8/10/22
The first signs of a lottery trace back to Asia, where ancient Keno slips were discovered. First played in China, the lottery has helped finance major governmental projects like the Great Wall of China. Organized governmental regulation of gambling, as opposed to taxation by force, is recorded as early as 321 B.C. in India where a Superintendent of Public Games supplied dice and collected a fee of 5% of the receipts. The Principality of Monaco, a country with more millionaires per capita than any country in the world, is primarily supported by gaming revenues.
Government Gaming Abroad
3
Government Gaming in the English Colonies Because the colonies had no power to tax, they were dependent on help from England. In 1612, King James I chartered the Virginia Company of London to raise revenue for the benefit and support of the Jamestown settlement. The company was authorized to conduct lotteries throughout England in order to raise money. The lotteries were relatively sophisticated and included instant winners. One colonist noted that the revenue from these lotteries were“reall and substantiall food, by which Virginia hath been nourished.” Eventually, the crown banned the lotteries because of complaints that they were viewed as robbing England of money.
4
2
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs