The Netherlands state-owned Staatsloterij is the world’s oldest operating lottery. Lotteries in other countries also exist, including the multijurisdictional New York Lottery and Pennsylvania’s George Washington’s Lottery. Here are some facts about these games. Let’s start with the history of the lottery. In the Old Testament, Moses used the lottery to divide the land among the Israelites. In the Roman Empire, emperors used lotteries to distribute land, slaves, and property. In the United States, lotteries were introduced by British colonists, but were banned between 1844 and 1859 in ten states.
Dutch state-owned Staatsloterij is the oldest running lottery
The Netherlands’ state-owned Staatsloterij is the world’s oldest running lottery. It draws winners every tenth of the month between 6 pm CET and 9 pm CET. The jackpot has topped EUR 37 million in the past. The lottery originated in the Low Countries, where it was seen as a form of taxation that would help the poor. Now, the lottery has grown into one of the world’s biggest, giving prize money to 4.3 million people each month.
Multi-jurisdictional lotteries
A multi-jurisdictional lottery is a game that is operated by several jurisdictions that use different lottery games and share a common jackpot. The games may have different names, themes, payout amounts at the state level, and methods of play. While they may have different rules and different prizes, these games must have one common component in order to attract and retain players. These games are also commonly known as fast play progressives.
Pennsylvania’s George Washington’s Lottery
The winning ticket in Pennsylvania’s George Washington’s Lotteriy came from Steven and Kristine White, a couple who purchased the winning ticket in 1776 in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. The couple could have won a $213 million annuity for the next 29 years, but instead they chose a smaller one-time payment. The Washingtons’ story shows that the lottery isn’t all about money, though.
New York’s New York Lottery
The New-York Lottery has a long history of supporting education in the state. Since its launch 48 years ago, the lottery has contributed over $51 billion to educational initiatives. In 2014, for example, the lottery donated $3.1 billion to fund education initiatives, which represents 15 percent of the state’s funding for school districts. The lottery has also funded several special programs, such as the Multi-State Powerball, Mega Millions, and Cash4Life.
Other lotteries
Lotteries began long before the United States. The English and European colonies were well-versed in lotteries, and the Virginia Company of London drained the British Crown of money by running a lottery. The colonies later adopted their own lotteries, as well as held wartime lotteries. But before the United States could enjoy the benefits of lotteries, it needed a new model. That model involved outsourcing marketing and sales functions to private companies.