Our history
Nationale Postcode Loterij (Dutch Postcode Lottery) was launched in 1989 to raise money for charity organisations that aim to create a fairer, greener world.
The founders of Nationale 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’s 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.
In 34 years, players of our lotteries have raised over €13.5 billion for thousands of charities and social organisations worldwide. 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
Nationale Postcode Loterij was launched in the Netherlands in 1989. The success prompted the Postcode Lottery Group to launch two additional lotteries in 2005: Svenska Postkodlotteriet in Sweden and People’s Postcode Lottery in Great Britain.
Deutsche Postcode Lotterie launched in 2016 throughout Germany. In 2018 Norsk Postkodelotteri started in Norway.
In the Netherlands, the Postcode Lottery Group operates another lottery: VriendenLoterij, launched in 1998.
Our timeline
1989
Children raising funds
On December 20 1989, school children pass through the doors. To sell lottery tickets for a good cause. They collect 300,000 authorizations of 10 guilders. The entire proceeds from this first drawing of Nationale Postcode Loterij goes to 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 organizing lotteries. The very first international ambassador was Nelson Mandela.
Next to Mandela, Annemiek Hoogenboom (managing director People's Postcode Lottery and Deutsche Postcode Lotterie till 2021).
2005
Hello Europe
The success prompted us to launch two more lotteries in 2005: Svenska Postkodlotteriet in Sweden and People’s Postcode Lottery in Great Britain.
2016
Willkommen Germany
Following on from the success in the Netherlands, Sweden and Great Britain a new lottery is launched in Germany.
2018
Hei Norway
There are now six lotteries in five countries. Players raise over €2.3 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 euros for good causes
In 2020 the lotteries had raised a grand total of €10 billion for thousands of charitable and social initiatives across the globe.
2022
€12.5 billion euros milestone
In December 2022, Postcode Lottery Group reached the milestone of having raised a total of €12.5 billion for good causes since 1989.
Founders of the Postcode Lottery
Simon Jelsma (1918-2011)
He was chairman of the Nationale Postcode Loterij (Dutch Postcode Lottery) from 1989 to 2002. He started as a priest and later became known as a passionate preacher and founder of Novib (now: Oxfam Novib). In this capacity, he was one of the people who put development aid in the Netherlands on the map. An idealist, a fighter against injustice and poverty, and an optimist at heart. “Always keep your mind on the goal", was his famous quote.
Boudewijn Poelmann (1949)
In 1983 Poelmann, with his wife Annemiek Hoogenboom, co-founded Novamedia the enterprise from which he co-founded the Nationale Postcode Loterij in 1989 in the Netherlands. Before setting up Novamedia he too worked for Novib, as a fundraiser and member recruiter. His sole wish: a sustainable flow of money for charities, which he achieved through the Postcode Lotteries. Succeeding Jelsma, from 2002 to 2020, he acted as CEO Novamedia and chairman of the boards of the Nationale Postcode Loterij, BankGiro Loterij and VriendenLoterij and their parent company Holding Nationale Goede Doelen Loterijen.
In 2006, Poelmann was voted ‘the most influential player in Dutch philanthropy’ by philanthropy magazine FM. In recognition of his dedication to society and his innovative entrepreneurship and leadership, Poelmann was honored as an Officer of the Order of Oranje-Nassau in 2012. In 2014, magazine Forbes ranked Poelmann 16th in its list of the World’s Top 25 Eco-Innovators.
As of 1 January 2021, he stopped his day-to-day involvement with Novamedia and its Lotteries and co-founded an impact investing fund for scale-ups, called phase2.earth.
Frank Leeman (1949-2018)
He was a board member until 2013. He was an independent marketing consultant before he became co-founder and later vice-chairman of Nationale Postcode Loterij. With his inexhaustible creativity and his driving commercial power, he inspired many colleagues. He is remembered as 'the body and soul' of the Postcode Lottery.
Herman de Jong (1948)
He was a board member until 2004, and financial expert. He also worked at Novib before joining Novamedia. He was the driving force behind the prizes in kind.
The founders, from left to right: Boudewijn Poelmann, Frank Leeman, Simon Jelsma, Herman de Jong
Boudewijn Poelmann, founder of Novamedia and co-founder of Nationale Postcode Loterij
In memory: Frank Leeman, co-founder of Nationale Postcode Loterij