Israelis Love of the Lottery Pushes Revenues Up by 14 Percent

The safest bet in Israel is that the national lottery Mifal HaPayis will make money. It announced Sunday that it raked in $810 million in the first six months of 2013, 14 percent more than in the same period last year.

The most popular game is the lotto, which brought in $214 million, one-third more than in the first six months of 2012.

Mifal HaPayis plows its profits back into communities, doling out $130 million to local authorities in the period from January through June, the highest semi-annual amount in history.