Let’s be honest: you probably don’t really give too much thought, or really don’t even care about the origins of the lottery. If somebody asks you how old you think the lottery is, you probably tell them that it’s as old as when you first remember hearing about it.
I’m guessing that only the people who have already won the lottery actually sit back and ponder the history of the entity that made them rich. The rest of us are just sitting back waiting for our turn.
So, I guess I’m writing this post for you, Grand Lottery Winner. You’re already rich (and probably looking down on all of us little people), so go ahead and educate yourself as well.
The lottery existed in America for much longer than you might imagine. Lotteries were actually taking place as far back as when the first 13 colonies settled here.
Although not created for the same purpose we know them for today, lotteries even back then were administered with the intention of financing colonies, and later funding schools, bridges, and other public works.
Although lotteries were meant to fund a growing economy and civilization, they didn’t always go smoothly, and they weren’t immune to corruption. Things got so bad, particularly with payouts and lack thereof, that most states actually prohibited lotteries altogether.
The first iteration of the lottery as we know it today was set up in Puerto Rico in 1934. New Hampshire adopted their own state lottery in 1964. Less than a decade later, the first scratch-off cards began to appear. By 2019, the lottery, once abolished in all but three states, established itself in 45 of the united states, as well as Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
That was a woefully brief history of the lottery in the United States. But lotteries have existed for centuries around the globe in one form or another.
I mention the corruption involved with the early versions of U.S. lotteries. Corruption wasn’t a new thing either. Take a peek back at Athens around the 6th century, and what they do to try and combat corruption.
In the ancient Greek city of Athens, a form of the lottery was used for what would be, by today’s standards, deemed impractical, to say the least.
It wasn’t called a lottery back then. It was called “sortition.” And participants didn’t earn prizes if their names were drawn. They became government officials.
If you were a free male of 18 years old or older living in Athens in the 6th century B.C., your name went into a drawing. If your name was selected, you’d earn a seat as a term juror, or as part of the citizen council.
The Athenians believed that lotteries prevented positions from being bought through corruption, or won through political manipulation. Therefore, to them, the lottery was considered more democratic than elections.
By contrast, if any 18-year-old could earn a spot in government in 21st century America, I feel confident in saying that time might be a good time to move to another country.
here’s another interesting form of lottery that pre-dates the Powerball. We’ve all heard of the game Keno, even if we don’t know exactly how to play it.
Well, if you’re pounding your chest because you fancy yourself a master at the game, then you have the Han Dynasty era in China to thank for the game you now conquer.
2000 years ago, a popular game called, “baige piao,” dictated that layers could choose a series of numbers and characters. If the number/character combinations came up in a random drawing, players won prizes.
As would be true in the United States 2 millennia later, proceeds from the games were used to fund public works projects, including some of the work on the Great Wall of China.
I would be remiss if I were to leave you thinking that all lotteries were drawings in which participants wanted a chance to be chosen.
One lottery, in particular, was quite the opposite. The lottery was called “decimation,” and this one popped up in ancient Rome.
As a soldier (or a legionarie as some were called then), you were expected to always follow orders and show courage. It was literally considered a crime to do otherwise.
So to discourage cowardice and disobedience, every legionarie and soldier found guilty of these crimes had the misfortune of having their names added to a very barbaric drawing.
One man out of every ten was selected. The poor, cowardly, disobedient soul was then executed; beaten to death by his fellow soldiers.
The premise was simple: since nobody knew for sure who was going to get selected for this form of justice, it would behoove you not to be the one found guilty of this crime in the first place.