Finns’ long-time favourite Lotto turns 55
This coming Saturday marks 55 years since the very first Lotto draw. Since January 1971, Lotto balls have been spinning in the draw machines to the excitement of Finns, and Lotto is still one of Veikkaus’ most popular games.
Lotto playing started in Finland on 11 December 1970, and the first draw was held on 3 January 1971. Already in the very first draw there was a full win: a shop assistant from Ylivieska, Sanni Mielonen, won 343,825 Finnish marks.
– The first Lotto millionaire in Finland was crowned in 1973, when a player from Nivala won just over one million marks in draw 23/1973. At that time, winners became public figures and even showed their homes in magazine articles. Nowadays, Lotto millionaires prefer to keep their good fortune strictly private, and some do not necessarily tell about their win even to their closest circle, says Veikkaus’ Communications Officer Minna Sundholm.
Lotto draw from 1990
Over the 55 years, Lotto balls have brought a considerable number of jackpot winners to Finland.
– There are already more than 3,600 Lotto jackpot winners in Finland. If you relate the number of jackpot wins to the population of each municipality, the ‘luckiest’ municipalities for Lotto jackpots are Lumijoki, Kustavi and Ranua, Sundholm says.
In total, almost 2.3 billion euros in Lotto jackpots have been paid out during the game’s history.
Saturday’s Lotto draw will be the 2,866th in order. The weekly Lotto draw has been part of Finnish life, with only one exception. In 1977, there were no Lotto draws at all between rounds 14–18 due to a strike by Veikkaus employees.
– The 55th anniversary draw has a jackpot of 13 million euros. If there is only one ticket with seven correct numbers on Saturday, it would be the seventh largest win ever paid to a single player.
The biggest win in Lotto history so far was recorded in draw 7/2015. On that occasion, two groups of ten players shared a total of 27.8 million euros, which came from a doubled jackpot of 13.9 million euros. Instead of receiving 6.95 million euros each, both groups won 13.9 million euros. The winning tickets were played in Vaasa and at veikkaus.fi (with online winners from several different localities).
Lotto through the decades
1970's
- Lotto sales begin on 11 December 1970. The first draw is held on Sunday, 3 January 1971. A Lotto line costs 50 pennies (approx. €0.084).
- In April 1972, Veikkaus’ printing house Kvartto receives a new printing machine from Germany for Lotto coupons.
- From draw 36/1972 onwards, the Lotto draw is moved to Saturday evenings.
- In draw 23/1973, the first Lotto millionaire is found.
- In 1977, Lotto is not drawn in rounds 14–18 due to a strike by Veikkaus employees.
- In January 1978, Jokeri becomes a side game to Lotto.
1980's
- From draw 40/1980 onwards, a full win requires seven correct numbers; 7 numbers are drawn from a pool of 37.
- From January 1983 onwards, Lotto can be played using a “haravajärjestelmä” (abbreviated system play).
- In January 1986, the Lotto number range is increased to 39 numbers.
1990's
- At the beginning of 1990, online Lotto playing begins. Completed coupons no longer need to be sent to Veikkaus for checking; instead, the game data is transferred electronically to the company through the online network.
- For the first time in Lotto’s history, a jackpot is not claimed. A full win of over 14 million marks (approx. €2.3 million), played in Vantaa in draw 12/1995, remains unclaimed despite a search campaign.
- In March 1997, the online service veikkaus.fi is opened and customers can start playing betting games. Lotto playing at veikkaus.fi begins in June.
2000's
- In July 2000, the Lotto draw studio is renovated and draws are held around Finland at various summer events.
- From 15 May 2002, Lotto can be played via digital TV. The service is developed in cooperation by Veikkaus, MTV3 and Sofia Digita.
- From 27 June 2005, Lotto can be played by text message. Text-message play ends in autumn 2013.
- In September 2006, the Veikkaus Card is introduced. Lotto can be played as an identified customer at points of sale.
2010's
- In October 2013, Lotto draws move from Yle to the MTV3 channel.
- In June 2014, the “Tuplaus” doubling feature is introduced as an add-on to Lotto.
- In February 2016, Lomatonni is introduced as a side game to Lotto.
- From draw 48/2016 onwards, number 40 is added to Lotto.
2020's
- Lotto turns 50 years old in January 2021.
- From May 2023, identification is required when playing Lotto at points of sale.
- From draw 3/2025 onwards, weekly additional draws are introduced in Lotto.
In 2026, Lotto turns 55 years. The first Lotto draw was held on 3 January 1971. During the anniversary year, different aspects of Lotto’s history and its significance for Finns will be highlighted.
