10 Interesting Facts About the Lottery You Won’t Believe

The rush of chance, the thrill of playing, the big bright chance to be rich beyond your wildest dreams. This is why people play the lottery! 

The lottery has had a bizarre history and a number of weird facts and tidbits about it. Ever wondered where it all started or weird uses for lottery winnings?

Today we have 10 interesting facts about the lottery, from the weird to the comical. Check them out below. 

1. The First Lottery

Despite its modern showcasing on television, the lottery is quite a rather old concept. Modern lotteries can trace their roots back to 15th century Netherlands, who held the first modern recorded lottery in 1445.

The lottery can also trace back even farther, with some ancient records 100 B.C. in both Ancient Rome and Han Dynasty China.

2. Lottery Word Origins

Due to the modern origins in the Netherlands, the word for Lottery comes from the Danish word lot, which means fate. 

The term lotto originates from Italy and their first one was only a few years after Netherlands’ lottery. 

3. The Pope Lottery

Italian lotteries were very common and popular for several hundred years. The Vatican, though, was against them, even condemning those who participated in them with excommunication.

In 1732, they relented and have been holding official lotteries to this day.

4. Birthing a Museum

The British Museum was a product of lottery winnings! An early English lottery created in 1753 aimed to build the museum with the earnings.

5. Winning Independence with Lottery

Even more intense use of lottery earnings is the American Revolution. The lottery funded many aspects of the Revolutionary War effort. This included Benjamin Franklin funding a cannon with a lottery in Philadelphia. 

6. What Are The Odds

You have a higher chance of dying in a car crash are about 1 in 6,700. The odds of lightning striking you sometime in your lifetime is 1 in 12,000.

The odds of winning the lottery are around 1 in 258,900,000. To give you some perspective on your chances. 

7. Job Status Post Lottery

A 2009 study in Sweden saw that 62% of lottery winners kept their regular jobs despite winning the lottery.

Many cited that their jobs gave them a sense of purpose and identity, so it wasn’t the money. 

8. The Big Unclaimed Lot

The largest unclaimed lottery winnings is £63,837,543.60. This unclaimed ticket was from the Euromillions UK lottery in 2012. 

Finding the ticket now will get you nothing, as the drawing has long since been over. 

9. Online and Across the Globe

You can participate in lotteries both online and around the globe. You can play many national lotteries online. 

From 4D lottery in Malaysia to a number of American and European lotteries, you can win big without ever leaving your home!

10. Speed Laws and Lottery

In Stockholm, Sweden, a lottery has found its way into speeding laws. 

Speeding cameras are at almost every street corner. Those found driving the speed limit get put into a lottery with the winnings funded traffic fines by those caught speeding!

10 Interesting Facts Down, More Weird Ones To Come

10 interesting facts later and you’ve learned quite a bit about the lottery. A bit of history, a bit of language, and a bit of remorse for what that one unclaimed lotto ticket could have been.

Here at Weirdomatic, we are never short on the weird and bizarre to show off to you. From facts to ideas, we have it all. Why don’t you check out our other weird collections while you’re here. 

Weirdomatic is the place where all weird things come to life through the amazing world of photographs – a corner of our wild imagination or the whimsical face of the reality?