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Lottery Ticket
Lottery Ticket
Lottery tickets have a long and storied history. The earliest known lottery tickets come from China as early as 205 BC. The earliest known lottery tickets from a public lottery are from the town of Sluis in the Netherlands circa 1434. Lotteries became very popular in the Netherlands and Belgium during the late middle ages. These lotteries were started to provide town fortifications and to help the poor. For the next three centuries lotteries were used to help the poor. In addition to implementing the first municipal and state sanctioned lotteries the Dutch were the first of sell lottery tickets for cash prizes. In fact the word lottery is derived from the Dutch word ‘loterij’ and the Dutch ‘Staatsloterij’ is the world’s oldest lottery and is still popular throughout the Netherlands.
In the English speaking world the first official lottery was implemented by Queen Elizabeth the 1st in 1569. One of the first settlements in America was financed by a lottery authorized by King James 1st to help establish the settlement at Jamestown. A large part of the American Revolution was funded through the sale of lottery tickets. At that time taxes were not considered an appropriate means of funding government projects. At the end of the war several states used lotteries to fund government functions and both Harvard and Princeton universities were funded by lotteries.
Lotteries fell out of favor in the US and were not revived until the 1960’s when New Hampshire started a state lottery and sold lottery tickets. Now almost every state in the US operates some sort of state lottery. In the 1990’s multi state lotteries such as Powerball and mega Millions were introduced. These mega jackpot lotteries were an immediate hit with lottery players throughout the US and have remained popular. Tickets are only $1 dollar and jackpots are commonly in the hundreds of millions.
Thanks to computer technology several lotteries now offer online lottery tickets. In Europe, Australia, and New Zealand online lottery ticket sales have been well received by players. Players cite convenience and ease of purchase as the chief factors contributing to the success of online lottery ticket sales. The UK lottery website also sells tickets for EuroMillions and offers players several funding options. In the US two states are currently exploring the possibility of online lottery ticket sales. Confusing and vague federal regulations are currently the only obstacle to providing US players with online lottery tickets. Lottery tickets have certainly come a long way since the 14th century!
Winning Power Ball
Winning Power Ball
The Power Ball lottery has been one of the most successful and popular American lotteries. Powerball jackpots can get unusually large and when this happens lines at most lottery retailers are long and lively. Every player has an equal chance of winning since Power Ball is a pure game of chance. The largest Power Ball jackpot on record was a $365 million dollar jackpot won by a single ticket and was shared by eight co workers at a Con Agra plant. The largest Power Ball jackpot won by an individual was a $315 million dollar jackpot won by Jack Whittaker of West Virginia on Christmas 2002 making Mr. Whittaker’s Christmas a memorable one!
In 2010 an agreement was reached between the Multi State Lottery Association, which operates Power Ball, and the Mega millions consortium allowing the cross sales of Power Ball and Mega Millions lottery tickets in most lottery jurisdictions. The move was well received by lottery players and there is talk of a national lottery similar to the UK National Lottery. Playing Power Ball is simple; players select five numbers from 1 to 59 and one ‘Power Ball’ from 1 through 39. The odds of selecting all five numbers plus the Power Ball are 1 in 195,249,054.00. Despite the high odds winning Power Ball remains a dream for many players who use a wide variety of methods to select winning numbers.
There are thousands of websites touting various lottery ‘methods’ but history shows that most Power Ball winners used the ‘quick pick’ option and had their numbers selected by a random number generator which is available at all lottery retailers. Many websites have a database of where to buy lottery tickets for Power Ball and other lotteries. Recently two states, Illinois and Iowa, are researching the possibility of offering players online lottery tickets. Once federal regulations are modified to allow online lottery ticket sales most lotteries are expected to implement online ticket sales. Power Ball and Mega Millions are expected to follow suit once online lottery ticket sales become legal. Players would no longer have to make a trip to a lottery retailer and online lottery ticket sales would make winning Power Ball easier than ever. The technology for online lottery tickets is already in place and once the ‘bugs’ are worked out players will be able go online and purchase lottery tickets with a click of a mouse.