Lottery is an international game, which involves the drawing of numbers for a prize. Some governments outlaw it, while others promote it and regulate it. In the Netherlands, the state-owned Staatsloterij runs the oldest lottery in the world. Indian state governments also run lotteries, although they are not regulated by the European Union.
Dutch state-owned Staatsloterij is the oldest running lottery
The Dutch state-owned Staatsloterij is one of the world’s oldest running lotteries. Founded in 1445, it has been giving away millions of euros to lucky winners each month. In addition to the great prize payouts, the lottery also helps to fund many charitable organizations in the Netherlands. The lottery draws prize winners on the tenth of the month and is estimated to attract over 4.3 million players per month.
The Dutch state-owned Staatsloterij has been in business for more than 300 years and is governed by the Department of Finance and Justice. The Dutch government requires the Staatsloterij to distribute 60 percent of its turnover to lottery players as prize money. The remainder of the proceeds go to the state’s budget. Apart from the main lottery, the Staatsloterij also manages three Good Causes Lotteries. There are 16 prize draws each year and the prizes are based on the numbers drawn. Each draw takes place in front of a notary.
The first money-prize lotteries were held in the Low Countries during the 15th century. In those days, different towns and cities would hold public lotteries to raise funds for their fortifications and poor. In 1445, the Dutch city of Ghent held a public lottery. The winner won 1737 florins, which is about US$170,000 today.
French lotteries are exempt from European Union laws
A new investigation has been opened by the European Commission into La Francaise des Jeux, the French national lottery, after it was sold to a private company for EUR1.9 billion. The private company paid EUR380 million for the exclusive license to the French lottery, which led to complaints that the sale violated European Union state aid laws. Under EU law, member states cannot give an unfair advantage to particular companies, but there are exceptions, such as for Government-owned monopolies.
French lottery operators are exempt from EU laws in several aspects, including privacy and consumer protection. However, national legislation continues to govern the activities of lotteries, and has increased over the past 30 years. While anti-money laundering rules initially targeted financial services, they have since expanded to cover all gambling services. In response, many member states have chosen to exempt lottery operators under certain conditions.
Indian lotteries are run by state governments
State governments are responsible for administering Indian lotteries, and they earn large amounts of revenue from them. Kerala’s lottery alone is worth up to Rs 908 crore annually, and it generates as much as Rs 1691 crore in state revenues. Besides being an important revenue source for the state, government lotteries in India are also popular for being cost-effective. However, their performance has not met expectations and they are now implementing various strategies to compete with other online lotteries. One of the most popular lotto games in India is Lottery Sambad, which features jackpots ranging from 25 lakh to 31 lakh.
The Indian Lottery Act gives states the power to regulate the conduct of lottery games. It also specifies that all lottery proceeds must be deposited in the state exchequer. The state government is also required to conduct draws within the state, and unclaimed winnings become the property of the state. Moreover, the number of draws should not exceed a certain amount, and the time of draw must be fixed in advance. However, in some cases, six bumper draws are permitted in one calendar year. In addition, the Indian Lottery Act gives states the right to ban the sale of lottery tickets to other Indian states.
