source: Pixabay
Interesting article written by Bernard Harris.
National lotteries play an important part in many cultures today but they have a long history and, in France, it is certainly an interesting one. There was once an atypical lottery – a baby lottery that sought to raise money for a hospital by finding homes for ‘live’ and ‘adorable’ babies – but that is one for another day! Here, we’ll be looking into the twists and turns that brought the lottery in France to where it is today.
This account begins with the so-called “Blanque”, established in 1539 and intended to raise funds for the Paris government – something you’ll see became a running theme as time went on. But bans on gambling in 1254, 1319, 1369, 1560 and 1577 suffocate the Blanque, indicating that the lottery was not welcome in France – although, there are suggestions that private lotteries and tombolas were taking place in the 15th century and the continuous run of State bans could be interpreted as showing that lotteries were still taking place illicitly.
Source: Pixabay.
Yet, it was in the 1700s the intrigue really begins to unfold. The municipality of Paris introduced the Hôtel de Ville Loterie. It was actually an attempt to recover debts that the French government had accrued over time – not so distant in purpose, then, from the Blanque. It took place monthly and only bondholders were allowed to participate – to try to recover some of the money they were owed. One of the bondholders was none other than writer and philosopher Voltaire who, in 1729, took full advantage of a loop-hole in the system: it was paying out more than the total sum of tickets. In a form of a syndicate, he and several others managed to make a fortune from the broken system.
A later version of the lottery in France was brought in on 22 July 1933. The had the honorable intention of helping those injured in the war, war veterans and victims of agricultural disasters. From 1934, there was also the possibility of buying a fifth or a tenth of a ticket, opening the system up to a wider range of people.
During the Second World War, the Loterie Nationale continued to be drawn in Paris’ Salle Pleyel, in spite of paper shortages, delayed trains, complications with the post and all sorts of disturbances. In fact, after the war, it became a weekly occurrence, with special editions for Valentine’s Day, Mothers’ Day and Friday 13th. It survived until the launch of the modern Loto in 1974 and today you can play French Lotto online. Taking place three times a week, it’s a draw that retains the excitement of its centuries-long history.
But there is a further twist in the history of the French lottery, with the French government deciding this year to make Français des Jeux public by selling off 50% of its ownership. Inspired by the British National Lottery’s heritage fund, the intention of the new prize draw is to raise funds that will go towards saving France’s heritage sites, which are falling into disrepair. Perhaps unwittingly, it is resurrecting history to do so.
what a great post - so interesting and nothing I would ever have considered to be worthy of doing some research on!
Posted by: Kiki | August 17, 2018 at 06:40 PM