Playing lotteries has always been a tradition for Portuguese people of all social classes. Euromilhoes and Totoloto are the most well-known lotteries in the country. Euromilhoes and Totoloto can be played in cafes, gas stations, or over the internet.
Loteria Classica, the first incarnation of Lotaria Classica, was introduced as a sweepstake lottery by Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa on September 1st, 1784, as a way of raising valuable funds for good causes.
On November 24, 1955, Portugal Lottery games were given the more formal title of Lotaria Nacional, which means the National Lottery of Portugal, as they are still known today. Another lottery sweepstake game, the Lotaria Popular, was added in March 1987.
In 2004, a company called Jogos Santa Casa was formed to operate all games of the Portugal Lottery and the Loteria Nacional, and this company is the market leader in social gaming in Portugal. The most popular game in the JogosSantaCasa portfolio has to be EuroMillions, which was introduced to eager Portuguese players in October 2004.
The legal framework, discussed a little later in this article, has allowed lotteries to flourish from the past and appears to continue doing so into the future.