#Lottery July 10
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July 2026 several of us are going to take on theĀ 30-Day America at 250 Coach4aday Challenge. Each day we share something about Americaās unique and quirky history. It can be about a place, an event, or person.Ā Todayās story focuses on the first LOTTERY held in the US. It took place in Massachusetts in 1745.
One little-known fact is that the first authorized lottery in Colonial America was held in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1745. Faced with heavy debt after years of high poll and estate taxes and mounting military expenses, the Massachusetts General Court looked for a way to raise money without placing an even greater burden on its citizens. On January 9, 1745, it approved a public lottery as a creative way to help pay the colony’s outstanding obligationsāmaking lotteries part of American history more than 30 years before the Declaration of Independence.
Day 10-1745 Lottery
The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.
Located an extensive article written by Steve Swain on Colonial America Lotteries with the 1745 Massachusetts Lottery being the first. Interesting fact in that piece was that Britain did not declare the beginning of the year on January 1st until 1752. Prior to then it was March 25th the Incarnation of Christ or Lady Day.
Lotteries remained popular after the American Revolution as the new states continued using them to raise money for public projects, just as the colonies had done. Public opinion has shifted back and forth over the centuries, but lotteries have remained a significant source of government revenue, proving that America’s debate over how to fund public needs has been around since the nation’s earliest days.
If you want to read more about early history of lottery in the US go to this link.
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