What day is it?

On February 24, all people on Earth who are trying to catch “fortune by the tail” can celebrate Lottery birthday. A lottery is an action in which a large number of people participate by buying “lucky” tickets. On this day, everyone has the opportunity to try their luck once again and buy a lottery ticket.

How did the idea to celebrate the lottery’s birthday come about?

Lottery birthday falls on February 24 for a reason. It was on this day in 1466 that the first such action took place in one of the Belgian towns. Its organizer was the wife of Jan van Eyck, a famous Flemish artist. The woman decided to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the artist’s death and collect funds for donations for the poor population of the city. The founder herself did not receive any profit from this lottery.

Lottery in ancient times

But the first draws were held long before the lottery, which was introduced in Belgium. Historians trace the birth of the lottery game back to the time of the ancient Chinese Western Han dynasty, approximately 200 years BC. At that time, people played the so-called “white pigeon game” – a type of keno. The raffle got its name because pigeons were used to send lottery results to remote areas. Part of the income from these raffles was used to finance the construction of the Great Wall of China.

Also, the Roman emperors arranged luxurious parties at which expensive gifts were played. Caesar Augustus introduced lottery, on which the treasures brought by the army from the last conquest were raffled off. Part of the proceeds from this raffle was used to finance the maintenance of public streets and buildings in the capital of the Roman Empire.

The first lotteries in Europe and America

Lotteries in medieval Europe were held among the nobility. They gave participants an opportunity to have fun and raise funds for government projects. So, in the 15th-17th centuries, the money received from the sale of lottery tickets was used to finance charitable organizations, construction, large trips, maintenance of North American colonies, etc.

In North America, lottery draws began almost immediately after the arrival of the first colonists. This allowed the colony to collect enough money to survive the winter. In 1655, a lottery was organized in the settlement of New Amsterdam (modern New York), during which participants had to guess how many Bibles were sold in the city during a certain period of time.

After the Civil War of 1861-65, lotteries became very popular because they provided an opportunity to rebuild cities and work on other projects.

Lotteries in the times of the USSR

During the times of the Soviet Union, there was a state monopoly on the organization of raffles. Funds collected from the lottery were used to finance sports events and the athletes themselves. However, mostly lottery tickets were sold under compulsion.

In 1970, the most famous lottery in the USSR, “Sportloto 6 of 49”, was launched. Schoolgirl Maria Obukhova became its first participant. The raffle quickly gained popularity among citizens, and later, about 6 million people participated in the lottery every week, which enriched the state budget by 150 million rubles annually. It is believed that the buyers of lottery tickets provided 80% of the Olympic budget.

Lottery business in Ukraine

Today, only state lotteries are played in Ukraine – half of the income from sold tickets goes to the prize fund, and up to 25% goes to the state budget. State money lotteries annually bring from 50 to 100 million hryvnias to the budget. Illegal actions with lottery tickets, namely, production, sale of fakes, etc. are punished in accordance with the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Interesting facts about the lottery

• US resident Joan Ginter had the most success in drawing lottery tickets. She won the jackpot as many as 4 times. Her biggest win was 10 million US dollars in 2008. Journalists discovered that the woman was a professor of mathematics and taught statistics at Stanford University. So, probably, its results are based on calculations, and not on “blind luck”.
• Thanks to a famous film comedy in the USSR, the phrase about lottery tickets became popular: “They won’t buy – let’s turn off the gas!”.
• Statistics show that about 80% of people who hit the jackpot are not able to dispose of it properly. They do not know how to save and multiply funds. Most lucky people quickly become bankrupt.

How to celebrate the birthday of the lottery?

The holiday is not very common, despite the promotions that are often held by the organizers of the state lottery. Nevertheless, employees of this field gather for corporate events and celebrate the birthday of the lottery in a narrow circle of colleagues and relatives.

At the same time, each person can try his luck and purchase several lottery tickets. By the way, you can buy several lottery tickets as a gift to your friends.

When will we celebrate Lottery birthday?