History of Lottery in Timeline

A lottery is a gambling system involving randomly drawn numbers for prizes. Governments hold varied stances, some outlawing lotteries while others operate national versions, often regulating sales to minors and licensing vendors. Common in the 19th century, lotteries faced widespread illegality in the early 20th century across the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere. Post-World War II, lotteries and casinos resurfaced in the 1960s as revenue-generating tools for governments without raising taxes.

1916: Start of the 'Golden Casket Art Union'

In 1916, the Australian government initiated the 'Golden Casket Art Union' lottery to raise money for charities and projects, specifically for veterans of World War One.

1917: British Lottery Held in Thailand

In 1917, a lottery was organized by the British government with Thai consent to finance Britain's war effort.

1933: Reintroduction of National Lottery

In 1933, a national lottery was reintroduced.

1933: Regularized Lotteries in Thailand

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

1934: First Modern US Lottery

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

1964: New Hampshire Lottery

In 1964, New Hampshire established a state lottery.

1967: Kerala State Government Lottery

In 1967, the Kerala State Government in India started its lottery department following a country-wide ban on private lotteries.

1969: Foundation of Malaysian Lottery

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

1969: Lottery Industry Operations Started in Malaysia

In early 1969, the lottery industry began operating in Malaysia by Berjaya Group.

December 1970: Veikkaus Began Selling Lottery Tickets

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

January 3, 1971: First Lottery Draw Televised

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

January 1971: Veikkaus Began Selling Lottery Tickets

In January 1971, Veikkaus began selling lottery tickets and held the first draw was televised on January 3, 1971.

1980: Pennsylvania Lottery Scandal

In 1980, the Pennsylvania Lottery scandal involved weighting balls in The Daily Number.

1980: Lottery Number Changes in Finland

In Finland, until the autumn of 1980, players chose six numbers between 1 and 40 for the lottery.

August 1985: Privatization of Malaysian Lottery

On August 1, 1985, the Malaysian government sold the lottery company to businessman Vincent Tan, who merged it into his Berjaya Group.

1994: Establishment of The National Lottery

In 1994, the National Lottery was established in the United Kingdom, sanctioned by the Gambling Commission.

2003: Tic-Tac-Toe Ticket Recall

In 2003, Mohan Srivastava found non-random patterns in "Tic-Tac-Toe" tickets, leading to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation recalling the game.

2005: Gambling Act

According to restrictions under the Gambling Act 2005, the maximum amount which can be won by a single ticket is £500,000, or 10% of the total draw proceeds.

2007: Sale of Washington's Lottery Ticket

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

January 3, 2011: Lottery's 40th Anniversary

On January 3, 2011, the Finnish lottery turned 40 years old, marking 2,126 draws.

2011: Changes to Profit Categories in Finnish Lottery

In 2011, the profit categories of the Finnish lottery were changed starting from round 41, with the main victory requiring 7 correct results and the smallest victory requiring three actual and one additional number.

2012: Spanish Christmas Lottery Payout

In 2012, the Spanish Christmas Lottery had a total potential prize payout of €2.52 billion, with the 'El Gordo' prize being €720 million distributed among 180 winning tickets.

September 2013: End of Televised Lottery on Yle TV1

On September 29, 2013, the Finnish lottery was last televised on Yle TV1 after being televised since 3 January 1971.

October 2013: Lottery Draws Postponed on MTV3

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

2013: Reduced Tickets and Prize Pool for Spanish Lottery

In 2013, the number of tickets available for the Spanish Christmas Lottery was reduced to 160 million due to falling demand, resulting in a maximum potential prize pool of €2.24 billion and an 'El Gordo' of €720 million.

2014: Value of 1445 Lottery Prize Money

In 2014, the 1445 lottery prize money of 1737 florins was worth about US$170,000.

2017: Kerala Lottery GST Collection

In 2017, the Kerala lottery collected GST worth Rs 908 crore.

2018: Digital Lottery Option in Ohio

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

2018: Kerala Lottery State Revenue

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

January 7, 2020: Record Jackpot in Canada

On January 7, 2020, the Lotto Max drawing reached a record single jackpot in Canadian lottery history, amounting to $70 million.

May 2022: Documentary About Lottery Winners

In May 2022, a Channel 4 documentary, "The Welsh Valley That Won the Lottery", was released about the residents of Rhymney who won.

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November 2022: Powerball Record Jackpot

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.