115-468: The Spanish Christmas Lottery (officially Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad [soɾˈteo e(ɣ)stɾaoɾðiˈnaɾjo ðe naβiˈðað] or simply Lotería de Navidad [loteˈɾi.a ðe naβiˈðað] ) is a special draw of the Lotería Nacional, the weekly national lottery run by Spain 's state-owned Loterías y Apuestas del Estado . The special Christmas draw takes place every December 22 and it
230-535: A common side showing the denomination or value, and a map in the background. Due to the linguistic plurality in the European Union , the Latin alphabet version of euro is used (as opposed to the less common Greek or Cyrillic) and Arabic numerals (other text is used on national sides in national languages, but other text on the common side is avoided). For the denominations except the 1-, 2- and 5-cent coins,
345-610: A national side showing an image specifically chosen by the country that issued the coin. Euro coins from any member state may be freely used in any nation that has adopted the euro. The coins are issued in denominations of €2 , €1 , 50c , 20c , 10c , 5c , 2c , and 1c . To avoid the use of the two smallest coins, some cash transactions are rounded to the nearest five cents in the Netherlands and Ireland (by voluntary agreement) and in Finland and Italy (by law). This practice
460-411: A perforated tear-apart sheet of ten identical sub-tickets (or fractions) sold for €20 each. Each one of these fractions is known as a décimo (one-tenth). Each décimo is entitled a ten per cent of any prize that the ticket has won. Tickets are officially sold in official lottery shops ( administraciones ) throughout the country as well as by licensed (and unlicensed) sellers on the street. Frequently
575-612: A budget deficit of less than 3% of their GDP, a debt ratio of less than 60% of GDP (both of which were ultimately widely flouted after introduction), low inflation, and interest rates close to the EU average. In the Maastricht Treaty, the United Kingdom and Denmark were granted exemptions per their request from moving to the stage of monetary union which resulted in the introduction of the euro (see also United Kingdom and
690-558: A foreign trading currency in Cuba since 1998, Syria since 2006, and Venezuela since 2018. In 2009, Zimbabwe abandoned its local currency and introduced major global convertible currencies instead, including the euro and the United States dollar. The direct usage of the euro outside of the official framework of the EU affects nearly 3 million people. Outside the eurozone, two EU member states have currencies that are pegged to
805-401: A frame as the others. Although the drawing is by chance, the children who draw the higher prizes are applauded. Apart from the prizes drawn from the vessel, some prizes are calculated from the winning numbers (view the table with prizes above). Once the grand prize ( El Gordo ) is declared, this number is instantly broadcast on television, online and on public screens. The two-vessels system was
920-470: A group of 51 society lotteries across the United Kingdom with a common drawing and prize pool. Each drawing is held on behalf of one or more of the society lotteries, whose revenues go to support health-related causes in their respective area. The Health Lottery received criticism on launch for only pledging to donate 20.3% of ticket costs to charity, compared to the National Lottery's 28%, and that
1035-558: A lottery offering tickets for sale is the lottery organized by Roman Emperor Augustus . The funds were for repairs in the City of Rome, and the winners were given prizes in the form of articles of unequal value. The first recorded lotteries to offer tickets for sale with prizes in the form of money were held in the Low Countries in the 15th century. Various towns held public lotteries to raise money for town fortifications, and to help
1150-649: A lottery to raise money to purchase cannons for the defense of Philadelphia. Several of these lotteries offered prizes in the form of " Pieces of Eight ". George Washington 's Mountain Road Lottery in 1768 was unsuccessful, but these rare lottery tickets bearing Washington's signature became collectors' items; one example sold for about $ 15,000 in 2007. Washington was also a manager for Col. Bernard Moore 's "Slave Lottery" in 1769, which advertised land and slaves as prizes in The Virginia Gazette . At
1265-504: A monetary agreement: British Overseas Territory : Unilateral adopters: The following EU member states committed themselves in their respective Treaty of Accession to adopt the euro. However they do not have a deadline to do so and can delay the process by deliberately not complying with the convergence criteria (such as by not meeting the convergence criteria to join ERM II). Bulgaria and Romania are actively working to adopt
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#17327720192671380-460: A notable markup in price. On a private basis, or through associations, charities, workplaces, sports teams, cafés, shops, and other organizations, it is also possible to buy or be given a fraction of a décimo (one-tenth ticket), called a participación (a share). Many organizations buy décimos and divide them further into shares and sell them to the public, colleagues, or members of an association. Usually, with charities and special organizations,
1495-442: A prize payout of €2.52 billion (seventy per cent of ticket sales). For each one of the 180 series , the prize structure is the following: In 2022, the € 4,000,000 El Gordo was paid to every series of number 05490. Every series of numbers 05489 and 05491 obtained the corresponding € 20,000 approximation prizes. Additionally, every series of numbers between 05400 and 05499 (excluding El Gordo but including approximations) obtained
1610-458: A profit for the state. Although the English probably first experimented with raffles and similar games of chance, the first recorded official lottery was chartered by Queen Elizabeth I , in the year 1566, and was drawn in 1569. The 400,000 tickets issued cost 10 shillings (£0.50) each (roughly three weeks of wages for ordinary citizens), with the grand prize worth roughly £5,000. This lottery
1725-503: A record for the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, with its 8 November 2022 draw having an estimated jackpot of US$ 2 billion. Euro The euro ( symbol : € ; currency code : EUR ) is the official currency of 20 of the 27 member states of the European Union . This group of states is officially known as the euro area or, more commonly, the eurozone . The euro is divided into 100 euro cents . The currency
1840-532: A shop will sell a ticket number in all series meaning all the winners of that ticket will have purchased their tickets in that location. This sometimes leads to a small village full of grand prize winners. Locations where previous grand prize winners were sold ( El Gordo ) often becomes a location of lottery pilgrimage where thousands of people (both local and from far away) will queue and buy their ticket at this location "for luck". The tickets are also sold outside of Spain, usually online (legally or illegally) often with
1955-457: A small transaction fee is applied which is effectively a donation to the organization. Street sellers may take a commission earning a small profit. Participaciones (shares) are made by writing the ticket number and the amount paid on a piece of paper (possibly on a photocopy of the ticket) and then signed. The paper is a legal contract in Spain and proof of participation in the ticket. If the ticket
2070-475: A unique five-digit ticket number on it, from 00000 to 99999. The smaller cage contains 1,807 small wooden balls, each one representing a prize written in Euros: Inscriptions on the wooden balls are nowadays made with a laser, to avoid any difference in weight between them. They weigh 3 grams (0.11 oz) and have a diameter of 18.8 millimetres (0.74 in). Before being thrown into the vessels,
2185-544: A way to raise public funding for projects, and this led to the popular belief that lotteries were a form of hidden tax. At the end of the Revolutionary War the various states had to resort to lotteries to raise funds for numerous public projects. The first big lottery on German soil was held in 1614 in Hamburg . In Austria the first lottery was drawn in 1751, during the reign of Empress Maria Theresia , and
2300-460: Is 0.001%, while chances of winning the top prize of EuroMillions are 1 in 139,838,160 or 0.00000072%, and chances of winning the top prize of Mega Millions are 1 in 302,575,350 or 0.00000000330496189%. Non-winners are known to claim "it's health that really matters" after losing. Those who get their money back often re-invest it in a ticket for Sorteo Extraordinario de El Niño , the second most important Lotería Nacional draw, held every January 6,
2415-527: Is a Malaysian company, which operates in the gambling sector. Founded and incorporated by the Malaysian Government in 1969, it was focused on the commercialisation of 4-Digits –based games. On 1 August 1985, the government in a non- tender privatisation , sold the company to businessman Vincent Tan who merged it into his Berjaya Group . Today, Sports Toto is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berjaya Sports Toto Berhad ( MYX : 1562), which
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#17327720192672530-598: Is a major donor to the EFSF. To be included in the eurozone, countries had to fulfil certain convergence criteria , but the meaningfulness of such criteria was diminished by the fact it was not enforced with the same level of strictness among countries. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2011, "[I]f the [euro area] is treated as a single entity, its [economic and fiscal] position looks no worse and in some respects, rather better than that of
2645-624: Is a national lottery. It is organized every year since 1812 by a branch of the Spanish Public Administration, now called Loterías y Apuestas del Estado. The name Sorteo de Navidad was used for the first time in 1892. The Spanish Christmas lottery is the second longest continuously running lottery in the world. This includes the years during the Spanish Civil War when the lottery draw was held in Valencia after
2760-546: Is a winner, anyone holding a share will be entitled to their proportional amount of the prize payout. For example, a charity may buy a décimo (one-tenth ticket) and split it further into ten more participaciones (shares), in this case selling them for €2 each plus €1 extra as a donation to the charity. If their number wins, they will get a one per cent of the prize (one-tenth of one-tenth). For 2022, there are 180 series of 100,000 billetes (from 00000 to 99999) at €200 each. The maximum ticket sales of €3.6 billion would produce
2875-542: Is also the sole currency in three overseas territories of France that are not themselves part of the EU, namely Saint Barthélemy , Saint Pierre and Miquelon , and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands , as well as in the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia . The euro has been adopted unilaterally as the sole currency of Montenegro and Kosovo. It has also been used as
2990-420: Is also used officially by the institutions of the European Union , by four European microstates that are not EU members, the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia , as well as unilaterally by Montenegro and Kosovo . Outside Europe, a number of special territories of EU members also use the euro as their currency. Additionally, over 200 million people worldwide use currencies pegged to
3105-469: Is discouraged by the commission, as is the practice of certain shops of refusing to accept high-value euro notes. Commemorative coins with €2 face value have been issued with changes to the design of the national side of the coin. These include both commonly issued coins, such as the €2 commemorative coin for the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, and nationally issued coins, such as
3220-643: Is listed on the main market of Bursa Malaysia . It claims to be the largest operator in Malaysia of 4D-based games, with 680 sales outlets offering a total of 7 games. The Mexican Lotería Nacional dates back to the late 18th century. The goal of the Lotería is to create jobs and to "impulse the wealth redistribution process". The Lotería is also a member of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. As measured by
3335-406: Is operated by Allwyn Entertainment Ltd, who took over from the original operator Camelot Group in 2024. 28% of National Lottery revenue, along with all unclaimed prizes, are distributed as grants to charitable causes. 12% of the revenue from the National Lottery is expected to go to the government, 5% goes to lottery retailers, 5% is retained by the operator for operating costs, and 50% remains for
3450-644: Is the biggest and most popular draw of the year. Lotería Nacional, with its first draw held on 4 March 1812, is the second-longest continuously running lottery in the world. This includes the years during the Spanish Civil War when the lottery draws were held in Valencia after the Republicans were forced to relocate their capital from Madrid . After the overthrow of the Republican government,
3565-408: Is the total number of series printed in a given year. In 2022, there are 180 series of 100,000 tickets each, for a total of 18,000,000 tickets available at €200 each. If all €3.6 billion tickets were sold, there would be €2.52 billion (seventy per cent of ticket sales) available for prizes. Because the €200 ticket price may be prohibitive for many purchasers, each of the pre-printed tickets is actually
Spanish Christmas Lottery - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-594: The Epiphany of Jesus day. The climax of the drawing is the moment when El Gordo is drawn. Lottery outlets usually only sell tickets for one or two numbers, so the winners of the largest prizes often live in the same town or area or work for the same company. In 2011, El Gordo was sold entirely in Grañén , Huesca , a town with about 2,000 people. In 2010, €414 million from the first prize were sold in Barcelona , and
3795-664: The Gambling Act 2005 , the maximum amount which can be won by a single ticket is £500,000, or 10% of the total draw proceeds. A minimum of 33% of the ticket price from players' subscriptions supports various trusts, which in turn fund local and international charities and community projects. Some £850 million have been donated. People's Postcode Lottery has a number of celebrity ambassadors, including David Attenborough , Judi Dench , Shobna Gulati , Tim Healy , Stephen Jardine , Ellen MacArthur , Aggie MacKenzie , Carey Mulligan , John Stapleton and Emma Thompson . The lottery
3910-549: The United States and some other countries during the 19th century, by the beginning of the 20th century, most forms of gambling, including lotteries and sweepstakes , were illegal in the U.S. and most of Europe as well as many other countries. This remained so until well after World War II. In the 1960s, casinos and lotteries began to re-appear throughout the world as a means for governments to raise revenue without raising taxes. Lotteries come in many formats. For example,
4025-516: The Virginia Company of London the right to raise money to help establish settlers in the first permanent English colony at Jamestown, Virginia . Lotteries in colonial America played a significant part in the financing of both private and public ventures. It has been recorded that more than 200 lotteries were sanctioned between 1744 and 1776, and played a major role in financing roads, libraries, churches, colleges, canals, bridges, etc. In
4140-736: The Western Canada Lottery Corporation (which serves Western and Northern Canada , excluding British Columbia ), and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation . The five regional lotteries are members of a consortium known as the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation , which administrates national games, including the flagship Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Max . The five lotteries offer draw games, scratch cards, and sports betting —the latter primarily under
4255-603: The dobra of São Tomé and Príncipe was officially linked with the euro. Additionally, the Moroccan dirham is tied to a basket of currencies, including the euro and the US dollar, with the euro given the highest weighting. These countries generally had previously implemented a currency peg to one of the major European currencies (e.g. the French franc , Deutsche Mark or Portuguese escudo ), and when these currencies were replaced by
4370-488: The € 1,000 prizes for the numbers with the same first three digits of El Gordo . Every series of numbers ending in "90" (excluding El Gordo ) obtained € 1,000, and every series of numbers ending in "0" (excluding El Gordo ) obtained a refund of € 200. The exact quantity of tickets and series, and their prices, may be different each year. For example, in 2004, there were 66,000 different numbers in 195 series. In 2005, there were 85,000 numbers in 170 series, whereas in 2006
4485-507: The " eurozone ", some 347 million people in total as of 2023 . According to bilateral agreements with the EU , the euro has also been designated as the sole and official currency in a further four European microstates awarded minting rights (Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City). All but one (Denmark) current, and any potential future EU members, are obliged to adopt the euro when economic conditions permit. The euro
4600-669: The 1740s, the foundation of Princeton and Columbia Universities was financed by lotteries, as was the University of Pennsylvania by the Academy Lottery in 1755. During the French and Indian Wars , several colonies used lotteries to help finance fortifications and their local militia. In May 1758, the Province of Massachusetts Bay raised money with a lottery for the "Expedition against Canada". Benjamin Franklin organized
4715-736: The 2011 round 41. The main victory at that time was with 7 correct results and the smallest victory with three actual and one additional number, the number of which was reduced from three to two. The lottery return percentage is 41.1. Another lottery game played in Finland is Vikinglotto , which can be played in all Nordic countries as well as in Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania . In Vikinglotto, six actual numbers and two additional numbers out of 48 are drawn. There are five winning categories: 6 correct, 5 + extra number, 5 correct, 4 correct and 3 correct. In Finland, an average of six million euros in winnings go unredeemed each year. A national lottery
Spanish Christmas Lottery - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-690: The Australian government started their own lottery, named the 'Golden Casket Art Union', with the intention of raising money for charities and projects. Its first draw is credited with raising funds for veterans of World War One. Lotteries in Canada are administered by five regional organizations; the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (which serves Atlantic Canada ), Loto-Québec , the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation ,
4945-552: The Calzabigi brothers (Giovanni and Ranieri). Casanova defended the project in a series of conversations with Madame de Pompadour , the French mathematician Jean d'Alembert , Joseph de Pâris Duverney, intendent of the École, and the French minister of foreign affair. Unlike modern lotteries where the state can never lose, in the French lottery the state could lose, but a wise choice of the payoff made losses so improbable as to ensure
5060-690: The Christmas lottery, except the fact that it is organized by the Spanish public lottery entity Loterías y Apuestas del Estado . Lottery A lottery (or lotto ) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments. The most common regulations are prohibition of sale to minors and licensing of ticket vendors. Although lotteries were common in
5175-634: The ECB's banknotes are put into circulation by the NCBs, thereby incurring matching liabilities vis-à-vis the ECB. These liabilities carry interest at the main refinancing rate of the ECB. The other 92% of euro banknotes are issued by the NCBs in proportion to their respective shares of the ECB capital key, calculated using national share of European Union (EU) population and national share of EU GDP, equally weighted. Member states are authorised to print or to commission bank note printing. As of November 2022 , these are
5290-459: The English lotteries ran for over 250 years, until the government, under constant pressure from the opposition in Parliament, declared a final lottery in 1826. This lottery was held up to ridicule by contemporary commentators as "the last struggle of the speculators on public credulity for popularity to their last dying lottery". An English lottery, authorized by King James I in 1612, granted
5405-618: The Euro, at around US dollar 0.95 per euro. The euro is managed and administered by the European Central Bank (ECB, Frankfurt am Main ) and the Eurosystem , composed of the central banks of the eurozone countries. As an independent central bank, the ECB has sole authority to set monetary policy . The Eurosystem participates in the printing, minting and distribution of euro banknotes and coins in all member states, and
5520-603: The Portuguese escudos , which ceased to have monetary value after 31 December 2002, although banknotes remained exchangeable until 2022. A special euro currency sign (€) was designed after a public survey had narrowed ten of the original thirty proposals down to two. The President of the European Commission at the time ( Jacques Santer ) and the European Commissioner with responsibility for
5635-608: The Republicans were forced to relocate their capital from Madrid. After the overthrow of the Republican government the lottery continued uninterrupted under the Franco regime. Notable prizes on different continents are: (local currency) The first lottery in Australia took place in the 1880s in Sydney. It was a private sweepstakes that was quickly prohibited, despite being moved to other areas such as Queensland and Victoria. In 1916,
5750-481: The US or the UK" and the budget deficit for the euro area as a whole is much lower and the euro area's government debt/GDP ratio of 86% in 2010 was about the same level as that of the United States. "Moreover", they write, "private-sector indebtedness across the euro area as a whole is markedly lower than in the highly leveraged Anglo-Saxon economies". The authors conclude that the crisis "is as much political as economic" and
5865-430: The United States were relatively strong creditors – gained attention in summer 2012 even as Germany received a debt-rating warning of its own. The euro is the sole currency of 20 EU member states : Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. These countries constitute
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#17327720192675980-620: The brand Sport Select . The largest single jackpot record in Canadian lottery history was a Lotto Max drawing on January 7, 2020, for a jackpot of $ 70 million. In Finland, Veikkaus began selling lottery tickets in December 1970, and the first draw was televised on January 3, 1971. The lottery turned 40 on January 3, 2011, and by then the lottery had been drawn 2,126 times. Since then, there has been one lottery draw every week. Lottery game time usually ends on Saturday at 9:45 p.m., and
6095-464: The coin to commemorate the 2004 Summer Olympics issued by Greece. These coins are legal tender throughout the eurozone. Collector coins with various other denominations have been issued as well, but these are not intended for general circulation, and they are legal tender only in the member state that issued them. A number of institutions are authorised to mint euro coins: The design for the euro banknotes has common designs on both sides. The design
6210-475: The draw is usually held on Saturday at 10:15 p.m. Large public holidays on Saturdays may postpone the draw to Sunday. The lottery has two official supervisors; from 3 January 1971 to 29 September 2013, the lottery was televised on Yle TV1 , and in October 2013, the lottery draws were postponed on MTV3 after ten evening news, because according to FICORA , the sponsorship cooperation between Veikkaus and Yle
6325-569: The drawing of lots. The first known European lotteries were held during the Roman Empire , mainly as an amusement at dinner parties. Each guest would receive a ticket, and prizes would often consist of fancy items such as dinnerware. Every ticket holder would be assured of winning something. This type of lottery, however, was no more than the distribution of gifts by wealthy noblemen during the Saturnalian revelries. The earliest records of
6440-550: The euro ( Yves-Thibault de Silguy ) then chose the winning design. Regarding the symbol, the European Commission stated on behalf of the European Union : The symbol € is based on the Greek letter epsilon (Є), with the first letter in the word "Europe" and with 2 parallel lines signifying stability. The European Commission also specified a euro logo with exact proportions. Placement of the currency sign relative to
6555-551: The euro ). The name "euro" was officially adopted in Madrid on 16 December 1995. Belgian Esperantist Germain Pirlot , a former teacher of French and history, is credited with naming the new currency by sending a letter to then President of the European Commission , Jacques Santer , suggesting the name "euro" on 4 August 1995. Due to differences in national conventions for rounding and significant digits, all conversion between
6670-687: The euro , which is a precondition to joining the eurozone. The Danish krone and Bulgarian lev are pegged due to their participation in the ERM ;II . Additionally, a total of 21 countries and territories that do not belong to the EU have currencies that are directly pegged to the euro including 14 countries in mainland Africa ( CFA franc ), two African island countries ( Comorian franc and Cape Verdean escudo ), three French Pacific territories ( CFP franc ) and two Balkan countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark ) and North Macedonia ( Macedonian denar ). On 1 January 2010,
6785-420: The euro . The euro is the second-largest reserve currency as well as the second-most traded currency in the world after the United States dollar . As of December 2019, with more than €1.3 trillion in circulation, the euro has one of the highest combined values of banknotes and coins in circulation in the world. The name euro was officially adopted on 16 December 1995 in Madrid . The euro
6900-453: The euro their currencies became pegged to the euro. Pegging a country's currency to a major currency is regarded as a safety measure, especially for currencies of areas with weak economies, as the euro is seen as a stable currency, prevents runaway inflation, and encourages foreign investment due to its stability. In total, as of 2013 , 182 million people in Africa use a currency pegged to
7015-466: The euro traded below the US dollar, but has since traded near parity with or above the US dollar, peaking at US$ 1.60 on 18 July 2008 and since then returning near to its original issue rate. On 13 July 2022, the two currencies hit parity for the first time in nearly two decades due in part to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . Then, in September 2022, the US dollar again had a face value higher than
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#17327720192677130-596: The euro, while the remaining states do not have a migration plan in progress. The euro is divided into 100 cents (also referred to as euro cents , especially when distinguishing them from other currencies, and referred to as such on the common side of all cent coins). In Community legislative acts the plural forms of euro and cent are spelled without the s , notwithstanding normal English usage. Otherwise, normal English plurals are used, with many local variations such as centime in France. All circulating coins have
7245-421: The eurozone are also treated as domestic transactions; however paper-based payment orders, like cheques, have not been standardised so these are still domestic-based. The ECB has also set up a clearing system , TARGET , for large euro transactions. The euro was established by the provisions in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty . To participate in the currency, member states are meant to meet strict criteria , such as
7360-556: The initial designs by Robert Kalina were of specific bridges, including the Rialto and the Pont de Neuilly , and were subsequently rendered more generic; the final designs still bear very close similarities to their specific prototypes; thus they are not truly generic. The monuments looked similar enough to different national monuments to please everyone. The Europa series, or second series, consists of six denominations and no longer includes
7475-627: The lottery continued uninterrupted in Francoist Spain . The first Christmas draw was held on 18 December 1812 in Cádiz and the grand prize was for the number 03604. The first time that the name Sorteo de Navidad was used was in 1892. As measured by the total prize payout, the Spanish Christmas Lottery is considered the biggest lottery draw worldwide. In 2022, with 180 million pre-printed € 20 tickets to sell ( décimos ),
7590-665: The lottery's structure was designed to contravene British law regarding lotteries. In the UK, winning the lottery is correlated to expressing more preference for the Conservative Party . Winning larger prizes results in a larger shift in favor of the Conservative Party. People's Postcode Lottery is a subscription lottery in the UK. The format was introduced by Dutch company Novamedia BV : players pay at minimum £10 monthly to play, and winning postcodes are announced daily. In accordance with restrictions under
7705-500: The map only showed the 15 member states of the union as of 2002. Beginning in 2007 or 2008 (depending on the country), the old map was replaced by a map of Europe also showing countries outside the EU . The 1-, 2- and 5-cent coins, however, keep their old design, showing a geographical map of Europe with the EU member states as of 2002, raised somewhat above the rest of the map. All common sides were designed by Luc Luycx . The coins also have
7820-541: The maximum total amount available for all prizes would be € 2.52 billion (seventy per cent of ticket sales). The total amount for the grand prize El Gordo ("the big one") would be €720 million. In the Spanish-speaking and the English-speaking media it is sometimes just called El Gordo , even though that name really refers to the grand prize for any Spanish lottery. As all Lotería Nacional draws,
7935-470: The modern-day stockbrokers for various commercial ventures. Most people could not afford the entire cost of a lottery ticket, so the brokers would sell shares in a ticket; this resulted in tickets being issued with a notation such as "Sixteenth" or "Third Class". Many private lotteries were held, including raising money for the Virginia Company of London to support its settlement in America at Jamestown. The English State Lottery ran from 1694 until 1826. Thus,
8050-495: The money back. That means ten per cent of all tickets get the money back. There is a 5.3% chance of winning higher prizes meaning more than ten per cent of all tickets win some prize which is a significantly higher winning rate than most other lotteries. The prize structure makes it easier to win some money compared to other lotteries, and it is common saying that the prizes of the Christmas Lottery are well distributed all around Spain. Chances of winning El Gordo are 1 in 100,000, that
8165-630: The national currencies ceased to be legal tender varied from member state to member state. The earliest date was in Germany, where the mark officially ceased to be legal tender on 31 December 2001, though the exchange period lasted for two months more. Even after the old currencies ceased to be legal tender, they continued to be accepted by national central banks for periods ranging from several years to indefinitely (the latter for Austria, Germany, Ireland, Estonia and Latvia in banknotes and coins, and for Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Slovakia in banknotes only). The earliest coins to become non-convertible were
8280-559: The national currencies had to be carried out using the process of triangulation via the euro. The definitive values of one euro in terms of the exchange rates at which the currency entered the euro are shown in the table. The rates were determined by the Council of the European Union , based on a recommendation from the European Commission based on the market rates on 31 December 1998. They were set so that one European Currency Unit (ECU) would equal one euro. The European Currency Unit
8395-437: The number of series has been reduced from 180 to 160 to adjust to the expected demand. In 2017 the number of series has been increased from 160 to 170, in 2020, to 172; in 2022, to 180; and in 2023, to 185. The overall odds of winning a prize in Lotería de Navidad are 1:6.5. The drawing traditionally takes place on 22 December. In the past, the drawings took place in the Lotería Nacional hall in Madrid , in 2010 and 2011 it
8510-416: The number of frames of numbers to be drawn. The balls have holes on them so they can be placed onto long wires, which are stored in frames for later presentation. When a major prize is drawn, both children pause, sing the prize and ticket number multiple times and show the balls to a committee, and then to a fixed camera with two Phillips screwdriver heads mounted at the front, all before being inserted into
8625-595: The number of series was increased to 180. Since 2011 there are 100,000 different numbers in 180 series. Distribution of prizes can change also, as in 2002 with the introduction of the Euro , or in 2011, when El Gordo increased from €3,000,000 to €4,000,000, the Second Prize increased from €1,000,000 to €1,250,000, the Fifth Prizes increased from €50,000 to €60,000, and 20 more pedreas of €1,000 were added. In 2013
8740-462: The number of €20 tickets available was reduced from 180 million to 160 million, reducing the potential maximum prize pool to €2.24 billion (70% of ticket sales), with a maximum potential El Gordo of €720 million. A lottery was first held in Thailand (then known as Siam ) in 1874 during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), as part of an international fair organised for his birthday. A lottery
8855-497: The numbers are shown to the public for anyone to check that the balls with their numbers are not missing. As the drawing goes on, a single ball is extracted from each of the revolving spheres at the same time. One child sings the winning number, the other child sings the corresponding prize. This is repeated until the smaller cage (the prize-balls) has been emptied. Due to the sheer number of prizes, this procedure takes many hours. The children work in about eight to nine shifts, equal to
8970-641: The numeric amount varies from state to state, but for texts in English published by EU institutions, the symbol (or the ISO -standard "EUR") should precede the amount. Following the U.S. financial crisis in 2008, fears of a sovereign debt crisis developed in 2009 among investors concerning some European states, with the situation becoming particularly tense in early 2010 . Greece was most acutely affected, but fellow Eurozone members Cyprus , Ireland , Italy , Portugal , and Spain were also significantly affected. All these countries used EU funds except Italy, which
9085-529: The obligation to adopt the euro by not meeting the monetary and budgetary requirements. All nations that have joined the EU since 1993 have pledged to adopt the euro in due course. The Maastricht Treaty was amended by the 2001 Treaty of Nice , which closed the gaps and loopholes in the Maastricht and Rome Treaties. The 20 participating members are EU Outermost Regions : Overseas Territories : Special Autonomous Territories : Microstates with
9200-444: The operation of the eurozone payment systems. The 1992 Maastricht Treaty obliges most EU member states to adopt the euro upon meeting certain monetary and budgetary convergence criteria , although not all participating states have done so. Denmark has negotiated exemptions, while Sweden (which joined the EU in 1995, after the Maastricht Treaty was signed) turned down the euro in a 2003 non-binding referendum , and has circumvented
9315-621: The outset of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress used lotteries to raise money to support the Colonial Army. Alexander Hamilton wrote that lotteries should be kept simple, and that "Everybody ... will be willing to hazard a trifling sum for the chance of considerable gain ... and would prefer a small chance of winning a great deal to a great chance of winning little". Taxes had never been accepted as
9430-620: The poor or in order to raise funds for a wide range of public usages. The lotteries proved very popular and were hailed as a painless form of taxation . The Dutch state-owned Staatsloterij is the oldest running lottery (1726). The English word lottery is derived from the Dutch noun "lot" meaning "fate". The first recorded Italian lottery was held on 9 January 1449 in Milan organized by the Golden Ambrosian Republic to finance
9545-417: The poor. The town records of Ghent , Utrecht , and Bruges indicate that lotteries may be even older. A record dated 9 May 1445 at L'Ecluse refers to raising funds to build walls and town fortifications, with a lottery of 4,304 tickets and total prize money of 1737 florins (worth about US$ 170,000 in 2014). In the 17th century it was quite usual in the Netherlands to organize lotteries to collect money for
9660-598: The possibility of multiple winners. The first recorded signs of a lottery are keno slips from the Chinese Han dynasty between 205 and 187 BC. These lotteries are believed to have helped to finance major government projects like the Great Wall of China . From the Chinese Book of Songs (2nd millennium BC.) comes a reference to a game of chance as "the drawing of wood", which in context appears to describe
9775-403: The printers: Capital within the EU may be transferred in any amount from one state to another. All intra-Union transfers in euro are treated as domestic transactions and bear the corresponding domestic transfer costs. This includes all member states of the EU, even those outside the eurozone providing the transactions are carried out in euro. Credit/debit card charging and ATM withdrawals within
9890-418: The prize can be a fixed amount of cash or goods. In this format, there is risk to the organizer if insufficient tickets are sold. More commonly, the prize fund will be a fixed percentage of the receipts. A popular form of this is the "50–50" draw, where the organizers promise that the prize will be 50% of the revenue. Many recent lotteries allow purchasers to select the numbers on the lottery ticket, resulting in
10005-511: The public; a design competition will also be held. Since 1 January 2002, the national central banks (NCBs) and the ECB have issued euro banknotes on a joint basis. Eurosystem NCBs are required to accept euro banknotes put into circulation by other Eurosystem members and these banknotes are not repatriated. The ECB issues 8% of the total value of banknotes issued by the Eurosystem. In practice,
10120-461: The rest of the €585 million of El Gordo was distributed between Madrid , Tenerife , Alicante , Palencia , Zaragoza , Cáceres , and Guipúzcoa . In 2006, the winning number was sold in eight different lottery outlets across Spain, while the second prize number (€100,000 per décimo ) was only ever sold from a kiosk on the Puerta del Sol in central Madrid . In 2005, the winning number was sold in
10235-455: The result of the fact that the euro area lacks the support of "institutional paraphernalia (and mutual bonds of solidarity) of a state". The crisis continued with S&P downgrading the credit rating of nine euro-area countries, including France, then downgrading the entire European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) fund. A historical parallel – to 1931 when Germany was burdened with debt, unemployment and austerity while France and
10350-564: The results, including the fourth prize of 25 million Spanish pesetas . It is a custom that the winners donate some of the money to the San Ildefonso school. The public attending the event may be dressed in lottery-related extravagant clothing and hats. The state-run Televisión Española and Radio Nacional de España , and other media outlets, broadcast the entire draw, it is also livestreamed. Two large spherical cages are used. The largest one contains 100,000 small wooden balls, each with
10465-498: The special Christmas draw is based on tickets ( billetes ) which have five-digit numbers, from 00000 to 99999. Since this system only produces 100,000 unique ticket numbers, each ticket number is printed multiple times, in several so-called series ( series ). The series is also identified on each ticket by a series number. In this way, the lottery organizer is able to sell more than 100,000 tickets each year, numbered from "Series 001 Ticket 00000" through "Series xxx Ticket 99999", where xxx
10580-474: The successor to the European Currency Unit (ECU). The notes and coins for the old currencies, however, continued to be used as legal tender until new euro notes and coins were introduced on 1 January 2002. The changeover period during which the former currencies' notes and coins were exchanged for those of the euro lasted about two months, until 28 February 2002. The official date on which
10695-515: The term El Gordo is specific for the Christmas Lottery; some even think that El Gordo is in fact the name of the lottery. However, the real meaning of El Gordo is simply "the first prize" (literally "the fat one" or more accurately "the big one"); other lotteries have their Gordo as well. To add to the confusion, there is a relatively new weekly Spanish lottery game called El Gordo de la Primitiva , which has nothing in common with
10810-673: The top price now up to 32 million baht . Shrines of local folklore and popular religion , such as Nang Ta-Khian , are often propitiated in order to be lucky in the Thai lottery draw. The principal lottery in the United Kingdom is the National Lottery , a state-franchised lottery sanctioned by the Gambling Commission (formerly the National Lottery Commission ), and established in 1994. It
10925-492: The total prize fund of which 5% is diverted to a Super Draw fund, leaving 45% for normal prizes. Northern & Shell also operates a commercial lottery known as The Health Lottery , which distributes its revenue to support health-related charities and causes. To comply with the Gambling Act, which forbids other parties from operating a national lottery, The Health Lottery operates as an umbrella corporation representing
11040-539: The total prize payout, the Spanish Christmas Lottery is considered the biggest lottery worldwide. In 2012, if all of the tickets had been sold, the total amount payout of prizes would have been worth €2.52 billion (70% of ticket sales). The total amount of all prizes of the first category called El Gordo ("the fat one") was €720 million which was distributed among 180 winning tickets (billetes) that win €4 million each. For 2013, due to falling demand,
11155-472: The town of Vic in Catalonia ( population 37,825), whose inhabitants shared about €500 million (€300,000 per winning décimo ). The moment is aired live on La 1 and RNE, as well as on sister channels TVE Internacional and 24 Horas, and the resulting combination and winning price are shown on all lottery outlets following. As a misconception in many non-Spanish speaking countries, it is often assumed that
11270-400: The traditional system used by Lotería Nacional in its draws, but nowadays it is only used in the special Christmas draw. Since 1965 the rest of the ordinary and special Lotería Nacional draws use five spherical cages with ten balls each (numbered 0 to 9), from where the five digits of the winning numbers are drawn. The smallest prize is the reintegro , tickets that end with a certain digit get
11385-537: The war against the Republic of Venice . However, it was in Genoa that Lotto became very popular. People used to bet on the name of Great Council members, who were drawn by chance , five out of ninety candidates every six months. This kind of gambling was called Lotto or Semenaiu . When people wanted to bet more frequently than twice a year, they began to substitute the candidates names with numbers and modern lotto
11500-645: The world thanks to online lottery agents and bookkeepers. Some states have tried to combat this with different measures. The state government of Tamil Nadu decided to ban GooglePay since it allows payments to online lotteries and awards its users in India with Scratchcards . Indian lotteries provide a substantial economic boost for the states that provide them. In the fiscal year 2017–2018 Kerala collected GST worth Rs 908 crore and state revenue of Rs 1,691 crore. Lottery industry start operated in Malaysia on early 1969 by Berjaya Group . Sports Toto Malaysia Sdn Bhd
11615-433: The €500 with issuance discontinued as of 27 April 2019. However, both the first and the second series of euro banknotes, including the €500, remain legal tender throughout the euro area. In December 2021, the ECB announced its plans to redesign euro banknotes by 2024. A theme advisory group, made up of one member from each euro area country, was selected to submit theme proposals to the ECB. The proposals will be voted on by
11730-546: Was a fiasco, since the tickets were very costly and the social classes which could afford them opposed the project. Between 1757 and 1836, for a period of about 80 years with some interruption during the French Revolution , the French state ran a profitable Loterie . The project was born out a series of initiatives to fund the École militaire . Instrumental to the birth of the Loterie were Giacomo Casanova and
11845-560: Was already two years old. While the conversion rates for the initial eleven currencies were determined only hours before the euro was introduced, the conversion rate for the Greek drachma was fixed several months beforehand. The currency was introduced in non-physical form ( traveller's cheques , electronic transfers, banking, etc.) at midnight on 1 January 1999, when the national currencies of participating countries (the eurozone) ceased to exist independently. Their exchange rates were locked at fixed rates against each other. The euro thus became
11960-503: Was an accounting unit used by the EU, based on the currencies of the member states; it was not a currency in its own right. They could not be set earlier, because the ECU depended on the closing exchange rate of the non-euro currencies (principally pound sterling ) that day. The procedure used to fix the conversion rate between the Greek drachma and the euro was different since the euro by then
12075-518: Was born, to which both modern legal lotteries and the illegal numbers game can trace their ancestry. King Francis I of France discovered the lotteries during his campaigns in Italy and decided to organize such a lottery in his kingdom to help the state finances. The first French lottery, the Loterie Royale , was held in 1539 and was authorized with the edict of Châteaurenard . This attempt
12190-510: Was created by the Austrian designer Robert Kalina . Notes are issued in €500 , €200 , €100 , €50 , €20 , €10 , and €5 . Each banknote has its own colour and is dedicated to an artistic period of European architecture. The front of the note features windows or gateways while the back has bridges, symbolising links between states in the union and with the future. While the designs are supposed to be devoid of any identifiable characteristics,
12305-509: Was designed to raise money for the "reparation of the havens and strength of the Realme, and towardes such other publique good workes", including the rebuilding of ports and new ships for the royal fleet. Each ticket holder won a prize, and the total value of the prizes equalled the money raised. Prizes were in the form of both "ready money" and valuable commodities such as silver plate, tapestries, and fine linen cloth. Additionally, each participant
12420-515: Was granted immunity from one arrest, "so long as the crime wasn't piracy, murder, felonies, or treason." The lottery was promoted by scrolls posted throughout the country showing sketches of the prizes. Thus, the lottery money received was an interest-free loan to the government during the three years that the tickets ('without any Blankes') were sold. In later years, the government sold the lottery ticket rights to brokers, who in turn hired agents and runners to sell them. These brokers eventually became
12535-646: Was held at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos de Madrid, and since 2012 in Teatro Real in Madrid. Pupils of the San Ildefonso school (formerly reserved for orphans of public servants) draw the numbers and corresponding prizes, delivering the results in song to the public. Until 1984, only boys from San Ildefonso participated in the drawing; that year Mónica Rodríguez became the first girl to sing
12650-458: Was illegal. In the current lottery played in Finland, the player chooses seven numbers between 1 and 40 (initially, until the autumn of 1980, six numbers between 1 and 40 were chosen, then for a few years seven numbers between 1 and 37 and then seven numbers between 1 and 39). In the draw, seven numbers and one (previously three and then two) additional numbers are drawn; the line price is 1 euro. The profit categories were changed, for example, from
12765-442: Was introduced to world financial markets as an accounting currency on 1 January 1999, replacing the former European Currency Unit (ECU) at a ratio of 1:1 (US$ 1.1743 at the time). Physical euro coins and banknotes entered into circulation on 1 January 2002, making it the day-to-day operating currency of its original members, and by March 2002 it had completely replaced the former currencies. Between December 1999 and December 2002,
12880-677: Was named Lotto di Genova since it was based on 90 numbers. Spain offers a wealth of lottery games, the majority of which are operated by Loterías y Apuestas del Estado with the remaining lotteries operated by the ONCE and the Catalan government. The first Spanish lottery game was played back in 1763 and, over the last two centuries, playing the lottery in Spain has developed into a tradition. The Spanish Christmas Lottery (officially Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad [soɾˈteo ekstɾaorðiˈnaɾjo ðe naβiˈðað] or simply Lotería de Navidad [loteˈɾia ðe naβiˈðað])
12995-515: Was organised in 1917 by the British government with Thai consent to help finance Britain's war effort. Lotteries were held intermittently until 1933, when they became regularised under the finance department. The present Thai lottery is managed by The Government Lottery Office, a state enterprise managed by the Ministry of Finance . The drawings take place on the 1st and 16th of each month, with
13110-1004: Was reintroduced in 1933. There are many lotteries in India. All lotteries are run by state governments but only 13 of the 28 Indian states allow them. The leader within Indian lotteries is the Kerala State Government that started their lottery department in 1967 following the country wide ban on private lotteries. The Kerala State Lotteries became an inspiration for other Indian states that started their own lotteries. As of right now lotteries are available in Kerala , Goa , Maharashtra , Madhya Pradesh , Punjab , West Bengal , Assam , Arunachal Pradesh , Meghalaya , Manipur , Sikkim , Nagaland and Mizoram . The public ban on lotteries in other states has not been very effective since several lottery providers allow Indians to play online. Indian players can play lotteries from all over
13225-531: Was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary, The Welsh Valley That Won the Lottery , about the residents of Rhymney who won in May 2022. Lotteries are operated at the state level in the U.S.; 45 states and 3 territories operate state lotteries, and nearly all of them are members of consortiums that operate regional games, and the two near-national games Mega Millions and Powerball . In November 2022, Powerball set
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