The History and Future Outlook of Lotteries in Countries Globally
Games of chance are an integral part of almost every culture on the planet, and they have often been embraced by the official authorities and executed through public channels and mass media. Lotteries are the prototype of a gambling activity that can be easily formalised and organised on a mass level.
Few people are aware of the long history of this game format that stretches back for many centuries, even if billions of people happily participate in such games today.
This article will take you back in time to examine how lotteries started and what enabled them to become so popular all over the world, but then we will return to present time and try to predict the future developments in this gaming niche.
Lotteries in Ancient Cultures
While the earliest instances of lotteries are lost to the fogs of time, there are historical records documenting such activities dating back nearly 2200 years. Lotteries were played in China in 2nd century BC, and they may have been used to fund large public projects, including the famous Great Wall.
The mechanics of the game seem strikingly similar to contemporary rules, with tickets to participate available to purchase and random draws determining the winners.
Romans are another ancient civilisation that was known to engage in lottery-based games. Initially, these were a part of lavish private parties and were used to distribute expensive gifts to the guests. In a later period during the rule of Emperor Augustus, public lotteries became a standard practice.
Once again, the idea was to use the game to collect revenues for the state and use it to improve the aging infrastructure of the city of Rome. As you can see from these early examples, lotteries always tended to be organized by the elites and loved by the masses.
Lotteries in Pre-Industrial Times
During the medieval period, lotteries were not a part of public life that was dominated by feudal relations and religious orthodoxy. The interest for such games returned in the renaissance period, starting with Italy and Netherlands in the 15th century.
Not surprisingly, the game was revived as a sneaky way to collect funds needed to wage wars, but in some locations such as Venice it became extremely popular and continued to be organised due to public demand.
France and England were quick to follow suit, and started their own lotteries in the 16th century. The game was exported across the Atlantic and reached American colonies by the 17th century, and it spread through German-speaking territories in Europe around the same period.
The Spanish-speaking world followed soon thereafter, making lotteries a standard feature of all developed nations. Some of the oldest lotteries that are continually in existence have been established in the mid-18th century, notably the Dutch state lottery which was launched in 1726.
Modern Lotteries as Popular Entertainment
As nation states formed in the 19th and 20th centuries, they were often in dire need of money. Lotteries became one of the easy sources of income for governments, leading to their wide adoption even in nations that otherwise didn’t permit gambling.
Today they are played on all continents and often sell millions of tickets for each draw, with the main prizes reaching 9-figure values. Since the price of individual ticket is typically modest, lotteries remain the most accessible legal form of gambling for people all around the world.
For example, residents of North America can pick lucky numbers for lottery Powerball and compete for a prize worth $US 2 billion. Lotteries in countries like South Africa are not nearly as rich, but still offer a chance to get a life-changing amount of money.
Despite the astronomical odds to win the main prize, people enthusiastically participate in lotteries and develop systems for picking the numbers, trying to maximize their chances. With increased number of participants, total value of the prize pool continues to grow but it becomes even more difficult to guess the winning combination.
How Will Lotteries Evolve in the Digital Era?
All forms of gambling are migrating to the digital domain, and this is true for lotteries too. These days you can easily find a website offering access to multiple foreign lotteries, greatly expanding the range of options for the average player.
Increased accessibility may boost the overall appeal of lotteries, but some of their unique charm could be lost in the process. The ritual of purchasing tickets at local stores and watching the draw on television is just not the same when it takes place online.
To put things into perspective, lotteries have survived for thousands of years in a nearly unchanged form so it’s safe to say they will still be around in a decade or two. They might have to adapt to the tastes of the international player base and perhaps introduce some new wrinkles, but the main principle will remain exactly the same.
If anything, more competition for customers might cause lotteries to offer bigger rewards to the players. Lotto-style games could also become more integrated with other types of gambling, for example by distributing free tickets to loyal members of online websites.
