Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss lottery celebrates 40 years

The Swiss national lottery turns 40 years old on Sunday, having made more than 500 people millionaires in the process.

More than SFr5 billion ($4.9 billion) has been distributed to good causes in areas such as sport, culture, social projects and the environment, according to Swisslos and la Loterie romande.

The first draw tool place on January 10, 1970, but it was nine years before anybody won the first jackpot of over SFr1 million.

Since then 2,759 draws have taken place, with SFr7.7 billion being distributed. The most popular number, statistically, is one, which came up 491 times.

The new “Plus” format introduced in 2009 allowed a Genevan man to take home the largest winnings in Swiss lottery history at more than SFr19 million, said la Loterie romande, which covers the French-speaking part of the country. Swisslos is played by people in the German and Italian-speaking areas.

Overall, around half of the Swiss take their chances on the lottery at least once a year.

swissinfo.ch and agencies

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR