Lottery is a form of gambling where players pay a small amount for the chance to win big money. They select a group of numbers and hope to match them with those randomly spit out by machines. People choose their numbers by all sorts of arcane, mystical, random, thoughtful and thoughtless methods, including their birthdays, favourite number, or whatever pattern they fancy at the time. While the chances of winning are very low, lottery play is widespread, with over 60% of adults reporting playing at least once a year.

In fact, it is one of the most common forms of gambling, along with the comparatively safer games such as blackjack or poker. Some people play for pure entertainment, while others play to make ends meet or to help their families. Regardless of the motivation, people who buy tickets spend billions of dollars every year, contributing to government receipts that could be better spent on other purposes. They also forgo savings for retirement, education, or even basic living expenses.

State governments have used lotteries to raise funds for a variety of purposes, including public goods, such as roads or schools, and to benefit private enterprises, such as subsidized housing or concerts. The introduction of lotteries in virtually every state has followed a similar pattern: The legislator establishes a monopoly; sets up an independent agency or public corporation to run the lottery; and begins operations with a limited number of relatively simple games. As the lottery grows, it is subject to constant pressure for increased revenues, and public policy debates focus on a host of specific features of the operation, such as its potential for compulsive gambling or regressivity among lower-income groups.