A lottery is a form of gambling that involves drawing numbers to win prizes. Prizes range from cash to goods or services. Lotteries are legal in some countries and prohibited in others. In the United States, state and local governments regulate the lottery industry. Some governments use the proceeds of a lottery to fund public education. Others use it to promote tourism.
The first modern lotteries appeared in Europe in the 17th century. They were organized as public lottery games for the city of Paris, and later as private ones for religious orders. By the late 18th century, public lotteries were common throughout Europe, and private ones were becoming popular in many areas of the world.
In Canada, lotteries were illegal until 1967. That year the federal Liberal government introduced a bill (an Omnibus Bill) to update a number of outdated laws. Minister of Justice Pierre Trudeau sponsored the bill, and his proposal concerning lotteries was included in it.
While the government’s new law allowing the sale of lottery tickets went through Parliament, Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau launched his own “voluntary tax”. For a $2.00 donation participants could enter a monthly draw to win silver bars. While the Minister of Justice alleged that this “tax” contravened the new Canadian lottery legislation, the municipal authorities defended it as a valid method for raising money for the city’s budget. Despite the ongoing debate about its legality, the tax continued to raise significant sums and attracted players from across Canada, the United States, and Asia.
A few years after the introduction of the Omnibus Bill, Quebec’s provincial courts ruled that Drapeau’s “voluntary tax” was indeed a lottery and should therefore be regulated. The federal government subsequently changed the Canadian Lottery Act to permit provinces to operate their own lotteries.
Today, the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation operates four nationwide lotteries in Canada: Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max (which replaced Lotto Super 7 in September 2009), Daily Grand, and Millionaire Life. In addition, there are several regional lotteries operated by their respective provincial and territorial governments: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario), Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), and British Columbia Lottery Corporation (British Columbia).
The International Lottery in Liechtenstein Foundation (ILLF) was founded in 1995 and pioneered Internet gaming. It operates the first-ever online lottery and the first instant scratch card games on the Internet. The ILLF also supports charitable projects and organizations domestically and internationally. Unlike other Internet lottery operators, the ILLF does not offer its winnings in exchange for money or stock. Its profits are distributed by the governing body, the ILLF Grants Board, directly to a number of organizations, including Sport and Recreation New Zealand, Creative New Zealand, and the New Zealand Film Commission.