The beginning of the modern lottery, close to what we know today, occurred in the XV century.
Close to the 1440s, lotteries were used to fund government projects just like 1,500 years before. Back then, the prizes were not money jackpots but goods that merchants transported. There is a possibility that the first public lottery occurred in L’Ecluse, France, to raise funds to improve defenses in 1420.
Almost thirty years later, Milan had its first lottery to fund the Golden Ambrosia Republic in Italy. Fifteen years later, it was the time for the first money lottery in Belgium in 1466.
Why Were Lotteries Held Back Then?
In the years Before Christ, lot drawings were supposed to fairly distribute goods, lands, and anything else that should not be an arbitrary decision. In the last centuries of that period, records state that governments started to use lottery drawings to fund their projects. Over a thousand years later, the modern world started to install official lotteries with varying purposes: charity, fundraising, or pure entertainment.
Notable Milestones in the History of the Lottery
Trying to decorate or learn all the small details that might have happened in thousands of years of lottery history could be impossible. Learn the most important milestones that have truly contributed to the history of the lottery as we know it today instead.
Lottery Reaches the United Kingdom – The Queen’s Drawing (1569)
England had its first lottery held in 1569, and the person responsible for drawing the numbers was Queen Elizabeth herself. Believe it or not, the tickets were sold for a total of three years.
The country was still getting the hang of that luck-based game. Except for a few bigger prizes, the whole prize pool was the ticket price itself, and oddly enough, non-violent crimes were exonerated for anyone who participated in it. The whole purpose was the “reparation of the havens and strength of the realm”.
The First American Lottery in the United States (1612)
Not long after the first lottery in England, the history of the lottery took its first steps in the United States. A colony of England back then, it had its settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, funded via a lottery held by the Virginia Company of London in 1612. That settlement was abandoned in the 1750s, but the sum of £29,000 raised by the lottery was more than enough at the time.
Launch of the Longest Running Lottery in the World (1726)
The official lottery of the Netherlands started back in 1726, at that time under the name Generaliteitsloterij. It is the oldest existing lottery that has been continuously running since its creation. In 1848, it had its name changed to Nederlandse Staatsloterij.
Creation of the Spanish Christmas Lottery that Stimulates Syndicates (1812)
What Spanish lottery players and our users who play through the recommended lottery sites know today as El Gordo started as the Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad, or simply Lotería de Navidad, a Christmas lottery game held every year in Spain since 1812. The Spanish Public Administration organized it to fund the defense of Cádiz against the Napoleonic invasions. Not even the Spanish Civil War was able to stop it.
The tickets are quite expensive, but players can always participate in lottery syndicates to get a share for a much lower price. It is also possible to do that online if you are willing to buy El Gordo tickets.
The Return of the US Lotteries (1964)
Similar to what happened to alcohol, lotteries were banned by the federal government of the United States to avoid gambling addiction. Fortunately for the fans of lotteries, state lotteries finally had their triumphal return in 1964, in the form of the New Hampshire Sweepstakes.
It took more than a decade of discussion until the allowance to fund New Hampshire’s education system, thanks to the vote of citizens. Up to this point, the state already supported its education with over $2.3 billion.
Creation of Multi-State Lotteries (1985)
The United States lotteries are particularly famous worldwide because of their multi-state lottery games that have already paid jackpot prizes up to $1.5 billion. The first multi-state lottery was launched in 1985 as a venture between Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. The game, Dubbed Tri-State Megabucks, is still active as Megabucks Plus.
The success had spread the word, and six states formed Lotto*America in 1987. That game was renamed in 1992 to become the Powerball we know today. Four years later, in 1996, The Big Game was launched – we currently know it as Mega Millions.
The First Online Lottery Site (1995)
The first online lottery game was PLUS Lotto, launched in 1995 by the International Lottery in Liechtenstein Foundation (ILLF), which also offered online scratchcard games. In 1998, PlayHugeLottos was launched to inspire the great lottery sites where we can play up to 60 different lottery games from dozens of countries, like:
The Biggest Jackpot in the History of the Lottery (2016)
Up until this day, the highest jackpot ever paid in the history of the lottery from the entire world came from the United States. Powerball and Mega Millions are the games that dominate the ranking, with three prizes above $1 billion, including the biggest jackpot ever paid of $1,586 billion back on January 13, 2016.
That Powerball prize resulted in a total cash value of $983.5 million, shared among three lucky tickets.
What Does the Future Reserve for the History of the Lottery?
The history of the lottery shows us how that luck game improved in terms of accessibility, prizes, and safety. Thanks to transparency and auditing companies, everyone knows that they have true chances of winning the lottery when they play it. The technology now allows you to do so without leaving the comfort of your house, which is one of the biggest achievements in the history of the lottery.
[Play the best lotteries in the world online!]Virtual reality and the metaverse might have some surprises to bring to the next chapters in the history of the lottery. For now, we continue to enjoy the countless opportunities found online for desktop and mobile users.
References
https://www.nhlottery.com/Files/PDFs/Financial-Reports/2021/TSL6042_21_Yearly_Revenue_2021
https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/ngisc/research/lotteries.html
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/italian-roots-lottery
https://www.naspl.org/historyofthelottery
https://www.incomm.com/about/insights/a-brief-history-of-lotteries/
