We all know at least one person in our lives who happens to love playing the lottery. If we don’t, then we’re that person. And who can blame us? The lottery is something so attractive and fun that it has spread to every human era and every possible corner. Obviously, we can’t guarantee that isolated indigenous peoples have their particular version, but we can say that it has even financed the Great Wall of China. Don’t you believe us? Well, look here at how the lottery has changed over time.
Classical Lottery | Goodness Gracious, Great Wall of China
It may sound surreal, but there is actually data on the first keno slips dating back to 205 and 187 BC. As it is known, these lotteries were a tremendous help to finance governmental projects like the Great Wall of China.
In Europe, things were done with a little more style and finesse, as the lottery was part of the entertainment at dinner parties. The prizes were not pure gold coins either, but fancy items such as cutlery or other dinnerware. It was in fact Emperor Augustus who has the honor of being the first documented case, using lottery money to repair the city of Rome.
Medieval & Modern Age | The Money That Starts to Flow
France, England, the United States, and Spain all got on board with lottery endeavors. After the introduction of significant real money prizes in the Middle Ages in the Low Countries, each nation decided to introduce its own system.
King Francis I of France was the first to bring the lottery into modern history, after looking at what was done in Italy to help the state finances. It’s true that up to this point, the casino games that you could find in our list of the best Google Pay casino online have nothing to do with those games. Yet, it was already a bit closer to our present day.
In England, Queen Elizabeth I (not the current Queen) implemented a similar system to repair the country. Each lottery ticket at that time had a prize, which could go from cash to tapestries, silver plates, or fine linen cloth.
Later, both the United States, Spain, and German-speaking countries took notice of these governmental aids, thus creating an increasingly well-known and desirable game among the citizens.
Modern History | The Era of the Multi Millions
Although the way of playing the lottery has changed a little over the centuries, the original idea remains the same. What has changed, however, are the prizes. What used to be beautiful silverware, today are amounts of money that are impossible to spend in a single lifetime.
Let’s take a look at those miraculous bonuses that have taken some bank accounts in recent years:
- $1.586 billion pre-tax on Powerball (United States) on January 13, 2016
- €185 million in EuroMillions (Britain) on July 12, 2011
- RMB¥ 570 Million in the China Welfare Lottery (China) on June 12, 2012
- R$244 Million in Mega-Sena (Brazil) on December 31, 2012
- A$150 in Powerball (Australia) on September 19, 2019
These prizes are the most groundbreaking in history and no other game manages to reach these sums. On top of that, right now you can access from anywhere in the world an online casino or a gambling site that has keno or lottery, to stuff your slips either at the pool or on the way to work on your mobile.
And all that history, having started just to help finance some governmental projects in the far east B.C….
