Lotteries are very old. However before we go into the history of the lottery I should explain where the name originates. It stems from a Dutch word (loterij) which means fate.
Although the modern National Lottery only started in 1994 in the UK it was, Queen Elizabeth I who started the first lottery in England in 1567.
And, in 1612 the king of England, James I, use lottery money to help build up the colony of Jamestown in Virgina. In fact there is evidence to suggest lotteries may have existed in Britain as far back as the Roman occupation.
In Europe the earliest recorded lottery was held by painter Jan Van Eyck in 1446 were he offered his paintings as prizes.
Belgium is a European country that was holding lotteries as far back as 1465 to pay for essential city works.
In 1530 Florence, Italy, offered cash prizes in a lottery and in 1539 the King of France, Francis I, held a lottery to try to ease the countries growing debt.
Th Netherlands have a national lottery that dates back to 1726 and has remained largely unchanged throughout the centuries.
China has been having lotteries for millennia and there is a large body of evidence that shows lotteries being held in 200 BC.
The proceeds of some of these lotteries were used by the Chinese to pay for the building of The Great Wall.
However, the lottery is much older than that!
The lottery dates back to the Bible. In ancient biblical text we see evidence for lotteries taking place. The Book of Numbers clearly indicates that Moses was awarded land from a lottery win.