The Slovenian Lottery -300 years old - is displaying an Exhibition '300 YEARS OF PLAYING FOR A GOOD PURPOSE''
What do the cathedral and Plečnik Stadium have in common?
Ljubljana, April 2, 2025 – Lottery games have a long, varied and socially important history in Slovenia, as they have been organized for at least 300 years. Since the construction of the Ljubljana Cathedral in 1701, we can trace a broad history of organizing lottery games with the aim of raising funds for the implementation of socially important projects.
Extraordinary testimonies of gambling for a good cause are now also presented in a special exhibition, which will be open until the end of April 2025.
The exhibition 300 YEARS OF PLAYING FOR A GOOD PURPOSE, which will be on display on the Krakovské embankment in Ljubljana, brings together unique and visually rich material that presents surprising facts and interesting facts from the lottery heritage of our regions.
Along with the emotional, nostalgic component, it points to the social tradition of lottery games, which are a key source of funds for disabled, humanitarian and sports organizations, while also ensuring the development of local communities and strengthening the state budget.
The history of lottery games dates back at least 2,000 years – to the time of the Chinese Han Dynasty, when, according to researchers, the first lottery was played.
The use of lottery games is also documented in the Old Testament, several Roman emperors organized them for entertainment, and some (such as Augustus and Nero) also used them to rebuild roads and water systems.
An important turning point in the history of lottery games is the organization of lottery games in the Belgian city of Bruges, where the first public draw was held in 1441 with the aim of rehabilitating the depleted city treasury.
This model of raising money for the benefit of society soon spread – among the sources we can find information that lottery proceeds financed the construction of the Rialto Bridge in Venice, the renovation and construction of churches in Paris, the London aqueduct and the establishment of the first colony in what is now the USA.
Lottery funds also played an important role on our soil. With They have helped shape the cultural life of our society, whether in the artistic, sporting or social fields.
In the past, they helped build a children's shelter in Ljubljana (1838), contribute to the reconstruction after the great Ljubljana earthquake (1898), build a new elementary school in Udine in Styria (1902), a "home for the poor" in Maribor (1926), the Community Center in Trbovlje (1925) and, last but not least, in 1928, the Bežigrad stadium (then Orlovski stadium) - the main prize was a residential villa designed by the architect Plečnik, which still stands in the immediate vicinity.
Their socially significant note is also reflected in the present day. In 2024, 1.2 million participating adult residents of Slovenia supported 81 humanitarian and 32 disability rganizations and 553 different sports projects with lottery funds.
The exhibition is based on material collected by the Lottery of Slovenia in cooperation with Slovenian museums and archives – it will be open until April 30, 2025 on the Krakovské embankment in Ljubljana.
https://www.loterija.si/files/za-medije/dokumenti/sporocilo-za-javnost-300-let-igramo-za-dober-namen-030425.pdf