History of Lottery in Timeline

A lottery is a gambling system where numbers are randomly drawn for a prize. Governments have varying stances, from banning lotteries to organizing national versions, often regulating aspects like age limits for ticket purchases and vendor licensing. While prevalent 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, around the 1960s, lotteries and casinos experienced a resurgence globally, serving as a governmental tool for revenue generation without direct tax increases.

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.

1917: Lottery organized by British government

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

1933: Reintroduction of national lottery

In 1933, a national lottery was reintroduced.

1933: Lotteries Regularized

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

1934: First modern US lottery

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

1964: Lottery established in New Hampshire

In 1964, New Hampshire established a state lottery.

1967: Kerala State Government started lottery department

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

1969: Incorporation of 4-Digits-based games

In 1969, the Malaysian Government founded and incorporated Sports Toto Malaysia to commercialise 4-Digits–based games.

1969: Lottery industry start operated

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

December 1970: Veikkaus began selling lottery tickets

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

January 3, 1971: First televised lottery draw in Finland

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

January 1971: First Lottery Draw

In January 1971, the first lottery draw was televised on Yle TV1 in Finland.

1980: Change in lottery numbers

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

1980: Pennsylvania Lottery scandal

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

August 1985: Sports Toto privatization

On August 1, 1985, the Malaysian government sold Sports Toto to 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 recall

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

2005: Gambling Act

In accordance with 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: Rare lottery ticket sold for $15,000

In 2007, a rare Mountain Road Lottery ticket bearing George Washington's signature sold for about $15,000. This lottery, dating back to 1768, had been unsuccessful.

January 3, 2011: 40th anniversary of the lottery in Finland

On January 3, 2011, the lottery in Finland turned 40 years old, having been drawn 2,126 times.

2011: Profit categories were changed

Profit categories of the lottery in Finland were changed, for example, from the 2011 round 41.

2012: Spanish Christmas Lottery prize payout

In 2012, the Spanish Christmas Lottery, considered the biggest worldwide, had a potential total prize payout of €2.52 billion, with €720 million for El Gordo.

September 2013: End of lottery on Yle TV1

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

October 2013: Lottery Draws Postponed on MTV3

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

2013: Reduction in number of tickets

In 2013, the number of available tickets for the Spanish Christmas Lottery was reduced to 160 million due to falling demand.

2014: Value of 1737 florins in 2014

In 2014, the total prize money of 1737 florins from a lottery held on 9 May 1445 at L'Ecluse was worth about US$170,000.

2017: Kerala collected GST

In the fiscal year 2017, Kerala collected GST worth Rs 908 crore from lotteries.

2018: Digital lottery option in Ohio

In 2018, Ohio became one of the first states to offer people a digital lottery option, using technology developed by Linq3.

2018: Kerala collected state revenue

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

January 7, 2020: Lotto Max drawing for $70 million

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

May 2022: Welsh Valley Wins Lottery

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

November 2022: Powerball jackpot 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.