subject: The History Of Lottery [print this page] Lotteries have been with us for a long timeLotteries have been with us for a long time. They go so far back that they're stated in the Bible, and Caesar himself is recognized to have encouraged lottery games in Rome to aid pay for repair work that needed to be done in the city. Legend has it that even the Great Wall of China was paid for by the proceeds of lottery games.
In medieval times, Europe was a hotbed of lottery activity. In 1420, residents of the French town of L'Ecluse decided to abide by Caesar's lead by utilizing a public lottery to aid increase cash; this time to increase the town's defenses. Charitable causes prompted officials in the Belgium city of Bruges to hold a lottery in 1466 to raise cash for the poor and needy.
In the early 16th century, the Italians caught lottery fever when they launched the idea of a 'number' lottery in Florence. Interestingly, the word 'lottery' is believed to originate from the Italian 'lotto', which merely means "fate".
Royalty caught on to lottery's moneymaking possibilities in 1520, when King Francis I of France held the first ever state lottery. The proceeds went to the Royal Court. 40 years later, in the 1560s, lottery fever entered the English Channel when Queen Elizabeth I made the decision to hold her own state lottery to raise cash to enhance England's ailing harbors. Her Majesty's prizes included tapestry and cash.
The lottery gained recognition in England over the next 2 centuries. The British Museum in London, these days one of the finest in the globe, was really commenced on the profits of a lottery in 1753.
Lotteries were particularly popular in the New World in the 18th century. Benjamin Franklin utilized one to purchase the cannons that helped win the American War of Independence, and they were also used to pay money to the army. The Mountain Road, one of the key routes into the west from Virginia, was compensated for with a lottery organized by George Washington.
People were fond of them as well; Thomas Jefferson (the third U.S. President) sold most of his property because of a lottery scheme. Many of America's historic colleges and universities were initially set up with the profits of lotteries. Most particularly, these consist of numerous of the universities in the prestigious Ivy League.
Within the last couple of centuries, lotteries happen to be legalized and implemented in just about every country in the world. As the numbers of people playing become greater, so do the prizes; a jackpot in the USA's Big Game lottery in 2000 gotten to $363 million.
