Mifal HaPais

Mifal HaPais, whose Hebrew name means approximately “the lottery enterprise” or “the institute of lottery,” is Israel’s government-owned national lottery organization. It operates the country’s principal state lottery business and is associated with a near monopoly over legal gambling in Israel, alongside the Israel Sports Betting Board, which regulates sports wagering separately. Its public identity therefore combines two functions: selling games of chance to the public and directing part of the resulting income toward projects intended to serve national and local communities. The organization was established in August 1951 to raise money for the construction of a hospital in Tel Aviv. In its initial phase, the use of lottery proceeds was concentrated on healthcare. As the organization expanded into a national lottery institution, its support broadened to include education, recreation, culture, arts, municipal facilities, and other public purposes. This funding model has made Mifal HaPais an important participant in the development of publicly accessible infrastructure, particularly in areas where municipal and national budgets may be limited. Its gaming portfolio has included number-draw games, virtual card games, keno-style games, digit games, scratch cards, subscriptions, and special or anniversary lotteries. The Lotto product is the best-known draw-based offering. Players select numbers from specified pools and may use additional play formats, including random selections and combination systems. Other products described in reference material include Chance, which uses a virtual deck format; Keno and 777, which use numerical draws and fixed payout structures; 123, a three-digit game; and Hish Gad, a family of themed scratch-card products. The organization has also operated a weekly lottery subscription and a large annual lottery associated with its anniversary period. Mifal HaPais’s role extends beyond gaming. It has supported children’s clinics, hospitals, sports halls, study rooms, school buildings, day-care facilities, youth centers, adult-education centers, cultural venues, performing-arts activities, and public parks. A significant cultural institution connected with the organization is the Mifal HaPais Council for Culture and Arts, established in 2000. The council supports performing arts, visual arts, literature, poetry, cinema, television, new media, interdisciplinary work, international cultural exchange, and professional development. Its stated emphasis includes improving cultural access and supporting activity outside Israel’s central regions. The council has also been associated with the Mifal HaPais Sapir Prize for Literature and the Mifal HaPais Landau Prizes for Arts and Sciences. The organization’s financing model and regulatory position have attracted public attention. Historical reporting described substantial lottery revenues, with large amounts paid as prizes and significant allocations directed to public projects. Before a revised licensing framework took effect, published allocation arrangements described funds being divided among classroom and day-care construction, transfers to local authorities, and other public initiatives. A later licensing agreement gave the Ministry of Finance broader oversight and envisaged a supervisory authority for legal gambling, as well as publication of criteria governing the distribution of Mifal HaPais funds. Mifal HaPais remains an active Israeli institution whose brand is closely tied to both regulated gambling and public-benefit spending. Its long-term legitimacy depends on maintaining trust in its draws, managing gambling-related risks, complying with government oversight, and demonstrating that the social uses of its proceeds are transparent and fairly distributed.

Mifal HaPais was founded in August 1951 in response to a public financing need: the organization was created to raise funds for the construction of a hospital in Tel Aviv. At the beginning, its lottery income was dedicated primarily to healthcare. This origin gave the organization a public-purpose rationale distinct from that of a purely commercial gaming operator. Over time, Mifal HaPais developed from a project-specific fundraising mechanism into Israel’s national lottery organization. Its supported areas expanded beyond hospitals and medical services to education, recreation, culture, arts, and municipal development. The organization became a major source of funding for facilities such as schools, classrooms, day-care centers, sports halls, study rooms, youth centers, cultural halls, public parks, and health-related institutions. Its operating model linked consumer participation in lottery games with the financing of projects intended to benefit the wider population. The organization’s gaming portfolio broadened as well. In addition to traditional draw-based lotteries, it introduced or operated products based on numerical selection, virtual playing cards, keno-style draws, three-digit outcomes, scratch cards, subscriptions, and special-event lotteries. Lotto became its principal recognizable draw game, while products such as Chance, Keno, 777, 123, and Hish Gad provided different formats, frequencies, and payout structures. Draw schedules and product mechanics varied by game, with some products operating daily or several times per day and others using weekly or special draws. Mifal HaPais also established a formal cultural funding role. The Mifal HaPais Council for Culture and Arts was established in 2000 to support artistic and cultural development. The council’s remit covers performing arts, visual arts, literature, poetry, film, television, new media, and interdisciplinary projects. It has supported grants, initiated projects, assisted international exchanges, hosted visiting artists, and backed professional development. Its work has been presented as a way to increase cultural diversity and accessibility, particularly outside Israel’s central metropolitan areas. The council has also been linked with major recognitions including the Sapir Prize for Literature and the Landau Prizes for Arts and Sciences. The organization’s financial scale grew substantially. Reference material reports that lottery revenues in 2007 were approximately 3.848 billion Israeli shekels, including about 2.4 billion shekels distributed as prizes and about 1.1 billion shekels used for public projects. Separate reporting estimated annual revenue in 2012 at approximately 5 billion shekels. These figures are historical estimates or reported totals and should not be treated as current financial disclosures. Before 2012, an allocation framework described 46 percent of profits, or 10 percent of revenues when that amount was higher, being invested in classrooms and day-care centers. A further 46 percent was distributed to local authorities, while 7.5 percent was directed to other projects. A subsequent licensing agreement gave the Ministry of Finance broader supervisory powers and contemplated the creation of an authority to oversee all legal gambling in Israel. The framework also required Mifal HaPais to publish criteria for the allocation of its funds, increasing the importance of transparency and accountability in its public-benefit role. Mifal HaPais is associated with Israel’s near monopoly on legal gambling, together with the Israel Sports Betting Board. Its public position is consequently shaped by a continuing tension: it must generate participation and revenue through gambling while demonstrating responsible operation, regulatory compliance, and fair distribution of proceeds. The organization remains active and is best understood as both a national lottery operator and a state-linked public funding institution.

• 2012

  Expanded government oversight framework

  [1]Mifal HaPaisen.wikipedia.org

  A new licensing framework gave the Ministry of Finance broader oversight, contemplated a regulator for legal gambling, and required greater clarity around criteria for distributing Mifal HaPais funds.

• 2007

  Reported lottery revenue and public allocations

  [1]Mifal HaPaisen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported lottery revenues of approximately ₪3.848 billion, with about ₪2.4 billion paid as prizes and roughly ₪1.1 billion directed to public projects.

• 2000

  Culture and Arts Council established

  [1]Mifal HaPaisen.wikipedia.org

  The Mifal HaPais Council for Culture and Arts was established to support artistic production, cultural access, grants, and related initiatives in Israel and internationally.

• 1996

  End of Gideon Gadot chairmanship

  [1]Mifal HaPaisen.wikipedia.org

  Gideon Gadot’s tenure as chairman ended after approximately fifteen years.

• 1981

  Gideon Gadot begins chairmanship

  [1]Mifal HaPaisen.wikipedia.org

  Gideon Gadot became chairman, beginning a period of leadership that continued through 1996.

• 1951

  Organization established

  [1]Mifal HaPaisen.wikipedia.org

  Mifal HaPais was established in August 1951 to raise funds for the construction of a hospital in Tel Aviv. Its early proceeds were directed mainly toward healthcare.

A state-backed national lottery brand that combines regulated games of chance with the financing of public infrastructure, cultural programs, education, health, and community initiatives.

• Number-draw lottery

  Lotto

  Lotto is Mifal HaPais’s principal draw-based lottery product. The described format requires players to select six numbers from a pool of 37 together with an additional number from a pool of seven. Players may use random selections, doubled play, and combination systems covering larger selections. Draws have historically been scheduled primarily on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with occasional additional draws. The advertised jackpot range in the reference material varies according to accumulated participation and rollover conditions.

• Virtual card game

  Chance

  Chance is a virtual card-based game using a reduced deck made up of selected ranks from the four suits. A participant chooses four cards, one from each suit, and the operator draws one card from each suit. Prizes depend on the number of matches, with different versions offering different payout schedules. The product has historically used frequent scheduled drawings during the week and at selected times on Fridays, holidays, and Saturdays.

• Keno-style lottery

  Keno

  Keno is a numerical game in which participants choose seven to nine numbers from a pool of 70. The operator draws 17 numbers, and payouts are based on the number of selected numbers that match. The reference material describes frequent drawings, including half-hourly sessions during much of the Sunday-to-Thursday schedule and additional sessions on Fridays and Saturdays.

• Numerical lottery game

  777

  777 is a numerical game related in format to Keno but operated at fewer scheduled times. Participants select numbers and receive a fixed payout according to the number of correct selections under the applicable game rules. Reference material describes draws on weekday afternoons and evenings, on Friday, and on Saturday.

• Three-digit lottery game

  123

  123 is a daily three-digit game in which players select a number from 000 through 999 and compare it with a three-digit draw. The reference material describes a standard format paying for an exact match and an integrated format with graduated rewards for exact matches, correct digits in the wrong order, and partial positional matches. Draws have historically taken place daily at scheduled evening or weekend times.

• Scratch cards

  Hish Gad

  Hish Gad is a group of themed instant-win scratch-card games. Reference material also describes video versions of scratch-card-style games being available at some Lottery Place locations. Individual themes, prize structures, and availability may change over time.

• Subscription lottery

  Lottery Subscription

  The Lottery Subscription is a recurring lottery product based on weekly participation. Draws have historically been held on Thursdays or moved to another day when affected by a holiday. Prizes described in the reference material include cash, cars, and vacations.

• Special lottery

  The Big Lottery

  The Big Lottery is an annual or special-event lottery associated with Mifal HaPais’s anniversary period. Reference material describes it as having been introduced around the organization’s fiftieth anniversary and featuring a very large headline prize.

• 2012

  Adoption of a more closely supervised licensing frameworkStrategy

  Background

  Mifal HaPais operated within Israel’s regulated legal-gambling system, while concerns existed about the allocation of lottery proceeds and the oversight of legal gambling more broadly.

  Action taken

  A new licensing agreement expanded Ministry of Finance oversight, contemplated a dedicated authority for legal gambling, and required Mifal HaPais to publish criteria for distributing funds.

  Aftermath

  The framework increased the formal accountability expected of the organization and placed greater emphasis on transparent allocation of proceeds. The cited material does not provide a complete assessment of its later implementation.

  Source

1. 1Mifal HaPaisen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mifal HaPais official websitepais.co.il