Lottery
A competition in which tokens are distributed or sold, and winners are chosen by chance, especially a state or charity lottery. Also called a sweepstakes, raffle, and jai alai, the word lottery is used of games involving chance as well as those in which a fixed amount of goods or money is awarded to a number of applicants or contestants. In the United States, a lottery is usually regulated by law, and prizes are typically cash or goods. The practice has a long history, with early lotteries raising money for colonies and other projects. Benjamin Franklin sponsored a lottery in 1776 to finance construction of cannons to defend Philadelphia against the British.
Lotteries can be structured in many ways, with the prize fund either a fixed amount of money or a percentage of total receipts. The latter format is more common, since it eliminates the risk of a low draw and limits the organizer’s cost.
In the United States, lottery revenues are usually earmarked for education and other public services, and they are considered a source of “painless” revenue, in which voters voluntarily spend their money on something desirable (as opposed to being taxed). Lotteries have broad popular support, with as many as 60 percent of Americans reporting that they play at least once a year.
But the regressive nature of lottery playing is masked by a skewed demographic makeup of the player base, which is disproportionately lower-income and less educated. In addition, a significant portion of lottery players are irrational gamblers who spend a significant share of their incomes on tickets.