1466 The first of the famous lotteries took place in Belgium
According to historians and linguists, the word "lottery" came from the Frankish "hlot", which means "lot". Then it was reduced and turned into an English "lot", which means "share".
Special bones for casting lots were found in ancient Assyrian and ancient Egyptian burials. In Europe, the official history of lotteries began with the drawing, which was arranged in Bruges (Belgium) by the widow of the artist Jan Van Eyck on February 24, 1466, on the 25th anniversary of the death of her husband. Anyone who bought a ticket could try to get happiness. The collection was intended for the urban poor.
Between 1520 and 1532, the French king Francis I permitted the holding of lotteries in several cities in order to obtain personal and public revenues.
The first known large-scale lottery, where the prize was paid in cash, is the so-called "De Lotto de Firenze", which was held in Florence in 1530. Its success was so great that this practice quickly spread to other cities in Italy.
After the unification of Italy, the first national lottery was organized in 1863, with regular (once a week) rallies. The purpose of the lottery was to collect money for the state.
Almost simultaneously with the advent of lotteries, abuses began, and the rallies themselves were often an ordinary fraud.
But, of course, there were positive moments in holding lotteries. Revenues from them often went for the benefit of the state. In Britain, with money from the device of lotteries, such projects as the construction of the British Museum and the repair of bridges were partially or fully funded.
In America, through a lottery, conducted by George Washington, a road was built across the Cumberland mountain district. And in Sydney, due to taxes on gambling, an opera house was built.
Conducting lotteries in different countries and at different times it was forbidden, it was allowed. Thus, in the United States in 1890, President Harrison, together with the congress, condemned the lotteries as "fraudulent and immoral". However, as soon as any state had a need for urgent replenishment of the treasury, the lotteries were again allowed.
In Russian, the word "lottery" appeared in the early 18th century. After the word came to Russia and the lottery itself. Starting from the royal court, it spread wider and wider.
Lotteries were arranged by various private committees, societies, guardianships, shelters. In 1891, a state charity lottery was held in favor of the needy population in the areas affected by the crop failure. In 1914, a similar lottery was held in favor of the wounded and sick soldiers.
The first lottery after the Great October Socialist Revolution was used to raise funds for a fund to help the hungry. Later, using lotteries in the USSR, a wide range of issues were solved, including not only economic issues, but also cultural and educational issues.
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