A couple of historical examples include the US Government lottery that helped to build the great universities, Yale and Harvard. Both these universities have benefited from lottery funds and these iconic campuses would not exist today were it not for lottery money!
The famous US President and founding father Thomas Jefferson was a huge supporter of lotteries which he described as a tax “laid on the willing only”.
Notable stories of how lotteries have funded surprising causes include a great Chinese Dynasty who organised a lottery to help finance a herculean repair job on the Great Wall of China.
Then there's the Irish Sweepstakes, which ran from 1930 to 1987, conceived by a gentle, well-meaning Dubliner who, after witnessing a tragic steamship sinking during World War II, initiated this famous lottery, firstly to provide relief for the families of the victims, and later to help fund hospitals.
Which is the best charity lottery in the UK and Europe?
The most recognised lottery today in Britain is, of course, the National Lottery. Because it isn't subject to the same limitations that society lotteries face on ticket sales and jackpots, it offers some of the highest jackpots with correspondingly huge donations going to various charities, sports and arts projects across the UK. One cannot help but admire the good work that the lottery organisers carry out.
Another lottery giant is Euromillions. This is a lottery derived from the teaming together of lottery organisers from the UK, France and Spain to bring a vastly pooled lottery jackpot to lottery players across nine European countries.
Although the ticket prices tend to be higher for the Euromillions, this lottery is a regular record breaker due to the size of its jackpots, which often roll over and snowball into eye-watering amounts.
Accordingly, the money raised to support the targeted good causes throughout all nine participating countries is monumental. In the UK there are specific categories of good causes benefitting from the Euromillions including health, education, sport, the arts, and a range of other charitable causes.
Today there are also many wonderful society lottery draws to choose from with a wide range of needy causes to help, with the added bonus of impressive prizes to win, but which is the best charity lottery?
What is a society lottery?
Society lotteries are local lottery organisations offering smaller prizes, but often better odds, with a community message at the heart of each one. For many players, this category of lottery is deemed the best charity lottery to play.
Examples of such lotteries are People’s Postcode Lottery and The Health Lottery. The Health Lottery operates on behalf of The Health Lottery Foundation which serves all regions of Great Britain, providing grants for charities to improve Britain's physical and mental health with funds raised by people playing all of The Health Lottery's games. Head over to the good causes pages to learn more about the communities The Health Lottery has helped.
The beauty of this type of lottery charity funding is that players get the opportunity to support causes around Great Britain, which can include programmes in their communities and specific causes close to their hearts.
Register an account today with The Health Lottery - it's a fun way to participate in fundraising for a small layout. Win or lose you can be confident that your money is helping worthwhile causes.
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