Lottery origins: How did today’s lotto games come about? – November 17th 2011

by: admin - Category:

Some people may think that the lottery is a relatively modern pastime, but in reality, the concept of such games has been going on for not just hundreds of years but millennia.

Tracing back such activities through history, there have been records of lottos taking place in ancient civilisations, long before countries where lotteries are very popular now – such as the US and UK – were even using the alphabet.

Some of the earliest accounts of people playing lottery games can be found in Hang Dynasty records in China circa 205 to 187 BC.

It is believed a pastime called Keno originated at this time, with draws generating funding to finance government projects such as the Great Wall of China.

A century later, during the reign of Roman leader Augustus Caesar, a public lottery was held to raise money to finance the restoration of Rome.

Lotto games as we know them today began to crop up in the Middle Ages, with a draw in Florence being held with a cash prize in 1530 – it is thought this was the first such lottery in history where players could win a payout if they picked the right numbers.

Even today, lotteries are still evolving, with the Italian SuperEnalotto emerging from the famous Enalotto game, while new draws continue to crop up across the world.

Interested in joining this time-honoured pastime? Choose from theLotter‘s 38 official global lotteries and try your luck!