GoldenCasket
This business is an awesome Australian company that offers great products.
They describe themselves as:
Golden Casket has been operating in Queensland for close to 90 years, providing entertaining games of chance. Golden Casket markets the well-known brands of Gold Lotto, Oz Lotto, Powerball, Instant Scratch-Its, The Pools and $2 Casket which are as much a part of Queensland life as beaches and BBQ's.
Every week millions of Queenslanders dream about what they'd do if their numbers came up or if they scratched their way to instant wealth. Behind these brands is a commercially focused Corporation, which is one of the most successful businesses in Queensland.
Golden Casket is recognised as one of the world's leading lottery organisations and was owned by the Queensland Government from 1920 to 2007.
On 29 June 2007 Golden Casket Lottery Corporation became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tatts Group.
During 2004-2005 Golden Casket had an annual turnover of more than $813 million and returned almost $203.6 million to the Queensland Government. These funds are used to support a variety of community projects, which benefit the people of Queensland.
Golden Casket has operated in Queensland since 1916. The first Golden Casket draw lottery was conceived by the Entertainment Committee of the Queensland Patriotic Fund to raise funds for veterans of World War One.
The historic drawing of the first Casket was conducted on 14 June 1917, and was held at the Brisbane Stadium (was Festival Hall). The hall was packed, with an audience of hundreds of people and such dignitaries as the Lord Mayor. First prize was a casket of gold to the value of £5,000 (the equivalent of 30 years' salary), since cash prizes were not permitted by law. This casket was immediately bought back from winners for the cash value of the prize. The word 'casket' (being a small box of fine workmanship for jewellery and precious items) was thus enshrined in the name of the Queensland run lotteries.
The Queensland Government took over running Golden Casket in 1920 and within just one year, the profits of Golden Casket were raising two per cent of the Queensland Government's total budget.
In the early days, Golden Casket had just one Art Union. Over the years it increased its frequency and type of games and today gives away more than $400 million in prizes per year through a range of lottery games.
For close to 90 years, Golden Casket has provided entertaining games of chance to Queenslander's and generated much needed funds for worthwhile community projects all over the State.
Notable recipients of Golden Casket funds include:
The first five Golden Casket Art Unions raised £24,138 for the Australian Soldiers Repatriation Fund and £37,115 for the building of Anzac Cottages for war widows and their families.
The Motherhood, Child Welfare and Hospital Fund was one of the major recipients of Golden Casket funds over the years (between 1920 and 1975). It received over £4 million between 1920 and 1938 and direct support continued until 1975 (funding hospitals, 95 maternity hospitals and over 150 baby clinics, Bush Nursing Association, crèche and kindergarten institutions, TB Soldiers' Housing Scheme and Cancer Campaign Committee etcetera).
The Royal Women's Hospital in Brisbane was built and equipped entirely from funds raised by Golden Casket in 1938.
Revenue raised from Golden Casket has been attributed to making free public hospital service possible in Queensland.
Other recipients have included:
Queensland University
Red Cross
Surf Life Saving Association
Queensland Country Women's Association
Sister Elizabeth Kenny Polio Clinics
The Queensland Performing Arts Complex (partly built using funds raised by Golden Casket for the Cultural Capital Development Fund) and other cultural projects
Since 1992 Golden Casket has directed $1.5 million each year to Queensland Health for special projects relating to children's health. Both the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation and the Mater Children's Hospital Trust have received $500,000 each per year. The remainder is allocated to a range of children's health projects throughout the State.
The Golden Casket Foundation was officially announced as a key addition to the Queensland Government's Smart State Policy on 18 April 2005. Established to fund worthwhile Queensland-based initiatives, it is envisaged the Golden Casket Foundation will continue to positively impact on the lives of many Queenslanders both now and in the future.
To see more about this awesome business, visit http://tatts.com/goldencasket/