For more than a thousand years, maybe more, people have been testing their luck at various games of chance, or gambling. For example In ancient Rome, the locals bet on many sports...such as the most unbelievable sporting event EVER...the gladiator fights that took place in the Coliseum. In those times, events like that have been some of the very best gambling spectacles, and official lottery (anchor) in most cases were for the sole entertainment of the Kings and/or Queens of Europe during the middle ages. Royalty were known to be very serious gamblers, and also set the tone for that sort of event... Actually, there are lots of books that cover the topic telling the story that many of the Kings and/or Queens were seriously addicted to gambling, and that many nearly bankrupted their own countries due to their addiction.