Aside from being one way for a person to make money on a bet, a lottery is also the means by which a person may be able to help another, and thus benefit society as a whole. It is usual for lotteries to be arranged so that a portion of revenue raised is allocated to charitable projects of one kind or another.
The lottery was born as long ago as 100BC, when the game of Keno was invented in China, during the Hun Dynasty. The monies raised from this early prototype were allotted towards defense projects, including the building of The Great Wall of China. Many other civilizations operated lotteries: that of the Romans being the first in Europe. What began in Rome as an amusement for the wealthier members of society, became, during the reign of the Emperor, Augustus, a means of raising revenue to keep the city in good repair. Prizes at this early date were usually valuable objects rather than cash.
During the medieval period was the first public lottery held in modern times recorded as taking place in the town of Sluis,in the Netherlands, in 1434. The first time that money rather than prizes was regularly given away was in about 1444, in Flanders – an area now covered by France, Holland and Belgium. These lotteries are reputed to have been held for the benefit of both the poor and the towns fortifications. These lotteries were regarded, especially by the Dutch, as a form of taxation, albeit in a somewhat disguised form.It is recorded that in 1465, in Belgium, lotteries were held to raise money for the construction of almshouses, port facilities and canals.
In the West, there was great appetite for a lottery. Late in the 16th century, Elizabeth initiated the original English state lottery. That this was a great popular success can be seen in the fact that four thousand tickets were sold for the original lottery, with the prizes given away tapestries, plate and cash. After this, the government thought it expedient to sell the rights to brokers, who would then hire agents all over the country to sell on the tickets o the great unwashed. The lottery continued until 1826, when Parliament decided to discontinue it.
Soon, the notion of the lottery had spread worldwide, and was played almost globally. The fine and altruistic intentions of the first lotteries had given way, perhaps inevitably,to venal and corrupt administration of the lotteries. Often, winners in private lotteries would find their advertised prizes substituted for those of inferior value. It was not unusual for the unlucky winners to end up with no prize at all. Some countries, Canada and the United States amongst them, banned the playing of lotteries in an attempt to cut down on corruption. It was not too long, however, before the lottery returned, this time bound by laws and governance to ensure the continuation of its sportsmanlike tradition.
Current practice is for lotteries to allot a percentage of ticket sales to good causes, and the upkeep of public buildings and parks etc. The lottery has even come into the modern era, with the advent of convenient online playing and gambling websites.
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