International Lottery Day: One of the Earliest Known Draws Is Nearly 600 Years Old

^{Lottery tickets / © Shutterstock}

Today, August 27, marks International Lottery Day. There is no single verified explanation for why this particular date was chosen, nor is there any organization officially recognized as having established the day.

Lotteries have a history spanning several centuries. One of the best-known early examples is a charitable lottery held in Bruges, Belgium, in 1466 and organized by the widow of painter Jan van Eyck, with the proceeds used to help the poor.

However, Belgium’s National Lottery traces the origins of modern lotteries even further back, to 1441. Records of a lottery held in Bruges that year have been preserved in the city’s financial archives.

^{Page from Bruges’ municipal financial records documenting the 1441 lottery}

In the United States, lotteries appeared during the colonial period. In 1612, a lottery was used to raise money for the Virginia colony.

The modern U.S. lottery market began much later: in 1964, New Hampshire became the first state to launch a modern state lottery. Governor John King signed the New Hampshire Sweepstakes bill into law on April 30, 1963, and ticket sales began on March 12, 1964.

The lottery was created primarily as an additional source of funding for public education. The first $3 ticket was sold to Governor King himself at Rockingham Park. New Hampshire’s lottery went on to become the model for the modern state lottery system that later spread across the United States.

Today, the best-known U.S. lotteries include Powerball and Mega Millions. Powerball is available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2022, a Powerball ticket sold in California won $2.04 billion — the largest lottery jackpot ever recorded.

In Europe, major cross-border lotteries include EuroMillions and EuroJackpot. EuroMillions is played in nine countries, while EuroJackpot is available across 19 European markets.