The US lottery dates back to the early 1700s. Newspaper advertisements from the colonial era point to hundreds of lotteries in operation. New Hampshire introduced the lottery in 1934 and in 1964, Puerto Rico became the first state to offer a lottery. Now, 45 states and Washington DC operate lotteries, with Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands expected to follow suit in 2021. The US lottery offers both drawing games and instant win games. The history of the lottery in the US is much shorter than that of many other countries.
The first recorded lottery had money prizes and was a popular taxation method in the Low Countries. In the 17th century, the Netherlands introduced public lotteries to help poor people and to raise money for public works. These early lotteries were hailed as a simple and effective form of taxation. Today, the oldest lottery in the world is the Staatsloterij in the Netherlands. The term lottery comes from a Dutch noun meaning “fate” and is a result of this early use of the word.
Today, online lottery sales are available in several states and are becoming increasingly popular, including Michigan. More states are approving online lottery sales, and more are expected to follow suit in the future. Some states even offer instant win scratch cards. Online lottery sales are a great way to make sure you have an extra chance to win. In addition to online lottery sales, some states offer multi-state drawings, allowing players to buy tickets from different states in one transaction.
