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Historians have found evidence of slips which were a part of the Keno lottery game in China. This game was conducted by the Han Dynasty during the period of 205 and 187 B.C. These tickets were used to help in the building of the Great Wall of China and other projects undertaken by the rulers at that time.
The earliest form of European lotteries was found during the Roman Empire. Tickets were given to the guest for attending the dinner parties. But no money was taken from the guest – the guest received a variety of gifts on winning the lottery. Lotteries were first put for sale by the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. They were used to repair the City of Rome.
Besides the Netherlands, England too started using the lottery for generating funds for public purpose. Since the common people could not afford the price of a single lottery, the lottery ticket was sold in the form of shares consisting of different parts. The printed lottery ticket clearly showed how many parts it was divided into.
George Washington too tried running a lottery. It was called the Mountain Road Lottery, but his attempt was an unsuccessful one. Although his lottery didn’t have any success, the tickets which bear his signature are in great demand nowadays – lottery ticket collectors are known to pay handsome amounts to lay their hands on one of these tickets signed by him. Then came a phase when the lotteries were banned by law in America. Once the ban was lifted in America, the lottery ticket grew in popularity and started using better and superior technology for the printing of tickets.
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