History of the Lottery
Lotteries in one form or another have been around for centuries. Evidence has been found by archaeologists of lottery type of games in Ancient Egypt. Lotteries started to become popular in France as long ago as the 1400s. One of the first lotteries took place in 1445 when the widow of the Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck held a raffle to dispose of his remaining paintings.
The first lottery with prize money was in Florence, Italy in 1530. The word lottery is thought to come from the Italian word lotto, meaning destiny or fate. This was soon followed by a lottery in England in 1568 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1. 400,000 tickets went on sale for prizes of cash, tapestry and china.
Over the next two centuries lotteries became very popular throughout Europe. The longest running lottery, still played today, is probable in the Netherlands where it began in 1727.
The Virginia Lottery was the first in America in 1612. Proceeds from the Virginia lottery were put back into the community. Lotteries quickly gained popularity in the US. They helped to fund the Colonial Army fighting for independence from the British in the Revolutionary War. After the war the lottery proceeds were used in rebuilding and repairing the damage the war had inflicted. Lotteries became widespread in the US during the 1800s, but many were unregulated and corrupt. The State of New York was the first to ban lotteries and eventually all states except Louisiana had banned them.
The first modern State run lottery in the US began in 1964 in New Hampshire. Now there are 38 State run lotteries. The first scratch card lottery, the Instant Game began in 1974. This became very successful, offering something that lotteries had never done before - instant prizes.
A variation of lotto is Powerball which began in 1988 and was known as Lotto America. The game and name were changed to Powerball in April 1992 and the first draw was held on April 22 1992.
Lotteries have now become an essential part of the infrastructure of States, helping to fund education, the care of the elderly and many other benefits to the community. Now over 200 million Americans have some form of local lottery. They have become a major employer, providing over a quarter of a million jobs, and a source of revenue for many thousands of retailers.
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Lottery Resources
Lottery Wheels.com Lottery Software Programs, Lottery Information and Computer Generated Systems For Wheeling Lotto Numbers.
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