ABSTRACT
Lotteries were well known in England by the time the first English colonist stepped foot in Virginia. The American practice of holding colonial lotteries was rooted in the English lottery tradition dating back to the sixteenth century, which was in turn built on European practices of holding lotteries during this same time period. Colonial lotteries, although not on the same scale as English lotteries, in most other ways followed the customs of the mother country in terms of how lotteries were advertised and drawn. The first lottery held in England occurred in 1567 when Elizabeth I instituted the Elizabethan Lottery to help defray the costs of internal improvements, including the development of harbors. However, the drawing of this initial English lottery was postponed several times and was ultimately unsuccessful as it failed to sell many tickets. Even so, the Crown granted charters for several other private and public lotteries throughout the seventeenth century. The first English State Lottery, held in 1694, helped to raise part of the funds required by the government for that year, and after 1694 lotteries became a regular means of raising necessary funds in England for public and private causes. 1
