The Oeuvre Nationale was founded on Christmas Day 1944, with the law being signed by Grand Duchess Charlotte in exile in London. The idea took shape in 1941, during a “Goodwill Tour” of the United States by the Grand Duchess and Minister of State Pierre Dupong.
The two representatives were drawing attention to the difficult situation of the war-torn country and found a lot of solidarity among the emigrated Luxembourgish population, who donated money and goods to benefit the resistance and population during the war.
After the foundation of the Oeuvre, a special appeal brought in more funds: on 23 January 1945, the population was encouraged to donate a day’s wages for war victims. This managed to raise a substantial sum at the time.
Based on this success, 23 January was considered the Oeuvre’s official foundation date. The Loterie Nationale was launched six months later, in July 1945. The proceeds from the lottery go to the philanthropic works of the Oeuvre.
Last year alone, the lottery’s turnover exceeded 111 million euros, with the profit of around 22 million Euro going to the Oeuvre. For many years, a large part of these proceeds went to war pensions. Today, two thirds are used on social projects. Other sectors such as culture, sports, health, the environment and commemoration also benefit.
These days, there are a large number of games to choose from, from scratch cards to Zubito, Lotto or horseracing. The clear winner in terms of participants is the Euromillions. Luxembourgers spend around 10 Euro a week on average on tickets, with Euromillions making up around 37% of the lottery’s revenue.
If you are interested in finding out more about the history and current projects of the Oeuvre Nationale and the lottery, you can visit the exhibition at the National Archives in Luxembourg City until 31 July.
On TV, a special show will be devoted to the 75 year anniversary of the Loterie Nationale at 7pm on Sunday.
