Our history
Postcode Loterij (Postcode Lottery Netherlands) was launched in 1989 to raise money for charity organisations that aim to create a healthier, fairer, greener world.
The founders of the Postcode Loterij had worked in the fields of fundraising, publicity and member recruitment. These experiences and the desire to make the world a better place led to the invention of a lottery format that not only focused on sharing the revenue but also on winning together: postcode lotteries.
Founders Boudewijn Poelmann, Frank Leeman, Herman de Jong and Simon Jelsma – the former shareholders in Novamedia – had such faith in the new Lottery format that they took the financial risk.
What seems obvious now was far from so at the time. When the lottery was set up, there was a great deal of skepticism and nobody, including the charities, dared to co-finance the initiative. Some charities even did not want to receive contributions.
It is thanks to the perseverance of the founders that Novamedia kept the faith. Nowadays six lotteries in five countries raise money for good causes. Novamedia is carrying all the risks and expenses associated with getting new Postcode Lotteries off the ground.
Postcode Lottery players have now raised over €15 billion for thousands of charities and social organisations worldwide, since 1989. Novamedia and its Postcode Lotteries has ranked in the world’s top three private charity donors for over a decade. It is named third largest in the world, after the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, and second largest in Europe.
Since 2017 all the shares of Novamedia, and the lotteries, are in the hands of a general interest foundation: the Novamedia Foundation Trust. This protects the sale of Novamedia and the intellectual property rights related to the Postcode Lottery format.
The history of the brands
Postcode Loterij was launched in the Netherlands in 1989. The success prompted the Postcode Lottery Group to launch two additional lotteries in 2005: Postkodlotteriet in Sweden and People’s Postcode Lottery in the United Kingdom.
Deutsche Postcode Lotterie launched in 2016 throughout Germany. In 2018 Norsk Postkodelotteri started in Norway.
In the Netherlands, the Postcode Lottery Group also operates the VriendenLoterij, which launched in 1998.
Our timeline
1989
Children raising funds
On December 20 1989, school children went door-to-door selling Lottery tickets for a good cause. They collected 300,000 sign ups, for 10 guilders each. All proceeds from this first draw of Postcode Loterij went to support refugees. The rest is history.
1993
Street Prize
Winning with your neighbours, which led to the Postcode Street Prize. In the early years, players with the winning postcode received a check of 3,000 guilders from tv personality Reinout Oerlemans. Back then the face of the Street Prize.
2001
Ambassador Nelson Mandela
World leaders, actors and entrepreneurs saw what we saw: making the world better by organising lotteries. The very first international ambassador was Nelson Mandela.
Next to Mandela, Annemiek Hoogenboom (Managing Director People's Postcode Lottery and Deutsche Postcode Lotterie until 2021).
2005
Hello Europe
The success prompted us to launch two more lotteries in 2005: Postkodlotteriet in Sweden and People’s Postcode Lottery in the United Kingdom
2016
Willkommen Germany
Following on from the success in the Netherlands, Sweden and United Kingdom a new lottery is launched in Germany.
2018
Hei Norway
There are now six lotteries in five countries. Players raise over €2.5 million every single day for charity.
2018
Queen Maxima opens new headquarters
Her Majesty Queen Máxima opened our new headquarters in Amsterdam. A vacant and neglected building was transformed into the most sustainably renovated building in the Netherlands.
2020
€10 billion for good causes
By 2020, the lotteries had raised a grand total of €10 billion for thousands of charitable and social initiatives across the world.
2025
€15 billion milestone
In 2025, Postcode Lottery Group reached the milestone of having raised a total of €15 billion for good causes since 1989.
€1billion for good causes in 2025
For the first time ever, a total of €1 billion was raised in a single year. This vital funding benefits over 500 major charity partners and thousands of neighbourhood and community initiatives. Their work is strengthening communities, protecting nature, investing in culture, improving our health and well-being and safeguarding human rights.
Founders of the Postcode Lottery
In 1989, four visionary entrepreneurs launched a completely new lottery model, designed not only to award prizes but to create a sustainable source of funding for charities. Simon Jelsma, Boudewijn Poelmann and Herman de Jong met while working at Novib (now Oxfam Novib), where they shared a deep commitment to fighting injustice and poverty.
Together with Frank Leeman, a marketing expert, they founded the Postcode Loterij in the Netherlands, a lottery where players win together and give together, a groundbreaking idea that revolutionised the world of lotteries.
Simon Jelsma (1918-2011)
Simon Jelsma chairman of the Postcode Loterij from its foundation in 1989 until 2002. A former priest, he became a passionate speaker and activist, co-founding Novib and playing a key role in establishing development aid in the Netherlands. He was also the founder of the Dutch chapter of Amnesty International, further cementing his legacy as a fighter for justice and human rights. A true idealist and eternal optimist, he inspired many with his motto: "Always keep your mind on the goal".
Boudewijn Poelmann (1949)
Boudewijn Poelmann succeeded Jelsma as chairman from 2002 to 2020. Also a former Novib colleague, he led fundraising efforts before co-founding Novamedia (now known as Postcode Lottery Group), from which the Postcode Lottery originated. His big ambition was to create a sustainable stream of funding for charities, which he successfully realised through the international expansion of the Postcode Lotteries.
Frank Leeman (1949-2018)
Frank Leeman was the only co-founder without a Novib background. A marketing expert and independent consultant, he became co-founder and later vice-chairman. His unmatched creativity and commercial drive helped shape the lottery into a major success. He is remembered as “the body and soul of the Postcode Lottery”.
Herman de Jong (1948)
A financial expert, Herman de Jong had known Boudewijn Poelmann since their university days and also worked at Novib before joining Novamedia. Prior to that, he worked for McDonald’s and was involved in bringing the franchise to the Netherlands. At the first Postcode Lottery, he played a crucial role in designing the prize structure, ensuring the Lottery’s financial success while maximising charity contributions.
The founders, from left to right: Boudewijn Poelmann, Frank Leeman, Simon Jelsma, Herman de Jong
Boudewijn Poelmann, founder of Novamedia and co-founder of Postcode Loterij
In memory: Frank Leeman, co-founder of Postcode Loterij