Once upon a time a lottery was born from war. That lottery is now the Groupe Française des Jeux. The Groupe Française des Jeux or FDJ has been creating winners across France for 90 years. It started as the National Lottery in 1933. Its purpose was to aid soldiers wounded in World War One. These soldiers were called the Gueules Cassées. The lottery was born out of mutual aid. It laid the foundation for the FDJ’s contribution to society.
In 1933, the government created the National Lottery. It was inspired by the charity Gueules Cassées. The first winner was Paul Bonhoure. He was a hairdresser from Tarascon. He won 5 million francs in the draw on November 7, 1933. The profits went to war veterans and victims of agricultural disasters.
Fast forward to 1976. The LOTO appeared. It let players choose their numbers. The first draw was on May 19, 1976, in Paris. It took place at the Théâtre de l’Empire. This game became a social phenomenon. By May 1977, it reached 7 million weekly entries. In 1979, the government created the National Lottery and National Loto Company or SLNLN. The business model was based on redistributing takings for the common good.
In 1981, the FDJ went digital. It opted for a computer solution that processed 500 transactions per second. The site in Vitrolles near Marseille became the technological heart. Today, information technology is FDJ’s primary business.
1983 saw the first scratch game. It was called Tac O Tac. It combined scratch and draw games. Launched in December 1983, it earned its place in collective memory.
Sports betting began in 1985. SLNLN launched the first sports betting game in France. These were the beginnings of the multi-sport Loto. It became Loto Foot in 1997.
France Loto became La Française des Jeux in 1991. In the same year, the French discovered Millionaire. It was a scratch game associated with a television show. Contestants spun a wheel to win up to 1 million francs.
La Française des Jeux created its Corporate Foundation in 1993. Its mission was sports sponsorship. The FDJ Foundation supports sport in all its forms.
In 1997, the FDJ became a founding partner of the Groupama-FDJ men’s cycling team. Since its inception, the team has achieved over 500 victories.
The FDJ ventured online in 2000 with fdjeux.com. In 2010, fdjeux.com became fdj.fr. The first Euromillions draw took place on Friday, February 13, 2004. This allowed for even more winners. Euromillions is now available in nine countries.
In 2017, the FDJ sponsored the FDJ-SUEZ women’s cycling team. In 2018, the FDJ launched games dedicated to the Heritage Mission. Since 2018, they have raised over €125 million to support heritage projects.
On November 21, 2019, FDJ was listed on the Euronext in Paris. The operation allowed people to buy nearly 20% of company stock. The FDJ now has over 400000 individual shareholders.
The FDJ adopted a purpose in 2020. It is structured around game offering, a responsible model, societal commitment, territorial anchoring, and sustainability. The FDJ became an official partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This continues its commitment to French sport. The Groupe Française des Jeux remains a popular and optimistic brand.