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 was a fiasco, since the tickets were very costly and the social classes which could afford them opposed the project.
Vintage French lottery posters
Between 1757 and 1836, for a period of about 80 years with some interruption during the French Revolution, the France state run a profitable Loterie. The project was born out a series of initiatives to fund the École militaire.
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 a profit for the state.
Here below is a collection of amazing French lottery posters from between the 1930s and 1950s.
Loterie Romande, circa 1935
Loterie National, Joyeux Gagnants!, 1937
Loterie Nationale Banque Bazoge, 1937
Loterie Nationale, Tranche Spéciale des Arts Ménagers, 1938
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