Lotteries, A Brief History

Lotteries are as old as civilization and throughout recorded history lotteries have been used to finance wars, governments and various causes and charities. During the Han Dynasty in China lotteries were used to finance the construction of the Great Wall which still stands today. Ancient Celts had their own version of the lottery called 'casting woods' or drawing lots. Private lotteries were popular in ancient Rome and the first recorded lottery tickets were for a lottery organized by Emperor Augustus Caesar. And the proceeds were used to civic projects for the city of Rome. The earliest public lottery recorded was in the Dutch town of Sluis in 1434. The American Revolution was partially financed by lotteries.

Lotteries have come a long way since those days and now almost every country has its own national lottery. In the US most states have lotteries and a majority of state lotteries in the US are used to fund education. Since lotteries are pure games of chance all participants have an equal chance of winning. In the US lotteries are a variation on the old numbers game and state lotteries have pretty much eliminated the old numbers racket and the criminality associated with it. Today lottery tickets are sold through a network of lottery retailers. In the US there are two major multi state lotteries, Powerball and Mega Millions which offer players some pretty huge jackpots. The largest lottery jackpot ever won was a Mega Millions jackpot in 2007 which totaled $390 million dollars and was split between two very lucky winners.

In Europe the Euromillions lottery and the UK National Lottery are the most popular lotteries. European lottery jackpots are not taxed so while a European lottery player may win a smaller jackpot he or she will actually take home more money than an American player who has won a larger jackpot. In the US taxes can take 40-50% of a total jackpot depending whether the player selects a lump sum payout or annual payments.

Some state lotteries have reported flagging ticket sales during the current recession and states are trying to boost sales. Two states, Iowa and Illinois, are researching the possibility of online lottery ticket sales. Most industry experts say that allowing players to purchase lottery tickets online would immediately boost ticket sales significantly. In Europe the sale of online lottery tickets has been very well received and the UK National Lottery sells online lottery tickets for several European lotteries on its official website. New Zealand has taken online lottery ticket sales a step further and Kiwi players can have winnings deposited directly into their personal bank accounts. Computer technology has changed the way all of us live and it is only a matter of time before state lotteries adopt 21st century technology.