Origin of the Lottery Games Explained

Have you ever wondered how the first-ever lottery emerged? This popular game of chance has quite a long and rich history, probably, the most interesting among all gambling games. Here is the origin of the lottery games explained from its earliest prototypes to this day.

The lottery is one of the most popular games in the world. According to the statistics, 200 million people play the lottery every year only in the US! It means that around a billion people buy lottery tickets every year across the globe!

Besides being extremely popular, the lottery is also one of the oldest forms of gambling with an interesting history. If you have enjoyed our look into the history of scratchcards, here is a new guide to the roots of the lottery. 

The origin of the lottery games explained

So, how did the lottery emerge? Following historians, the primary form of the lottery emerged between 205 and 187 BC. Keno slips from the Han Dynasty of China were the very first signs of the lottery. Initially, they aimed to raise funds and help the government to fulfill its projects. For example, The Great Wall of China is believed to be built with the help of lottery money.  

At the same time, the first mention of the lottery in Europe took place in the times of the Roman Empire. According to historians’ notes, the game was played during various parties and dinner ceremonies. This was the time when the lottery started to resemble today’s version of itself. Each guest received a ticket and received a prize (gold, jewelry, or dinnerware). Usually, the money also went to government projects and repairs.

Lottery as we know it today

The lottery that looks like one from online lotto sites in China emerged in the 15th century. The Low Countries are the place with the first recordings about the lottery games. They also belonged to the ways of raising funds for the needs but it started to resemble the lottery as we know it today. 

Apparently, Utrecht (the Netherlands), Ghent, and Bruges (Belgium) were some of the first cities in Europe to organize lotteries. They sold tickets and used the money for town fortifications and to help the poor. At the same time, the buyers had a chance to win something valuable. Such an unusual form of entertainment & profit became extremely popular and was even partially free of taxation.

The modern history of the lottery

Finally, after having the origin of the lottery games explained, we travel in time to the 20th century. This is when the lottery games have finally won the planet. Lots of lotto companies emerged, including Powerball, EuroMillions, and Mega Millions. National lotteries became available in almost every country including even gambling-unfriendly nations. Finally, the lottery hit TV screens with draws being on-air literally every day.

In the late 1990s-early 2000s, the first online gambling sites in China emerged. This was the beginning of the era of online casino games and sportsbooks. The lottery didn’t go behind and joined the market too. 

Nowadays, there are many lotto sites to play various lotto games. Starting with the official Powerball site and ending with LottoKings, everyone can find the game fitting his taste these days. 

You can discover more about LottoKings here.