Bérenger Saunière corresponded with the Bank Fritz Dörge, 4 rue Kossuth-Lajos, Budapest, Hungary – spawning conspiracy theories linking Saunière to the Habsburgs.

Nothing special here – Saunière was playing the Hungarian lottery and a letter exists from the Bank Fritz Dörge to Saunière relating to this dated April 1909.

“The Fritz Dorge Bank is making another of its periodical raids on the British public in connection with the Royal Hungarian Lottery, a ticket for the fifth class being offered for the modest sum of £6 13s. 4d.”
Truth Weekly Journal, Volume 64, page 530, 1909

The bank closed down many years ago.

Royal Lottery of Hungary
Banque Fritz Dörge
4, Rue Kossuth-Lajos
Budapest

BUDAPEST, April 1909

Dear Sir,

All true lovers of lotteries will confirm that their real interest lies not in charity lotteries, where the chances of winning a prize are very small, but rather in the major State Lotteries where the very aim is to return to the ticket-holders, in the form of prizes, the whole of the proceeds derived from the sale of tickets.

For some 12 years now the Royal Hungarian Lottery has held the premier place among the best State Lotteries.

It is very unusual indeed for people purchasing tickets to stop doing so once they have realized the considerable advantages that the Lottery affords. A small annual stake virtually guarantees that you will at least get your money back and, not infrequently, will win substantial prizes.

As you will see from the enclosed leaflet the Royal Hungarian Lottery is made up of 110,000 tickets, 55,000 of which are guaranteed to win prizes, i.e. you have a 1 in 2 chance of winning a prize.

Loterie Royale Hongroise
Banque Fritz Dörge
4, Rue Kossuth-Lajos
Budapest

BUDAPEST, le Avril 1909

Monsieur,

Tous les amateurs de loteries ont constaté que leur véritable intérêt n’était pas dans les Loteries philanthropiques dont les chances sont minimes mais dans les grandes Loteries d’État dont le principe même est de rendre aux participants, sous le forme de lots, l’intégralité du produit de la vente des billets.

La Loterie Royale Hongroise occupe depuis douze ans le premier rang parmi les meilleures Loteries d’État.

Il est bien rare qu’après avoir constaté une première fois ses avantages considérables on cesse de courir ses chances. En s'imposant soi-même un petit impôt annuel on s'assure en effet presque toujours le remboursement de ses avances et, fréquemment, le gain de lots qui constituent de magnifiques fortunes.

Comme vous le verrez dans la Nomenclature ci-jointe la Loterie Royale Hongroise se compose de:

110,000 Billets, sur lesquels 55,000 sortent gagnants, c'est-à-dire dans la proportion d'Un lot pour deux billets.