14 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 In the mid-15th century, Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, imposed a hefty fine on the city of Bruges as punishment for a violent revolt by the local craft guilds. This action inadvertently set the stage for the development of the modern lottery. The fine was so huge that it depleted the city treasury. The restive population was hostile to higher taxes, so the city authorities needed to innovate to create a new source of revenues. City authorities then realized that their control over licenses to do business could be monetized. Specifically, the wine porters or schroders of medieval Bruges (now part of Flanders in Belgium) had the monopoly on unloading barrels of wine in the city’s port. The barrels of wine were then dragged to customers’ homes and lowered into their cellars. It was a lucrative business, because the porters were allowed to levy taxes on the imported barrels and keep the money for themselves in lieu of wages. The office was a privilege granted for life and awarded by the city for a fee. It occurred to the city leaders that, in addition to the fee that was collected on a regular basis, and in addition to raffling off the position of schroder and the economic rent that went with it, they could create additional raffles, or lotteries, to raise more money for other purposes as well. As time went on, these lotteries came to be held for other prizes, such as allocating prime positions of market stalls, with the proceeds earmarked to fund public works like strengthening the city walls and ramparts. These first documented lotteries, which also bore the name “Lottery” and had the characteristics of a present-day lottery, took place in Bruges, Belgium, in 1441. The lottery model invented in Bruges was quickly replicated in cities across Europe. The lottery goes public In 1441, when the schroder’s craft of a man named Pieter Den Hondt was due to be raffled off, the city authorities made an important decision. In addition to the first The Belgium Lottery, EL, and WLA Celebrate the 580th Anniversary of the world’s first lottery To commemorate the anniversary of the pioneering 1441 lottery in Bruges, the Belgian National Lottery organized a 4-day festival and exhibition. Lottery players, industry leaders and lottery fans from Belgium and across the world gathered in Bruges to relive the draw of 1441 during a historical evocation at the Christmas market, complete with tombola and a chance to win great prizes. Between December 1 and 4 of 2021, an exception was made to bring the special Extra Lotto and EuroMillions draws to Bruges. Guests were also treated to a festive open-air performance of Carmina Burana, and enjoyed city walks to experience the atmosphere of the first-ever draw in virtual reality, as well as an exhibition about the origins of the game in medieval Flanders, with an accompanying book being published. This article is excerpted, with permission, from the websites of the Belgium Lottery (brugge1441.be), the WLA (world-lotteries.org/insights/editorial/blog/necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention), and the EL (european-lotteries.org). Necessity is the mother of invention: The story behind the world’s first Lottery
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