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Did you think that lotteries were something that modern man thought of, as a way of becoming wealthy? The truth is that the Chinese started their first lottery between 205 and 187 BC. It is believed that the proceeds were to help the government finance the Great Wall of China.
There is mention made of various other lotteries in various countries, including Rome, but the earliest history of lotteries appears to have been in Sluis in Holland in 1434. The lottery idea spread to other Dutch towns and there are records that show that the proceeds were used to fortify towns. In later years lotteries were organized to raise money for the poor.
Queen Elizabeth I in 1566 organized a state lottery. The proceeds of the lottery were used to help the poor. Every one that bought a ticket won a prize. The prizes equaled the value of the money raised for the lottery. The ticket holders were not given cash but the equivalent of the prize money in silver ware. The prizes were only given in 1569, which means that the government had an interest free loan for three years. This was actually a very enterprising idea.
The early history of lotteries proves that the British always had a few lotteries on the go through the centuries. One such lottery was held to raise money for the Virginia Company of London to support its settlement in Jamestown in America. The English had a state lottery running from 1694