Lottery as a Fun Pastime in Moldova

To understand the present and the future of the lottery industry we need to take a thorough look into its past

Lottery is one of the most popular pastimes for every part of the population worldwide, with over 100 countries hosting their own draws on a weekly or daily basis. The same is true for Moldova as well.

The golden times of Moldavian lottery can be traced back to the legendary “Sport Lotto” draws back in the USSR. The first draw took place in Moldova back in 1971 with over half of the population purchasing tickets.

The reason for such great popularity was the whopping amount of money which could be won then. 10,000 rubles was the first prize in “6 out of 49” draw, and 5,000 rubles in the “5 out of 36” draw. Later on lottery players could even win an automobile, “Volga” or “Zhiguli”, which was equal to a miracle in those days.

The proceeds from the “Sport Lotto” were split the following way: 50% went into the prize pool, 30-32% – for sport development and charitable purposes. The total turnover of the lottery during the USSR era has amounted to 500 million rubles. After the collapse of the Soviet Union individual states’ lotteries fell into private hands in the most of the republics, including Moldova.

The new era for Moldavian lotteries

Once the country became independent, the Moldavian gambling laws separated three lottery types: digital, instant, and classic. The prize pool for instant lotteries consists of cash rewards and valuable prizes including mobile devices, gadgets, and even cars). The digital lottery only has cash prizes.

The Moldavian tax regime had a bit of changes coming into force since January 2008, when each operator of gambling activities in the country, including land-based and online casinos in Moldova, had to pay 10% tax from the winners’ profit. According to the data coming in from State Tax Agency, 2008 saw over MLD 8 million paid into the state coffers as a result of the gambling tax.

If one is to draw a portrait of an ordinary Moldavian lottery player – he will most probably come up with a 30 something male with under the average or small income. Moldavian men play lottery more often than the women do.

However, the most successful lottery player in the country belongs to the fairer sex. Back in 2012 a Chisinau resident has taken down the biggest jackpot in history: 1.102,641. What’s most interesting is the fact the win came after the lucky punter used mobile services provided by the lottery operator. This once again proves that mobile gambling including mobile casinos are winning more and more hearts and minds of ordinary gamers.