History of Lottery in Timeline

A lottery is a form of gambling where numbers are randomly drawn for a prize. Governments have varied stances, ranging from prohibition to endorsement via national or state lotteries, often regulating aspects like sales to minors and vendor licensing. Common in the 19th century, lotteries faced widespread illegality in the early 20th century across the U.S., Europe, and other countries. Post-WWII, the 1960s saw their resurgence, alongside casinos, as governments sought revenue generation without direct tax increases.

1916: Australian government started 'Golden Casket Art Union'

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 and helped veterans of World War One.

1917: Lottery organised by the British government

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

1933: National lottery was reintroduced

In 1933, a national lottery was reintroduced.

1933: Lotteries became regularised

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

1934: First modern government-run US lottery established in Puerto Rico

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

1964: Lottery established in New Hampshire

In 1964, a lottery was established in New Hampshire.

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: Government founded and incorporated lottery

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

1969: Lottery industry start operated

The lottery industry in Malaysia started operating in early 1969 by Berjaya Group.

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 Yle TV1

On January 3, 1971, the first lottery draw in Finland was televised on Yle TV1.

January 1971: First draw

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

1980: Pennsylvania Lottery scandal

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

1980: Changes in number selection

Until the autumn of 1980, players in Finland chose six numbers between 1 and 40 for the lottery. Then for a few years seven numbers between 1 and 37.

August 1985: Government sold the company to businessman Vincent Tan

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

1994: National Lottery established

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

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

In 2003, Mohan Srivastava found non-random patterns in "Tic-Tac-Toe" tickets, so "Tic-Tac-Toe" was pulled off the shelves 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 tickets sold for about $15,000

In 2007, rare lottery tickets bearing George Washington's signature from his unsuccessful Mountain Road Lottery in 1768 were sold for about $15,000 and became collector's items.

January 3, 2011: Lottery turned 40

On January 3, 2011, the lottery in Finland turned 40 years old, and by then the lottery had been drawn 2,126 times.

2011: Profit categories were changed

In 2011, the profit categories of the lottery in Finland were changed from the 2011 round 41.

2012: Spanish Christmas Lottery prize payout

In 2012, the Spanish Christmas Lottery was considered the biggest lottery worldwide. If all tickets had been sold, the total amount payout of prizes would have been worth €2.52 billion.

September 2013: Lottery televised on Yle TV1

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

October 2013: Lottery draws were postponed on MTV3

In October 2013, the 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: Reduced number of tickets

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 about US$170,000

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

2017: Kerala collected GST worth Rs 908 crore

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

2018: Ohio offered a digital lottery option

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

2018: Kerala collected state revenue of Rs 1,691 crore

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

January 7, 2020: Lotto Max drawing with a jackpot of $70 million

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

May 2022: Residents of Rhymney won in People's Postcode Lottery

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

November 2022: Powerball set a record for the 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 8 November 2022 draw having an estimated jackpot of US$2 billion.