August 27 is celebrated around the world International Lottery Day.

Lottery

The very concept of “lottery” comes from the Finnish language. The word from which the lottery came from sounds like hlot and means “lot.” Later, the word underwent changes, it began to be used in the English version of lot – destiny.

The lottery has existed since ancient times. This practice became widespread in Europe at the end of the 15th century.

Interesting facts about the lottery

• The first lottery known in history was held at the end of February in 1466. The widow of the famous Belgian artist Jan Van Eyck organized a charity event in honor of the 25th anniversary of her husband’s death. Each ticket holder had the opportunity to try their luck and win a prize. All funds collected went to help the poor of the city of Bruges.
• The first large-scale lottery was De Lotto de Firenze, which was held in Florence in 1530. After her, the lottery fever covered the whole of Italy.
• The most successful lottery player in history is the American Joan Ginter from Las Vegas, who in 1993 won her first jackpot – 5.5 million dollars, then in 2003 she won another 2 million, in 2005 – 3 million, and in 2008, the biggest win was 10 million.

• The British Museum was built with money from the sale of lottery tickets.