Are you surprised to find out that lotteries played an important role in funding and founding of the initial colonies that are today currently the United States? It is believed that King James I granted the Virginia Company of London the option of lotteries in order data bullseye to finance not just Jamestown (the initial colony of America) and also to facilitate the passage of the Mayflower in 1620. The lottery has been a common form of gambling for a long time similar to the way we use municipal bonds now, typically run by governments or cities. They can be traced all the way to Chinese Han Dynasty from 205 to 187 B.C.
In the early years of America the records indicate that more than 200 lotteries were played between 1744 through the time of the American Revolution, and these lotteries played an important part in funding roads libraries, churches, bridges, colleges, and other public projects. Some of the most prestigious universities, including Princeton, Columbia University, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, got their funding initially through lotteries. As with the future “war bonds”, lotteries also played a role in aiding the war effort in those times, including the French as well as the Indian Wars and the American Revolution. The rare lottery tickets bearing George Washington’s name can be found, as well as a variety of founders of our nation were involved and even sponsored them, urging people to take part. But gambling was given an appearance of immorality towards the end of the 19th century when the morality improvements (such as temperance as well as women’s rights, reforms to the labor market and the abolishment of slavery) became more popular and religious organizations started to call for the prohibition of all forms of gambling. This, along with alcohol, made it more illegal because dice and cards were the games that were popular. When WWII came to an end and the war ended, gambling was legalized in the State of Nevada legalized gambling in Las Vegas (with a little assistance from organized criminals) and the rest according to the legend is the story of history.
Within Western Europe, lottery’s history goes back to the 1400s, when France was the first to bring them into popularity. The same idea was adopted by the King Francis I of France who permitted lotteries to be operated starting in 1520. In 1567, after seeing the success of the lottery The Queen of England Elizabeth the First set up what is considered as the very first British lottery for the state and the prize was hard cash, along with tangible goods. This was born the popularity and success of lotteries across England and in the Colonies.
In 1744, the first lottery was launched in colonies such as Massachusetts to pay off military debts. It was however in 1776 that the first nationwide lottery was launched through the Continental Congress. The principal purpose was to raise money to finance to fund the American Revolution.
In Western Europe, the first municipal lottery “La Lotto de Firenze” in Florence, Italy was introduced in 1930. The lottery provided a cash prize to draw players, and other Italian cities also followed in the same manner. With the rise of popularity and momentum, many countries have legalized lotteries. Of course, today, thanks to the internet, all people around the world can play lotto online, and in which you can access numerous websites that offer lottery systems and software that increase your odds of winning.