The University lottery has funded the construction and maintenance of almost all University of Iceland buildings, over twenty in total. It goes without saying that this has been an invaluable contribution to the education and progress of the Icelandic nation. The lottery has, furthermore, been vital pillar for research and science at the University of Iceland. The Lottery now celebrates a significant milestones as a whole 90 years have passed since the first draw, which took place on 10 March, 1934. The Lottery was established by law a year earlier and is thus the oldest lottery in Iceland. However, operations did not begin until early January 1934. Nowadays, computers oversee the draw, but the first numbers were drawn from two large drums by the children Ingigerður Jónsdóttir and Jónas Guðbrandsson in front of a packed house at Iðnó, the old theatre in central Reykjavik. This event marked the beginning of a the long history of the University of Iceland lottery.
"At present value, it can be estimated that The Lottery has contributed around 60 to 70 billion krónur to the University, and among the buildings it has funded are the Main Building, the Sports Hall, Oddi, Lögberg, the Medical Building, Askja, and the University Centre... and the list could go on."
So says Bryndís Hrafnkelssdóttir, director of the University lottery, and adds that Edda - the new home for Icelandic language studies is the most recent building on campus. The new building for the School of Health Sciences, constructed in close collaboration with the new Landspítali University Hospital, is next.
"The lottery will spend at least thirteen billion on the building. "That is quite a lot of money," says Bryndís and smiles.
"I seriously doubt that the development at the University of Iceland would have been the same withouth the profits from the lottery. This is an independent financial stream and not in competition with other projects funded by the government. I often say that if the University buildings were financed straight from the government funding we would still be finishing the top floor of Lögberg," says Bryndís and smiles.
University of Iceland is key to Icelandic independence
Bryndís says countless factors come to mind when she looks back at the 90 years that the University lottery has been operating. "There is so much that stands out in this 90-year success story of the University lottery. First and foremost, it is the achievement of developing the Univeristy campus and the impact the University of Iceland has had on Icelandic society. The inauguration of the Main Building of the University on 17 June, 1940, marked a significant milestone in the nation's history, as it was the first building designated for University operations. Students no longer had to share space with MPs in the Alþingi building by Austurvöllur, in cramped conditions, as they had done for the previous three decades. It is also interesting that when the Main Building was inaugurated, it was supposed to accommodate the school's activities for the next hundred years or so, but it quickly outgrew its functions, as significant societal changes occurred during that time, calling for well-educated individuals to fill many roles required in the new Iceland. A quick overview of the university campus the buildings and all the flourishing activity taking place within them and throughout the university grounds is enough to show the value of the lottery. The university and the society that has formed around it have played one of the key roles in the independence of our small nation and have created increased quality of life and prosperity here."
