History of Lottery in Timeline

A lottery is a gambling activity where numbers are randomly drawn for a prize. Governments have varying stances, from prohibition to endorsement and operation of national or state lotteries. Common regulations include age restrictions and vendor licensing. While lotteries were widespread in the 19th century, they became largely illegal in the early 20th century in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere. Post-World War II, lotteries and casinos resurfaced as a revenue source for governments, offering an alternative to raising taxes.

1916: Australian Government Lottery

In 1916, the Australian government started the 'Golden Casket Art Union' lottery to raise money for charities and projects, with initial funds going to World War One veterans.

1917: British Lottery for War Effort

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

1933: National Lottery Reintroduction

In 1933, a national lottery was reintroduced.

1933: Regularised Lotteries

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

1934: First Modern Government-Run US Lottery

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

1964: New Hampshire Lottery

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

1967: Kerala State Lottery Department Started

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

1969: Lottery industry started in Malaysia

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

1969: Government Lottery Foundation

The Malaysian Government founded and incorporated a lottery focused on commercialising 4-Digits–based games in 1969.

December 1970: Veikkaus began selling lottery tickets

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

January 3, 1971: First Televised Lottery Draw

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

1980: Lottery Number Changes

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

1980: Pennsylvania Lottery Scandal

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

August 1985: Privatisation of Lottery

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

1994: National Lottery Established

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

2003: OLG Recalls Tic-Tac-Toe Game

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's recall.

2005: Gambling Act

In accordance with 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: Sale of Washington's Lottery Ticket

In 2007, one of George Washington's rare lottery tickets bearing his signature sold for about $15,000.

January 3, 2011: Lottery 40th Anniversary

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

2011: Profit Categories Changed

The Finnish lottery profit categories were changed from the 2011 round 41, for example.

2012: Spanish Christmas Lottery Prize Payout

In 2012, the Spanish Christmas Lottery had a potential total prize payout of €2.52 billion, with €720 million for the first category.

September 2013: Televised Lottery on Yle TV1 Ended

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

October 2013: Lottery draws moved to 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 Tickets and Prize Pool

In 2013, the number of tickets available for the Spanish Christmas Lottery was reduced, lowering the potential maximum prize pool to €2.24 billion.

2014: Value of 1445 Lottery Prize Money

In 2014, the total prize money of 1737 florins from a 1445 lottery would be worth approximately US$170,000.

2017: Kerala GST Collection

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

2018: Ohio 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 2017–2018 Kerala state revenue was Rs 1,691 crore.

January 7, 2020: Lotto Max Jackpot

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

May 2022: Channel 4 Documentary

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

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.