History of Lottery in Timeline

A lottery is a gambling system where numbers are randomly drawn for a prize. Governments have varying stances, with some outlawing lotteries and others organizing them at a national or state level. Government regulations often include prohibiting sales to minors and licensing vendors. Common in the 19th century, lotteries became largely illegal in the U.S. and Europe by the early 20th century. Post-World War II, casinos and lotteries re-emerged globally in the 1960s as a government revenue source without increasing taxes.

1916: Golden Casket Art Union started

In 1916, the Australian government established the 'Golden Casket Art Union' lottery to raise money for charities and projects, with its first draw supporting veterans of World War One.

1917: Lottery organised

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

1933: National lottery was reintroduced

In 1933, a national lottery was reintroduced.

1933: Regularized under the finance department

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

1934: First modern lottery

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

1964: Lottery established

In 1964, New Hampshire established a modern government-run US lottery.

1967: Kerala State Government started lottery department

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

1969: Company focused on the commercialisation of 4-Digits

Founded and incorporated by the Malaysian Government in 1969, it was focused on the commercialisation of 4-Digits–based games.

1969: Lottery industry start operated

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

December 1970: Veikkaus started selling lottery tickets

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

January 3, 1971: First televised lottery draw

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

1980: Pennsylvania Lottery scandal

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

1980: Number selection

Until the autumn of 1980, in Finland lottery players chose six numbers between 1 and 40.

August 1985: Privatisation of the company

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

1994: Established in United Kingdom

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

2003: Non-random patterns in "Tic-Tac-Toe" tickets

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 recalled.

2005: Gambling Act restrictions

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

In 2007, a rare lottery ticket bearing George Washington's signature, from his unsuccessful Mountain Road Lottery in 1768, sold for about $15,000 as a collector's item.

January 3, 2011: 40th anniversary of Finland lottery

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

2011: Profit categories change

In 2011, from round 41, the profit categories for the lottery in Finland changed, with the main victory requiring 7 correct results and the smallest victory requiring three actual and one additional number.

2012: Total amount payout of prizes

In 2012, the Spanish Christmas Lottery's total prize payout was worth €2.52 billion if all tickets had been sold.

September 2013: Lottery televised on Yle TV1

Until September 29, 2013, the lottery in Finland was televised on Yle TV1.

October 2013: Lottery draws postponed to MTV3

In October 2013, lottery draws in Finland were moved to MTV3 after ten evening news due to issues with sponsorship cooperation between Veikkaus and Yle.

2013: Tickets reduced

In 2013, due to falling demand, the number of €20 tickets available for the Spanish Christmas Lottery was reduced from 180 million to 160 million.

2014: Prize money worth in 1445

In 2014, the prize money from a lottery held on May 9, 1445, to raise funds for town fortifications was estimated to be 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 2018, Ohio became one of the first states to offer a digital lottery option, developed by Linq3, allowing players to play on their smart phones.

2018: Kerala state revenue

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

January 7, 2020: Largest Single Jackpot in Canadian lottery history

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

May 2022: Rhymney won People's Postcode Lottery

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

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November 2022: Largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history

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