In France they invented the scratch card for cultural heritage. And they made 20 million euros from it

19.6 million euros: that’s the amount of money raised in France thanks to scratch-off tickets from the Mission patrimonie game. Launched on Sept. 15, 2018, on the occasion of European Heritage Days, this particular scratch card, on sale at newsstands and tobacconists throughout France with tickets costing 15 euros each (and large in size: 15 by 20 centimeters), and anticipated on September 14 by a special edition of the lotto game with cards of 3 euros each, Mission patrimoine has put a jackpot of 13 million euros (with maximum winnings of 1.5 million euros) up for grabs for players, with about one chance in six of winning a sum.

As explained on the website of La Française des Jeux, the company that manages state-run gambling in France, on each ticket about 10 percent (equal to 1.52 euros: for lotto cards, on the other hand, the percentage amount exceeded 20 percent since it was 75 cents for every 3 euros) was donated to the Fondation du Patrimoine for the preservation of 270 previously identified monuments (although there has been controversy over the fact that the task of identifying the monuments was given by President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron to TV presenter Stéphane Bern, who, according to some, lacked the necessary experience). The full list of assets is available on the Mission Bern website. In any case, the “mission” hit the mark: the state estimated it would raise between 15 and 20 million euros, and in the end Mission Patrimoine yielded, as mentioned, 19.6 million, all of which went to saving endangered cultural assets.

In short, a successful operation that has already aroused the enthusiasm of those who will receive the sums for the restorations: these are buildings that have suffered damage, or are in a poor state of preservation, or are in need of extraordinary maintenance. And they are mostly located in small municipalities: historic buildings, churches, theaters, villas, bridges, castles. And given the success of the initiative, it is likely that a new edition will be launched in September next year. A suggestion for Italy?

In France they invented the scratch card for cultural heritage. And they made 20 million euros from it

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