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In the beginning..
The presence of lottery games can be traced all the way back to as early as between 205 and 187 B.C. during the Han Dynasty in what is now China. It is believed that the game Keno, a lottery-like game that is still currently played in modern day casinos, originated at the time. -
Jan 29, 1434
The formation of Public Lotteries
In 1434 the earliest public lottery went on record - in the Dutch town of Sluis. And it wasn't until at least a decade later that the first lotteries with prizes in the form of money began to appear in numerous towns in Flanders (present day Belgium, Holland, and France). These first lotteries with monetary prizes were held to raise money to aid the poor and fund fortifications of the towns. -
Lotteries come to America
After the first English lottery approved by King James I in 1612 that granted the Virginia Company of London the right to raise money and therefore found the original settlement, lotteries in the colonies continued to be popular. In fact lotteries played a significant role in the financing of building and improving the colonies. Records show that over 200 lotteries were permitted between 1744 and the American Revolution, these played a vital role in the funding of roads, libraries, churches, col -
The Third Major Lottery Wave
From 1894 to 1964, there were no legal government-sponsored lotteries operating in the United States. This ban led to a paradox: lotteries were widely played, but always illegal. One of the most well known was the Irish sweepstakes which began in 1930 for the purpose of raising money for hospitals in Ireland. Although it was not legal to sell tickets in the U.S. or to ship them here, they were smuggled into the country. It is estimated that 13% of the American population bought a ticket.
