History of Lottery in Timeline

A lottery is a gambling game where numbers are randomly drawn for a prize. Governments either outlaw, endorse, or regulate lotteries, commonly prohibiting sales to minors and licensing vendors. Popular in the 19th century, lotteries faced widespread prohibition in the early 20th century across the U.S., Europe, and other nations. Post-World War II, lotteries and casinos resurfaced in the 1960s as a means for governments to generate revenue without raising taxes.

1916: Australian government started lottery

In 1916, the Australian government started their own lottery, named the 'Golden Casket Art Union', with the intention of raising money for charities and projects. Its first draw is credited with raising funds for veterans of World War One.

1917: Lottery organized by British government

In 1917, a lottery was organized in Thailand (then known as Siam) by the British government with Thai consent to help finance Britain's war effort.

1933: National lottery reintroduced

In 1933, a national lottery was reintroduced.

1933: Lotteries were regularised

In 1933, lotteries in Thailand became regularised under the finance department.

1934: First modern government-run lottery

In 1934, the first modern government-run US lottery was established in Puerto Rico.

1964: Lottery in New Hampshire

In 1964, New Hampshire followed Puerto Rico and established a modern government-run US lottery.

1967: Kerala State Government started lottery department

In 1967, following the country wide ban on private lotteries, the Kerala State Government started their lottery department, becoming the leader within Indian lotteries.

1969: Incorporation of lottery company

In 1969, the Malaysian Government founded and incorporated a company focused on the commercialisation of 4-Digits–based games.

1969: Lottery start operated

Lottery industry start operated in Malaysia on early 1969 by Berjaya Group. Sports Toto Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian company, which operates in the gambling sector.

December 1970: Veikkaus began selling lottery tickets

In December 1970, Veikkaus began selling lottery tickets in Finland.

January 3, 1971: First lottery draw televised

On January 3, 1971, the first Veikkaus lottery draw was televised in Finland.

1980: Numbers of lottery changed

In autumn of 1980, the Finnish lottery changed from choosing six numbers between 1 and 40 to choosing seven numbers between 1 and 40.

1980: Pennsylvania Lottery scandal

The 1980 Pennsylvania Lottery scandal involved weighting balls in The Daily Number, compromising the lottery draw.

August 1985: Privatisation of lottery company

On August 1, 1985, the Malaysian government sold the lottery company to businessman Vincent Tan in a non-tender privatisation, who merged it into his Berjaya Group.

1994: National Lottery established

In 1994, the National Lottery, a state-franchised lottery, was established in the United Kingdom, sanctioned by the Gambling Commission.

2003: "Tic-Tac-Toe" tickets pulled off the shelves

In 2003, Mohan Srivastava found non-random patterns in "Tic-Tac-Toe" tickets sold by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, leading to the game being pulled off the shelves and becoming the first game ever recalled by the OLG.

2005: Gambling Act Restrictions

In 2005, according to restrictions under the Gambling Act 2005, the maximum amount which can be won by a single ticket in the People's Postcode Lottery is £500,000, or 10% of the total draw proceeds.

2007: Washington's lottery ticket sold for $15,000

In 2007, one of George Washington's rare lottery tickets bearing his signature from his Mountain Road Lottery in 1768, which was unsuccessful, sold for about $15,000, becoming a collector's item.

January 3, 2011: Lottery turned 40

On January 3, 2011, the Finnish lottery turned 40, having been drawn 2,126 times by then.

2011: Profit categories were changed

In 2011, the profit categories of the Finnish lottery were changed from round 41. The main victory at that time was with 7 correct results and the smallest victory with three actual and one additional number, the number of which was reduced from three to two.

2012: Biggest lottery worldwide

In 2012, the Spanish Christmas Lottery was considered the biggest lottery worldwide, with a total prize payout of €2.52 billion if all tickets were sold, and a total amount of €720 million for the first category El Gordo.

September 2013: Lottery televised on Yle TV1 ended

From 3 January 1971 to 29 September 2013, the Finnish lottery was televised on Yle TV1.

October 2013: Lottery draws postponed on MTV3

In October 2013, the Finnish lottery draws were postponed on MTV3 after ten evening news, because according to FICORA, the sponsorship cooperation between Veikkaus and Yle was illegal.

2013: Reduced number of tickets

In 2013, due to falling demand, the number of tickets available for the Spanish Christmas Lottery was reduced from 180 million to 160 million, reducing the potential maximum prize pool to €2.24 billion.

2014: Prize money worth

In 2014, the prize money from a lottery held on 9 May 1445 at L'Ecluse to raise funds to build walls and town fortifications, with a lottery of 4,304 tickets and total prize money of 1737 florins, was worth about US$170,000.

2017: Kerala collected GST

In the fiscal year 2017–2018, Kerala collected GST worth Rs 908 crore.

2018: Digital lottery option in Ohio

In 2018, Ohio became one of the first states to offer people a digital lottery option, with technology developed by Linq3 allowing players to play on their smartphones.

2018: Kerala collected state revenue

In the fiscal year 2017–2018, Kerala collected state revenue of Rs 1,691 crore from lotteries.

January 7, 2020: Lotto Max jackpot record

On January 7, 2020, a Lotto Max drawing had a jackpot of $70 million, marking the largest single jackpot record in Canadian lottery history.

May 2022: The Welsh Valley That Won the Lottery

In May 2022, a Channel 4 documentary, The Welsh Valley That Won the Lottery, was aired about the residents of Rhymney who won the People's Postcode Lottery.

November 2022: Powerball set a record

In November 2022, Powerball set a record for the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, with its 8 November 2022 draw having an estimated jackpot of US$2 billion.