• In 1933 the Lotteries Act was established to provide funding for hospitals and community organisations.
• The first draw was held on 21 March 1933 at Perth Hall. Priced at 2/6 (two shillings and six pence) per ticket, with 55,000 sold.
• £3005 was raised for 40 organisations, including Perth and King Edward Memorial hospitals, St John Ambulance, Silver Chain, Parkerville Children’s Home, Clontarf Orphanage and Lady Lawley Cottage by the Sea to name a few.
• In 1938, after just 5 years, the Lotteries Commission had distributed over £263,000!

• The outbreak of war saw some funding redirected toward supporting serviceman fighting overseas and prisoners of war.
• There were over 800 agents selling Lotto throughout the state.
• The ability of everyday West Australians, through their lottery, being able to directly contribute to building important social infrastructure, was a source of considerable local pride.
• Grants began to diversify, supporting a variety of charities, agencies and projects including those involved in the care of removed Aboriginal children – the stolen generations.

In its 21 years to 1954, is estimated that around £4,000,000 was distributed throughout WA. Some of the grants supported during this time included:

• £1,500 to the Red Cross funded the conversion of a railway carriage to create WA’s first mobile transfusion unit to service regional locations.
• £200,000+ to the Mt Henry Home for Aged Women.
• £50,000 to the Perth Dental Hospital to towards urgent renovations and upgrades.
• First Festival of Perth - and 70 years later, Perth Festival remains one of our major beneficiaries.
• Perth Chest Clinic established to battle the surge in whooping cough and tuberculosis, with significant progress made in eradicating both diseases.
• Almost £2,560,000 in grants to support Silver Chain’s district and bush nursing programs.

• Manual draws were replaced with computerized random number generator.
• Australia’s first $10 draw offering a top prize of $500,000 was offered in 1973. The higher priced tickets prompted sharing the cost of entry via syndicates.
• The first million-dollar lottery, with 100,000 tickets issued at $25 in the ‘Magic Million’ draw was held and televised.
• During an office relocation, a Lotto barrel dropped, and 100,000 marbles rolled down the gutters of Murray St. Rather than re-count the marbles, it was decided the barrel should be taken back inside and bricked up inside the building for its life span. To this day it believed that behind the bricked façade of the old main drawing hall in 108 Murray St, sits the de-commissioned barrel which lost its marbles!
• What we now know as Lotto, launched in February 1979, requiring players to choose 6 numbers from 40. There were 125,000 tickets sold more than 11,000 winners sharing in $115,625 in prizes.

• Lotto became a national game in 1981, dramatically increased the prizes on offer and in 1982, instant scratchies launched. Five years later in 1986, the first computer system to sell Lotto was installed and the ‘Slikpik’ was introduced.
• The ‘Lotteries House’ concept was developed in 1989, in response to a need for accommodation for organisation working in the not-for-profit sector in WA.
• OZ Lotto launched as first wholly national Lotto game in 1994.
• In 1995 one of the longest standing retailers the ‘Lucky Spot Lottery Kiosk’ in Fremantle’s Atwell Arcade closed. The retiree siblings John and Jean had the kiosk passed down to them by their parents who first opened in 1934.
• The Lotteries Commission celebrated it’s $1 billionth dollar to the WA community in 1996, the same year Powerball launched!
• The South Hedland Lotteries House became the 18th ‘Lotteries House’ in WA and 8th in regional WA in 1998.
• In 1999, 78 WA players won Division 1 (total of $65 million), and $126 million was returned to the WA community.

• The Lotteries Commission relaunched with the name ‘Lotterywest’ in 2004 alongside a new contemporary brand, reflecting the colours of the sea, sun and sky for which WA is renowned.
• A number of games became available to WA players in the early 2000’s, including Monday & Wednesday in 2006 and Set for Life in 2015.
• Since financial year 2013-14 through to 2022-23, Lotterywest’s contribution to the WA community increased by $77.5 million, from $274 million to record breaking $351.5 million.