History of the Canadian Lottery, Past and Present

What started in Burgundy as a measure to raise money to fortify defenses for the poor, turned into something grand, in the grander scheme of things. You guessed it right—lottery! As Canadians, you must have heard about Lotto, but have you wondered where the idea where it all started? And how did it progress? And how it was banned, only to be revived yet again?

Table of Contents

The story of the Canadian Lottery is as interesting as it can get, and here is a glimpse into the past and a peek into the present!

Early Years

If you wind the clocks back, you will see how the lottery was used even in ancient Rome. Augustus Caesar was the pioneer of the idea of lotteries. He realized that it was a great way to not only get civic work done, but also gain massive popularity in the process. The governments took to the idea, and it was followed millenniums after too.

The case isn’t any different with Canada. If you go back some decades, you will see how Canadians used lotteries for public welfare too. In its rudimentary phases, Canada was a new country that had very little to live by, and so the idea of lotteries came in handy. In fact, the then Province would protest against their legislative bodies for the same cause!

The states would then hold lotteries in order to determine the kind of work. For instance, work in the public domain, such as infrastructure, was an eye-candy topic back then. Thus, the need for the greater good of the majority led to the idea of legal lotteries in Canada.

The Subsequent Ban on Gambling

There is a very distinct saying about how good and bad times are impermanent. The case was no different with Canada and lotteries. The very idea of lotteries that laid the way for good work in the public domain, was soon discarded as soon as Canada found other measures to generate revenue.

As Canada started to become a more settled and profitable country, they seldom had to rely on lottery or any other forms of gambling. Soon, the very idea of lotteries or gambling started to be frowned upon. Gambling was slowly starting to become less socially acceptable. By 1875, the then-prestigious Canadian Government decided to officially ban any kind of games or events that were bordering on the territories of gambling.

By 1892, the Canadian Criminal Code finally came into existence, and officially banned gambling in all forms and fashions. The ban did not last very long, though. It was soon modulated in such a way that bingos and raffles were allowed, but only for charitable purposes. In fact, shortly after this, betting on horse racing events was added to the acceptable lists too!

The Lottery—Reintroduced

You can’t really suppress the trendy items in society, can you? Much like online gaming becoming trendier today, gaming back then started holding similar status too.

After valid reassessments, the Canadian Government started to see greater value in gaming, especially lotteries. After all, they seemed like an inherently docile thing that was, in turn, bringing a fair bit of money and prosperity, for a good cause.

This led to the amendment of the Criminal Code in 1969. The amendment allowed lotteries provincial immunity. This meant that lotteries could run provincially as well as federally. It was also tied with funding of special projects like building condos, so it appeared to be a win-win proposition for most.

Only after a year, in 197o, both Quebec and Manitoba opened lottery games. Loto-Quebec was the first ever Canadian body to administer such lotto operations on the ground level. Other provinces saw the progress and dug in too! This led to massive inter-provisional developments of lotteries, overall proving to be very handy for the government too!

The Lottery and The Olympics

The Canada Olympic Lottery in 1974 proved to be a pivotal event in the history of Canadian lotteries. It was the first National Lottery in Canada that was created in order to raise money for the 1976 Olympic games to be held in Montreal.

While the tickets merely cost $10, it led to massive revenue generation. Moreover, there was also a prize of $1 million that was distributed among nine lucky women from Quebec City itself!

This was pivotal in the sense that the National Olympics led to further funds for other Olympic events as well as National Works too. Never before did Canada see such a massive interest in lotteries on this grand scale!

The Current State of Affairs

As stated earlier, Canadians now know of Lotto 6/49 as well as Lotto Max. But now they know of the historical events that led to the birth of modern-day lotteries. In fact, the advent of the internet has made life so convenient that you can get Lotto Max tickets with only a few clicks!

The said provincial games are administered by five regional organizations. They are:

Atlantic Lottery Corporation
Loto-Quebec
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
Western Canada Lottery Corporation
British Columbia Lottery Corporation

Final Words

Canada has advanced a lot when it comes to the lottery structure (among other things). But they have been humble enough to stick to their roots too. The modern-day lotteries are still conducted for public causes. If you have purchased a ticket, in your own way you are helping people for a greater cause!