Day: July 19, 2022

In the 17th century, lotteries were widespread in the Netherlands, where they raised money for the poor and served a variety of public purposes. People hailed them as a painless way of taxing themselves. The oldest lottery, the Staatsloterij, was founded in 1726. Its name comes from a Dutch noun meaning “fate.” Lotteries are a…

Drawing lots to determine ownership of property dates back to ancient times. By the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the practice was more common in Europe. In the United States, the first lottery was tied to funding for the Jamestown settlement. Later, private organizations and public organizations used the proceeds of the lottery to fund public-works…