程阳：欧洲彩票简史

Brief history of lottery in Europe

Does the word: "Lotto" come from the Teutonic hlot (prize drawing), the Italian lotteria (destiny or fate) or from the Dutch loterije?

Do the origins of Lotto, go back to Gaul, Burgundy, or the Flanders or even further back to the Egyptian pharaohs? To the Ancient Greeks? In classical mythology, Greek youths drew lots for the honour of being sacrificed to the Minotaur. Or, the Romans who would bet on a game based on the outcome of chariot racing?

Literature abounds on Gaming in general and on lottery more specifically. It seems, however, that although gambling and different kinds of lotteries have been held for many centuries, not only in Europe but also all over the world, the "modern" history of lottery, as we know it, was already in widespread use in Genoa around the 16th century. The custom was to draw at random the names of 5 citizens as members of the Senate among the names of 90 candidates to run the city. Gamblers would place bets on five names. The winners who would be those who named all or some of those elected. As there was only one drawing of lots a year, Benedetto Gentile suggested, circa 1530, that a game along the same lines could be run in which 90 plain numbers were used instead of names. This lotto met with instant success and was the forefather of modern organized European lotteries.

The first practical guide for gamblers, in Europe, was written more than 400 years ago by an Italian doctor and mathematician named Geronimo Cardano (1501-1576) in his "Book of Games and Chance". It is also said that a very successful lottery was set up by Giovanni Giacomo Casanova, in April 1758. A 5/90 game. He gave each number, the name of a deserving girl.

In the course of the 16th century, lotto was imported from Italy into France during the battle campaigns of Francois I. The first State lottery was set up in France in 1539 under the title Blanque (owing to the blank, null ticket). Certain tickets were blank and won no prizes. When one of these tickets was drawn, the official shouted "blanc".

In France, as well, a version of "Le Lotto" took form that closely resembled modern bingo games. The French game included many of the features we commonly recognize, such as tokens, playing cards, and calling out of numbers.

In 1566, Queen Elizabeth sponsored the first British lottery to raise money for defence. By the time, James I succeeded to the throne, lotteries were financing everything in London, from public works to private corporations.

In the 18th century, lotto was very fashionable and definitely very popular virtually throughout the courts of Europe. Over the next century, lottery games spread, and were soon found in most of the European societies.

What about the origins of Bingo?

Modern bingo games also originated in 16th century Italy. In 1530, a state-run lottery was initiated in the city of Florence. Known as La Lotto de Firenze, this game was the first public lottery to award cash prizes. Based on city names containing five letters, the Lotto de Firenze was the first step in the development of modern bingo games. This amazing Italian lottery is still played today! Known now as Lo Giuco de Lotto, this precursor to modern bingo games still attracts devoted players every week. Lo Giuco de Lotto was the first of many lottery-type games that followed.

And where does the word "Bingo" come from? Apparently, in the course of a game held in Atlanta, Georgia, a female participant yelled out, when winning, "Bingo!". And History was made… The word "Bingo" travelled from the new World to Europe and became recognized as identifying the game that holds its name "Bingo".

However, there is another version. A player would ring a bell placed on the table to indicate a winner. The bell sounded something like a "bing", thus, when the bell was discarded, so the story goes, the winner would yell instead "Bing" then "Bingo".

Whatever the origins of the word, Bingo is well-recognized today not only in gaming circles but also as an interjection expressing an objective met or something won.

What about the origins of Keno?

According to an ancient scroll, keno history started in China over 2000 years ago. It was a man named Cheung Leung, who invented this game of chance wanting to raise funds to save his city.

Leung's game became known as the White Pigeon Game because pigeons were used to communicate the winning results of the game from the greater cities to the small villages in the country.

Leung's version of the game differed slightly from the one we know today. Instead of using the numbers 1 through 80 on the ticket, each field was represented with a character, all of which were taken from the famous poem 'The Thousand Character Classic'. Many years ago, the poem was used as a means of teaching children reading and writing skills. The fact that not one of the thousand characters was mentioned more than once was recognized as a great achievement. The characters were organized in a way that rhymed and made the poem easier to remember but being able to recite it on your own was a skill in itself. The poem was so popular throughout China that some people used it as a way of counting from one to a thousand. The Keno travelled with the Chinese immigrants who spread the game all over the world.