Lotteries evolved in the mid18th century, helping to fund towns, princes, counts and philanthropic societies. Tickets were sold by selfemployed collectors who were accountable to the organizers for receipts and to the winners for their winnings. Many Jews were involved in the lottery business, bringing to it the skills acquired in their traditional moneychanging activities. In Frankfurt the city council reserved the distribution of tickets for Christians. It was only after the French invasion in 1798 that a Jew named Reinganum was given a collector's licence. By 1801 so many Jews held Frankfurt lottery licences that the draw was postponed to take account of Jewish feastdays. In 1826 Isaac Raphael Sinzheim was director of the lottery office which managed the lottery business on behalf of the city council. As early as 1798 many Frankfurt Jews were working as collectors in places where dukes and counts had established lotteries. It was standard practice for collectors to appoint subcollectors. Many honorary titles were bestowed on collectors, such as that of senior court agent. One very extensive enterprise was the Hanau State Lottery, whose court agents included several members of the Stiebel family.