International Lottery Day - International Lottery Day celebrates the mobile game "Lucky Scratch," now available in the UK. It's free to play. All you need to do is download — and win!

International Lottery Day 2024 – August 27, 2024

Lottery. Lotterie. Lotería. No matter what language, people around the world love lottery games! On International Lottery Day every August 27, we’re all dreaming about euros, dollars, pounds and lire. Why? Lottery-style games have gone mobile — so it’s easier than ever to play! That’s great news for the UK, where a study shows 83% of residents report purchasing scratch-off lottery tickets in the past year.Today is the day where we all try our luck and you never know, a lifechanging sum of money could be on the horizon.

International Lottery Day timeline

1566
Liz does Lotto

Queen Elizabeth I authorizes England's first official recorded lottery, designed to raise money for the reparation of the havens and strength of the Realme, and towardes such other publique good workes.

1880s
Lotteries start up Down Under

Australia's first lottery begins as a private affair in Sydney, before moving to other areas such as Queensland and Victoria.

1973
An Olympic-Sized Effort

Canada's Olympic Act, an effort to prepare for the 1976 Games in Montreal, allows the Organizing Committee to sell tickets nationwide.

1993
U.K. National Lottery

Prime Minister John Major's government sets up a new state-sponsored lottery, with TV host Noel Edmonds presiding over the first drawing in 1994.

International Lottery Day Activities

  1. Play the lottery

    The odds may be against you but someone has to win it so why not you? Buy yourself a ticket and allow yourself a few minutes to daydream of a mansion on the beach.

  2. Play as a group

    Why not? Gaming's great for socializing. On International Lottery Day, get your friends together and share the fun! Your biggest concern? How to split the big prizes. That's a nice dilemma to have.

  3. Buy a friend a ticket

    Having someone buy you a lottery ticket is an exciting little surprise. If they win they are sure to remember you and if they don't then at least you allowed them to dream for a moment.

5 Of The Biggest International Lottery Jackpots Ever

  1. Merry Lotería de Navidad!

    The Spanish Christmas Lottery, the world's largest lottery game, doled out an amazing first-prize jackpot of €720 million in 2012, the equivalent of $941.8 million at the time.

  2. Fish and chips for life — and then some

    One lucky UK winner won €185 million ($260 million) in 2011 — the year's largest single-ticket jackpot in the EuroMillions lottery.

  3. Split it!

    A pair of Eurojackpot players each grabbed one-half of a record-tying €90 million ($100 million) jackpot in 2019. One winner hailed from Germany; the other lived in Poland. He was the first Polish player to win.

  4. Koalas for everyone

    Oz Lotto, an Australian lottery game, paid out a whopping AUD $111,972,151 to four winners in 2012.

  5. Cold Canadian cash

    Lotto 6/49 delivered Canada's largest single jackpot of CAD $64 million in 2015.

Why We Love International Lottery Day

  1. We like to dream big

    After buying a lottery ticket it's common to spend a little time daydreaming about 'what if'. What would you do if you become a millionaire? As unlikely as it is, there's no harm in letting your mind wander there for a couple of minutes.

  2. We like the suspense

    As you're scratching the card or waiting for the numbers to be drawn there's that moment of suspense that is full of childlike excitement.

  3. The fun can be shared

    Playing in a group means that it's a great chance to share the fun with others. Win or lose you have something to look forward to.

International Lottery Day dates

Year Date Day
2023 August 27 Sunday
2024 August 27 Tuesday
2025 August 27 Wednesday
2026 August 27 Thursday
2027 August 27 Friday