The dream of winning the lottery is an integral part of most people’s lives. From politicians to emperors and philosophers, lottery winners have all benefited in different ways. But how did the lottery come into existence? What inspired its creation? Well, if these are the questions you need to be answered, keep reading!
How It Started
According to history, lotteries were first created by the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. At that time, Rome was in dire need of repairs. However, the people were already heavily taxed that any further tax upsurge would cause public unrest. And this prompted Augustus Caesar to come up with the idea of organizing a lottery so as to raise revenues. Since then, most governments continue to use lotto games as a way to raise money for funding civic projects.
About two-hundred years later, Elagabalus, another popular Roman emperor took a peculiar turn into lotteries. What started as a beautiful game with prizes, such as, slaves and land tuned into forced public lotteries. Tickets were released by catapults into the crowd. Live snakes were released along with the tickets and the prizes included wasps, death sentences, bees, as well as, dead animals. But this led to the emperor’s assassination at the age of eighteen.
Lotto Games In America
Lotteries played a significant role in funding the establishment of the first English colonies. In fact, the first lottery that was held in America raised 29,000 pounds in the year 1612. Lotteries were used to public projects such as building churches, paving streets, and constructing wharves. In the eighteenth-century lotto games were used to finance the establishment of buildings at Yale and Harvard.
But following various scandals in the Louisiana lottery, most lotteries were outlawed by most American states. The federal government abolished the use of the mail for lotto games in 1890. And it effectively ended all lotteries in 1895 when it invoked the Commerce Clause to prohibit shipment of lottery tickets in the United States of America.
Reestablishing the Lotto Industry
The revival of lotteries started in New Hampshire, where a state lottery was established in the year 1964. This also inspired other cities like New York, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, and the other ten states to re-establish the operation of lotteries.
The principal argument used in promoting the adoption of lotto focused on its value as a reliable source of “painless” revenue. People voluntarily spend their money on gambling with the aim of benefiting the public. And this gave lotto another chance to thrive. People changed their perception about the lottery and started treating it like other betting options. Sites such as Betfred were established, which gave customers chances to win real money.
The Bottom-Line
About twenty-five percent of the funds generated through lotto games go to state governments, financing several projects including schools, hospitals, and churches. But you should always gamble responsibly. You really don’t want to lose all your hard-earned money on gambling. So, be wise and careful. According to www.theniftyfifty.com/, you should only bet with what you can afford. Otherwise, you might end up regretting your decision to play lotto games.
